Check out Part 1 of Michelle’s series on 10 Quetions to Ask When Selecting a Wedding Venue, too!
6. How many bathrooms do you have? You may laugh that this question made my Top 10, but it becomes serious when a space you rented only has one bathroom for 250 guests and brings in port-a-potties for the guys! You also need to check the condition of the bathrooms. Is there a sewage smell? Do the toilets flush properly?
7. How many hours does the facility rental cover? This is an important question because there have been a number of times that my clients were told they had eight hours of rental time. But before they hired me for my day-of coordinating they set their actual ceremony and reception time to use six of those hours. You need to make sure you allot time for setting up and cleaning up as well. The average ceremony/reception lasts four hours. I have found that three hours is enough time for set-up (even if it is pretty elaborate), and an hour is enough time for clean-up. A lot of places will allow you to buy additional hours, but be sure to ask about that and the costs if you want a longer-than-average party.
8. How many events do you contract for a day? The last thing you want to feel on your wedding day is rushed. You are already packing in a mani/pedi, hair styling, and makeup application into this one day. Why add the stress of having to be out of a facility precisely at 4 p.m because they have another event scheduled for the evening? In my 15 years in the event industry I have found that the stress level of all parties involved is reduced by half at venues that only host one event per day. Anyway, all the attention should be on you, right?
9. What is the A/V capability of the space? Are there enough electrical outlets for all the vendors? Will too much power usage trip any breakers? You should especially ask this question if you are looking at historical buildings. I learned to ask these questions the hard way! I planned a 1,000-guest Christmas party that had booked a warehouse-type space in an old strip mall. There was heavy audio/visual involved, and we didn’t find out until we were setting up day-of that we needed a generator because the building could not support all the wattage. Yes, there was an additional cost for the generator, and who likes last minute expenses? No one.
10. Who is responsible for clean-up? In most cases YOU are! Another thing I have seen way too many times is the mother of the bride or groom and family cleaning up the venue in their formal outfits. They have had a very emotional day as well and should not have to worry about cleaning up a venue. I make sure that the caterers that I suggest are full-service and will have staff to stay with me through clean-up. Ask if there are Dumpsters on site or if the trash must be hauled away. Again, I make sure that my caterers are aware of this policy for all of my events because I am not taking 10 bags of trash in my car! Be sure to read the venue policies to know exactly what you are responsible for. If there is nothing documented you should still ask. Many of the places I have worked will offer clean-up at an additional cost. Even I offer clean-up at an additional cost. Do not assume that this is just going to get done!
Whew! I know it is a lot of information to absorb but these are all necessary questions that you must ask to plan a hassle-free wedding. Be sure to tune in for the next article in my Vendor Selection series: 10 Questions to Ask a Caterer.
