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Questions to ask a wedding venue before signing: real capacity, what the fee includes, curfews and noise rules, insurance, suppliers, access and hidden costs.
The questions that matter most at a wedding venue are: how many guests it really holds for your layout (seated dinner, dance floor, perhaps the ceremony in the same room), exactly what the fee includes, what time music and the bar must stop, which suppliers you must or cannot use, whether you need event insurance, how accessible it is, and every fee beyond the headline price. Get all of it in writing before you pay a deposit, because the contract, not the tour, is what binds the venue.
A venue's maximum capacity is rarely the number that fits your wedding. Fire codes set a legal occupant load for each room, as the National Fire Protection Association explains, but a seated dinner with round tables, a dance floor, a band and a buffet takes far more space per person than a standing crowd. Ask:
Venue inclusions to confirm: Hours, How many hours, including setup and cleanup? What does an extra hour cost?; Tables, chairs, linens, Included, extra, or bring your own?; Catering, In-house only, an approved list, or any caterer?; Bar, Venue bar, your own alcohol, or a corkage fee?; Staff, Is there an on-site coordinator on the day, and what do they do?; Ceremony space, A separate fee? What is the wet-weather backup?; Getting-ready rooms, Included, and from what time?; Cleanup and rubbish, Whose job, and is there a fee?.
What time must music stop, and what time must everyone leave? Many venues have limits set by local noise rules or their licence, and these vary by town and country. When can our suppliers arrive, and when must they be gone? Is anything else booked that day or the next morning? A second event can shorten your setup or force a rushed cleanup. Are candles, confetti, sparklers, fog machines or wall decorations allowed?
Do we have to use your preferred suppliers? If not, is there a fee for outside ones? Do outside suppliers need their own liability insurance? Who holds the alcohol licence and who serves? For quantities, see how much alcohol for a wedding. Are there sound limits, or a limiter on the power supply? Tell your DJ or band; see questions to ask a wedding DJ.
The US National Association of Insurance Commissioners notes that many venues require couples to carry event liability insurance, and some require the venue to be named as an additional insured. It also warns that cancellation cover usually does not pay out if you call the event off voluntarily. Ask:
In the US, places open to the public such as hotels and restaurants are covered by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to ADA.gov. Private homes, farms and some religious venues may not be, and older buildings vary a great deal. Rather than rely on the law, ask:
Ask for a sample invoice from a recent wedding of your size. Common extras include service charges, gratuities, sales tax, cake-cutting fees, corkage, security, overtime, cleanup fees and food-and-drink minimums. Hidden wedding costs covers more, and wedding cost per guest shows how per-head pricing adds up.
What its real capacity is for your layout, a seated dinner with a dance floor, and exactly what the fee includes. Almost every other decision depends on those two answers.
Your date, hours, guest limit, what is included, every fee, the payment schedule and the cancellation and postponement policy.
Many venues require event liability insurance. Ask what yours requires, and read what any cancellation cover excludes before you buy it.
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