Searching for a wedding venue can be a daunting task. With so many to choose from in Central Florida, you can have a hard time choosing the perfect place for your ‘I Dos’. We have done a similar blog before (check it out here), but we thought we would follow up with a detailed list of Frequently Asked Questions specifically related to a venue. We provide this information exclusively to our clients as part of their Welcome Packet, so it’s a bonus for you! You want to make sure your venue is the perfect fit for you, your guests and your vision, so it’s important to find out these answers during the exploration process rather than later on. Most of these will be answered when you first reach out to the venue or when you tour with them.
There are certain things you want to cover right off the bat, and these have to do with availability and pricing. Approach a venue with some times of year in mind, and not specific date. Keeping your options open (and even considering Fridays or Sundays!) will help tremendously in your search. Sometimes, venues limit the amount of time before you can book your wedding. Check to see if there’s a waitlist you need to be on, or if you need to wait a certain amount of months before the desired date. Ideally, you’ll want to be the only event on-site on your wedding day (unless you’re at a large hotel), as having other events happening can result in less set-up time, limited venue access and confusion for your guests. If you’re not guaranteed to be the only event that day, find out how much it would cost to do a complete buyout, as well as how the staff handles having multiple events at once.
You’ll want to know how much it’s going to cost to host your wedding on their property. If they provide food & beverage on site, is there a minimum price for the date you’re considering? Are there additional fees involved? If they do not host on-site catering, what are their preferred caterers? Knowing these ahead of time lets you do a little planning with your budget and allows you to reach out to preferred caterers for more information. One thing we always, always, always make sure clients are aware of is what the venue rental itself includes. Are they just allowing you to be on property and you have to provide everything yourself? Or do they provide the event set-up needs such as tables, chairs, linens, etc? You don’t want to assume that the venue comes with everything and then realize in the middle of planning that you have to incur extra fees for rentals.
There are some of our Wedding Venue FAQs to keep in mind as well while you’re on the hunt. These include noise ordinances for certain cities, cancellation or date change policies, parking and Plan B options. Also, sticking to their preferred vendor lists is always a good idea! These vendors are vetted and verified and know their stuff when it comes to your venue, which is huge! You don’t want your photographer to have never stepped foot on property until the day of your wedding and waste time searching for photo opportunities or your DJ to not know where the loading dock is. Having a planner that is familiar with your property is highly recommended as well!
Finding a venue is probably the most exciting part of the planning process and we hope these wedding venue FAQs are helpful as you start your search. It becomes a reality that you’re having a wedding on a specific date at a specific place. Once you’ve found THE venue, it signifies that the rest of the planning can begin and will always be a special place in your hearts!
