Things to Ask Your Wedding Venue Before Booking

Photo: Tuan B & Co

Beyond a wedding planner, your venue is the first vendor you should book. Maybe you have your dream venue. Maybe you have no idea what your want. That’s ok! Just keep in mind, no matter how you feel towards a venue, there are a lot of small details, and things you should consider before booking the venue. As expert wedding planners, we have supported clients from the very beginning, and have toured many venues. Here are a few questions you should ask your venue before 100% committing (even if it is your dream venue):

What dates do you have available?

You probably have a dream date or ideal season. Before booking, you want to make sure the venue is available. You don’t want to get your heart set on a venue and date and realize they don’t match up. You may need to compromise: if you do love the venue, you may have to be flexible with your date, or if you love the date, you may need to find another venue.

How many guests can you fit?

Before choosing a venue, you should have a pretty solid idea of the number of guests. This is because venues always have a maximum guest count. This is due to resources and safety. You don’t want to get into a situation where you book your venue and realize it can’t hold all your guests. Depending on the type of wedding (seated, cocktail, dance floor, etc,) their max might fluctuate a bit, so you need to make sure the venue can hold all the guests you plan to invite!

What’s included in the cost?

Some venues include specific, niche, or necessary utilities with their rental cost. Sometimes they come with 150 chairs, an in-house vendor, a lounge, or it’s all a blank canvas. It’s always good to be aware of what’s included because it could greatly increase your budget with outside vendors, or it might save you some money with packages!

Do you allow outside vendors?

Some venues partner with other vendors and are exclusive with them. Make sure you are aware of these partnerships because it could affect your budget, or limit who you are able to work with if you have other selected vendors in mind. This could be challenging if you have a favored vendor, or if the exclusive vendor is way over your budget. You need to make sure to ask before booking so you are aware! Some venues also have a outdoor vendor fee (for insurance purposes) so make sure to be aware of those too!

Based on the answers, create a pros/cons list with all your venue options and narrow down from there!

Photo: Alisha Tova

DO YOU HAVE A BOLD VISION FOR YOUR WEDDING?

Fierce Productions is a Chicago based event planning company specializing in curating unique, bold, non-traditional weddings and events. Our talented team of professionals can handle all of your event needs including planning and coordination, design and styling, vendor and talent management, fundraising, marketing support and beyond - get in touch to learn more!