Alright queens, so you've been proposed to and you're entering your gorgeous engagement goddess era. You start pondering about your PERFECT venue ( yes they exist ) but you're stuck on scheduling and lets be real - what do you even ask when you go on your tours? Well friends, we're here to help you out! If you hire a wedding planner, they will normally coordinate these tours for you and cover any questions you could think of ( and even questions you had no idea you were supposed to ask ). If you're flying solo on these tours, we have you covered! Below is our top tips and tricks to finding the perfect venue.
Before your tour:
Location - Location is key for most couples. Unless you're planning a destination wedding, it's a great idea to have in mind a general area that you want your venue to be in. Are you looking at 10 minutes from your house or up to an hour away? Do you want to stay in the same county/city? Are you looking for a modern or barn-like venue? Narrowing these questions down will prep you for what to look for and where to look for it.
Lodging - Lodging is important if most of your family is from out of town. Most venues will provide you with a selection of hotels in the surrounding area. However, its a great idea to look up some Air BnB's in the area to compare price. There are many venues here in Tennessee that have lodging onsite ( such as cabins - one of my favorite places is Sandy Creek Farms, they have cute little cabins scattered all over the property. Definitely in my top 10 TN venues! ). Onsite lodging can be a part of your package or rented out by your family members separately.
Budget - Now listen queens, this is probably the most important detail you have to have figured out before you go on ANY venue tours. I understand that crunching numbers can be a pain in the butt, however, you want to have a solid number to stick to while you're touring. It's no secret that some venues will try to upsell you to their very best packages, but don't be swayed! Discuss a number with your partner and make sure at least one of you sticks to it.
Narrowing down your fav's - My rule of thumb is to make a list of your top 10 venues, and then start touring your top 5. Chances are, you'll find your venue within your top 5 round of touring. If you don't find your dream place, you have the other 5 as back ups.
Scheduling Tours - Keep in mind that each tour normally takes around 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the venue, so make sure to schedule your travel time accordingly. Don't make the mistake of scheduling tours of all of your top 5 venues in one day. During your tours you'll be given a ton of information to digest, and you don't want to feel rushed during this process. My advice would be to make a day of it!! Plan a fun day of touring with your fiancé! Bring snacks, go out to lunch in between spots and have pow wow sessions ( how did we feel about this? did you get that OMG YES feeling? or did you both absolutely hate it? ) after each location. I recommend only scheduling 3-4 in one day. Remember what I mentioned before, you're going to be processing a lot of information after each tour, so take your time with it and have fun! Also, make sure to bring something to take notes with or just have the notepad on your phone open and ready. There are key details that will fly around during your tour that you're going to want to remember - so take notes!
As a note - most venue's will email you PDF packages with information on pricing/catering/etc. However, I believe its a pro move to take notes during your tour just so when you revisit said notes later, you can reflect on your genuine reaction to the information provided.
During your tour:
Alright, you did it! You picked and scheduled your top 5 - so what do you do when you get there? Typically you'll be greeted by your tour guide who will ask you basic questions, such as: what date are you aiming for and what's your guest count? It's crucial to have a ball park figure for both of these questions, because there's no point in touring a venue if the date you have selected for your big day isn't available. It's also crucial to make sure a venue can hold your guest count, especially if you're getting into the 250-300 range. Again, if a venue can't hold all of your guests then there's no point in touring it, so don't waste your precious time queens! Below are questions we typically ask on our clients behalf while touring:
General Questions
What is your rental fee or package structures?
How much is the deposit and when would it be due? Is the deposit refundable?
When is the rest of the balance due?
How long do we have the space for? Most venue's will talk to you in hours, so 8/12/24 hours is what you're looking to ask them. This information will be crucial for when you're planning out the timeline of your big day.
Is it possible to host the ceremony and reception here?
Are there spaces for the bridal party to get ready in ?
Is it possible to have the rehearsal dinner onsite? If so, is this a extra charge and how much time would be allocated for the rehearsal? *Note: Some venues will let you do the rehearsal morning of.
What is the cancellation policy and what is your weather contingency policy ( Basically - if it rains do we have a space that we can use as a back up plan )?
Do you have a sound system and microphones for the officiant? If the answer to this is no - let your DJ know, they always have a plan for AV setups.
Do you have handicap parking and handicap accessible bathrooms available?
Is this a non-smoking facility? If smoking is allowed, where is the designated smoking area?
Are there any noise restrictions?
What is the parking situation and do you have parking attendants on staff?
Is trash haul included in your packages? *Note: Queens - if you take anything away from this article let it be this: DO NOT BOOK A VENUE THAT WILL NOT HANDLE YOU AND YOUR GUESTS' TRASH. Your coordinator/planner will not do it, your caterer wont do it and the DJ wont do it either. There are venues that exist that do not offer to handle the trash for you, so be very wary of that. Your small wedding of 80 people will seem very large when you're hauling trash off for those 80 people.
Can a uber or shuttle service find the property easily?
Can the venue accommodate a DJ or a Live Band?
Do you offer security onsite?
Food and Booze
Do you have a list of preferred vendors? You're really looking for their recommendations on a caterer and bartender.
Do you allow outside vendors to be onsite? Most venues are pretty chill about using any kind of caterer you can imagine, however, there are some venues that require you to use their staff. Normally venues that have a restaurant attached to them will push you to use their catering/bartenders, which could be beneficial because you're getting everything in one package. Be wary of extra fee's if this is the route you choose.
Is alcohol allowed onsite? If so, are there any restrictions on types of alcohol or any limitations to the amount of alcohol we can provide to our guests ?
If the venue will provide the alcohol and the bartender, is there a bar minimum?
Décor and Rentals
Are tables, chairs, plates, silverware, and glassware provided? Or do we need to outsource these from a vendor?
Do you have an inventory of décor (lighting, candle holders, vases, etc.) that are included in your packages?
Can we or our coordinator move things around or do we have to leave the venue as is?
Can we use candles/confetti/sparklers/fireworks/animals/lawn games/bounce houses/food trucks etc. ? Out of this list the first 5 are probably the most important. If you're planning on including your favorite pup in your ceremony, this is a key question to ask.
Does the venue provide signage or other aides to direct guests to the event ( such as parking signs )?
Do you provide heaters and/or umbrellas for the outdoor spaces?
Will the staff at the venue assist with breaking down the event? This is crucial for your coordinator/planner.
Are there any décor restrictions?
What time can the outside vendors start setting up on the day of the wedding? Is it possible to set up décor the day before?
Securing a Venue
Congrats! You've found the venue of your dreams - now what? Make sure to contact your venue and provide them with your deposit to secure your date. A word of advice: before providing any venue ( or vendor ) with payment please, for the love of God, READ THE CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT. If you don't want to read it, have your coordinator/planner take a look at it. Don't understand a section in your contract? Ask your venue/vendor to explain. It's so very important that you know what you're signing before you sign it for a multitude of reasons. Once that's done you can start making your invitations and scheduling décor meetings!
Communication to Venues not selected
Send out a quick email to the venue's that you toured to let them know that you're going in a different direction. This is often overlooked and considered awkward, but trust me when I say, most venues appreciate this communication so much. It helps them take you off of their list and also will keep them from continuously reaching out to you. Most will wish you well and thank you for communicating effectively.
I hope these questions help you on your tours queens! We actually have a PDF document that we give to our clients during venue tours with the above questions and more. If you're interested in taking a peek at this
document shoot me an email at jray@effortlesseventplanningtn.com. Happy touring queens!
Comments