15 questions to ask a wedding venue before booking is my first wedding advice post this year. Since my wedding season is officially over I’ve decided to create additional advice posts. When brainstorming ideas for this topic I thought who better to get wedding venue advice from than an actual wedding venue owner. I reached out to the owners of Mountain House Estate and they were happy to provide a list of the important questions to ask a wedding venue before signing on the dotted line. A little side note all of the images below were taken by me at Mountain House Estate. If your still searching for a wedding venue I highly recommend checking out their beautiful venue. Below are the 15 questions to ask a wedding venue before signing a contract:
1. Is my date of choice available? If not, are there any surrounding dates available? To save time be sure to ask if the venue has availability on the date you desire. If not, you will either have to move on or have flexibility when it comes to selecting a new date.
2. What is included in the venue rental fee? It’s important to know what’s included. Make sure you’re aware of all the additional fees that may occur before signing the wedding venue contract.
3. How many hours are included in the rental of the space? How early can you arrive and how late can you stay? It’s important to know how early you and your vendors can arrive for preparation. You might be planning on having your wedding reception going late into the night and it’s not possible with a lot of venues because of sound ordinances.
4. Do you have a list of approved or recommended vendors we can use? When it comes to searching for other wedding vendors these recommendation lists can be a huge time saver.
5. Do we have to use the venues approved vendors? If not, are there limitations or guidelines we need to meet when bringing others in? It’s rare but some venues only allow approved vendors. It’s becoming more common for venues to require vendors to provide proof of liability insurance before being allowed to work on the property.
6. Is the site handicap accessible? Older guests might struggle getting to and from the ceremony site. I highly recommend asking if some form of transportation is available for elderly or handicapped guests.
7. Are there noise restrictions? Wedding venues have to comply with local sound ordinances. It’s important to beware of these restrictions because there’s no chance of extending your party last minute.
8. What is the backup plan for rain or inclement weather? It’s always a good idea to plan for the worst case scenario, so if it does happen you’re less stressed on the wedding day.
9. How many bathrooms are there? Will we need to rent additional portable restrooms? This is one of those things that can be easily overlooked and possibly an extra expense that’s not thought about.
10. What is the venue’s capacity? This is one of the more important questions to ask if your planning on having a large guest list.
11. Are there any decor restrictions? Some venues have decor built in others need decor added. It’s good to know if the venue has any restrictions that might hinder your vision for the big day.
12. Is the venue properly permitted with the County to hold weddings? There are hundreds of not permitted venues operating in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino Counties. Several venues have been shut down, which leaves couple’s high and dry. Couples planning on having their wedding on a Saturday date all of a sudden have no place to go.
13. Can we bring our own liquor onto the property? Is there a corkage or service fee? Are there any rules or restrictions?
14. Who will be our point person as we plan our wedding? Who will be our point person on our wedding day? Be sure to speak with the person you’ll be working with on your wedding day. You want to make sure you get along and feel comfortable with them being your go to person.
15. What’s the catering situation? This is one of the more important question to ask a wedding venue about. Is it possible to bring in outside catering or is in-house only available? You want to make sure you’re happy with the cuisine and presentation before you booking.
You can check out additional advice posts HERE.