7 questions to ask about your wedding venue
i doubt you will find this information freely given to you when you visit the establishment as a potential customer. This is not a poorly thought out, generic, waste of your time list, here is information that is actually helpful when asking questions about your wedding venue. In this article
- Is there a sound limiter in the room?
- Is it possible to take photographs during a church service?
- How much does a drink cost?
- What happens if it rains?
- How far is it to the nearest hotels and how much does a taxi cost?
- How much time do we have to set up?
- What time should we have the day off the day after the wedding?
1. Is there a sound limiter in the room?
Wedding venues are a business and they want you to book. My big problem is that you can only get one crack at a wedding and they cost a lot of money. In this case, it is vital that all information is freely available, good and bad, so that you as a client can make informed choices. Sound limiters always catch people. What is it? This is an installed device that monitors the sound level in the room, if it exceeds a set limit, the entire sound system turns off and you are left in silence until it is restarted. This breaks the dynamic of the party, and often guests and clients are left standing looking at the band and saying, “Wow, this band is rubbish, they blew up the speakers,” which, of course, is not true. One of the questions you should ask about your wedding venue before booking is whether there is a sound limiter. If there is, and it”s not a problem for you, great. If this is a problem because you want to host a rave, you may need to find another venue. Better to find out sooner than halfway through a real headbanger.
2. Is it possible to take photographs during a church service?
This is important for obvious reasons, and I”ve written about it before, but the more publicity it gets, the more likely it is that someone will see it! Not all vicars/priests/ministers/clergy etc. Let us wedding photographers take photos during the ceremony. When it”s in their area, it”s their rules. If you will be devastated by this, inquire before booking. This is vital because there is really nothing we can do about it. I”ve had experiences where even on the day the celebrant changes his mind, which creates a whole new set of problems, but if you have it in writing from the venue/church, then at least we have something to fall back on. The ceremony is often the most emotional part of the day, watching these moments play out in front of me without being able to capture them is heartbreaking.
3. How much does a drink cost?
Because half a bottle of wine is never enough. A question like that could tell a lot about my personality type, huh? I”m not an alcoholic, I only drink when I”m working and I”m a workaholic? Seriously though, it”s worth finding out. So be sure to ask questions like these at your wedding venue before booking. Guests will drink champagne during the toast, they will also drink half a bottle of wine each, which sounds like a lot when booking, but a wedding breakfast is usually 2 people. 5 hours, it”s quite easy to drink that much wine in that time. If bottles of beer and cocktails are all about luck, then people will wince every time they go to a bar, which is not conducive to relaxed mega-fun with friends.
4. What happens if it rains?
I document that this has little impact on how I work, so you have to work with whatever comes. However, it is important for you and your guests to know. If the place looks spectacular in summer with the most fabulous gardens, just remember to ask what will happen if it is fixed, just for peace of mind that you won”t end up in the cupboard.
5. How far is it to the nearest hotels and how much does a taxi cost?
not all wedding venues can accommodate everyone who wants to stay there, so again, to be considerate of your guests, pay attention to how far the venue is from hotels. Guests will want to take a taxi if it costs £50 to travel 2 miles, so it may be worth looking into organizing carriages to ferry people across rather than a one-off hire.
6. How long do we have to set up?
Love to have a lot of homemade parts?
Thinking about something more than DIY? Make sure you have enough time for setup.
I”ve been in this situation before planning weddings for friends where we had a team of people and two days to prepare and we just did it. They covered the ceiling with lanterns (a masterpiece of engineering, I must say), made all the bouquets, decorated the tables, etc. Something is always forgotten, and it always takes longer than you think. Make sure that if you”re going DIY that the venue allows you to gain access well before the big day, otherwise you”ll be very stressed out and that”s not fun.
7. What time should we have the day off the day after the wedding?
Weddings are celebrations, I don”t think it”s about the money, which is why I find it disappointing when you”re forced outside at 10am after dinner because there”s a wedding the next day. I get it, this is business. If I had a place, I”d rather not work like this, one wedding a weekend, I say, but hey, maybe that”s just stupid and unrealistic. Or maybe not? This is how I shoot weddings: one weekend, I work hard on one, knowing you”re on top. Anyway, I digress. I know from my own wedding that you have to leave the premises at a certain time the next day in certain places. If you and your friends are hungover, it”s an inconvenience, so it”s definitely something to think about and tick off your list of questions to ask about your wedding venue at the final meeting. I”ll tell you what happened at my wedding. The next morning, breakfast seemed like a civilized idea back then, except everyone was still in bed. Get enough sleep before 10 a. m. to close your eyes as much as possible. Eventually we all went to the pub and had a few more beers with lunch. In conclusion, breakfast for all guests was a waste of money. So, this is on the list of one of the key questions to ask your wedding venue after booking or before booking to be on the safe side. If you don”t have a hotel, you will have a night porter and that”s it. No room service etc. If you find yourself needing something in the middle of the night, you won”t be able to call someone to get it. We had a guest who was very sick and finding help for her was difficult as there was only one person on duty — just a thought.
