Good Questions to Ask Wedding Venues
For the viewing itself, when the questions worth asking are the ones you can only ask standing in the room. They cover where the light goes during the day, what the space looks like once it is dark, the route your guests will actually walk, the backup space in real conditions and what has to be moved to make the room look like the photographs. The money and contract questions are better saved for the follow-up.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Can we walk the exact route a guest takes, from the car park to their seat?
Why ask it
Walking it exposes the gravel, the stairs, the long corridor and the gate that gets locked. It is the single most useful thing you can do on a tour.
Where is the sun at the time of day our ceremony would be?
Why ask it
Guests squinting into low sun, or a dark corner at four in the afternoon, are decided by the direction of the room. Ask them to point at where the light falls in your month.
What does this room look like at nine at night?
Why ask it
Every venue shows well at midday. Ask what the lighting does after dark and whether you can see photographs taken then.
What furniture has to be moved to make it look like the photographs?
Why ask it
The turnaround between ceremony, dinner and dancing is real work, and someone has to do it. Ask who, how long it takes and where your guests go meanwhile.
Where exactly would the ceremony move to if it rained?
Why ask it
Stand in that space rather than accepting a description. Ask them to set out how many chairs would fit.
Where would the band or the DJ set up, and where is the power?
Why ask it
Sockets, cable runs and ceiling height decide what your suppliers can do. Photograph the corner while you are there.
How many toilets are there, and where are they from the dance floor?
Why ask it
It is unglamorous and it shapes the evening more than most things you will be shown. Count them against your guest number.
Where do guests go between the ceremony and the meal?
Why ask it
There is always a gap of an hour or more. If the answer is the same room, ask what happens while it is being reset.
Where would older guests sit if they wanted to be away from the music?
Why ask it
Most weddings have a group who need somewhere quieter. Ask to see it rather than being told it exists.
What is the walk like from here in heels, or with a stick?
Why ask it
Cobbles, lawns and long gravel drives look charming on a tour and cause trouble on the day. Ask what they do about it.
What can we not touch, move or attach anything to?
Why ask it
Listed buildings, painted walls and hired furniture all come with rules. Better to hear them now than while decorating.
Where would we get ready, and can we see it?
Why ask it
Getting-ready rooms are often the least considered space in a venue. Look at the light, the mirrors and whether it locks.
Which of the things we are looking at are included, and which belong to someone else?
Why ask it
The chairs, the arch and the lighting in the show photographs are often rented in. Ask as you look at each one.
What can we hear from here on a normal day?
Why ask it
A road, a railway, a neighbouring function or a flight path is obvious once you stand still and listen. Ask what a Saturday sounds like.
Where do the staff and the caterers work, and can guests see it?
Why ask it
Service routes, bins and smoking areas end up in photographs when they run through the guest space. Ask to see the back of house.
What is being renovated or replaced before our date?
Why ask it
Ask while you are looking at the thing in question. Get any promised work confirmed in writing later.
Where would the photographs happen if the garden is unusable?
Why ask it
Every venue has a wet weather backdrop, and some are much better than others. Look at it before you decide.
What time of year does this space look its best, and its worst?
Why ask it
Coordinators usually answer this honestly and it is useful for choosing a date. Ask what the grounds look like in your month.
What would you change about this room if you could?
Why ask it
It invites a genuine answer from someone who knows the building. The thing they name is usually the thing you would notice by the evening.
What do couples always ask for here that you cannot do?
Why ask it
The list of refused requests is the fastest description of the venue's limits. Ask before you build plans around one of them.
Touring and choosing a venue
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the tour
- 1Fix your guest count and your ceiling on total spend before you visit anything, because both are hard to hold once you are standing in a beautiful room.
- 2Book the tour for the same time of day and, if possible, the same season as your wedding, so you see the light you will actually have.
- 3Ask in advance whether a wedding is set up that day; seeing a room dressed tells you more than an empty one.
- 4Take photos of the ugly parts too: the parking area, the entrance guests will use, the bathrooms, the loading route.
- 5Bring someone who is not emotionally invested and ask them to write down what the coordinator says about costs.
What to check while you are there
- Stand where you would say your vows and listen: traffic, aircraft, a neighboring bar, an air conditioning unit.
- Find the bathrooms and count them against your guest list, then check how far guests would have to walk.
- Look for where the caterer works and where bins go; a kitchen route that crosses the guest area shows up in photographs.
- Check the floor for heels, prams and wheelchairs, and ask about step-free routes into every space you will use.
- Ask what the room sounds like full. Hard surfaces and high ceilings make speeches difficult without hired sound.
Before you sign
- Get every verbal promise written into the contract, including included items, hours, and any discount you were offered.
- Read the postponement, cancellation and force majeure clauses first, and ask what happened to couples who postponed recently.
- Check who the contract names as responsible if the venue changes ownership or closes before your date.
- Ask for two recent couples you can contact, and ask them specifically about the last month before the wedding.
- Take the contract away and read it somewhere other than the venue. Any pressure to sign during the tour is itself an answer.