In What to Ask a Wedding Venue – Part 1, I talked about 15 questions to ask a wedding venue in regards to the Venue Rental. Today I’m going to share the next 21 questions that will cover Staffing, Coordination, Catering and Bar. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s get started!
Staffing and Coordination
- Do you offer wedding planning? If so, what services are included in the preparation for my wedding day?
- Do you offer on-site coordination on my wedding day? If so what services are included and if not am I required to hire a day of coordinator?
- When can my vendors start setting up on my wedding day? How early can we deliver wedding decorations and set up pieces? And if you are planning an all out party of the century you’ll want to ask if you can start setting up the day before as well!
- Do you provide assistance getting gifts and decor packed up after my wedding has concluded?
- Do you offer early drop off and late pickup? This question goes along with number 3. It is great when you can drop everything off the day before or at your rehearsal, so that the day of your wedding all you need to do is get yourself there 😉
- Do you include a parking attendant to point my guests in the right direction?
Photo by Ali & Paul Co
Catering
- What are my catering options? In-house, external or can I choose? If your venue allows external catering make sure you know the policies and requirements before hiring your caterer. Knowing what your venue offers will be a huge help in finding the right caterer for you!
- Are tables, chairs, linens, plates, silverware and glassware provided or will I have to rent them myself? These are all good answers to have when making your venue decision! If these items are not included this will increase your catering budget significantly.
- What is the food and beverage cost per person? Generally buffet meals are less expensive than served meals because more servers are required to deliver the food to your guest tables. Bar charges vary greatly and will depend on if the venue provides the alcohol or if they allow you to bring your own. In the latter, the charge will generally be for the licensed bartenders, glassware, mixers and condiments.
- Do we need to do a food tasting prior to finalizing our menu? If so, is there an additional charge? There is a wide variety of ways caterers do tastings. Tasting events are quite popular, or it may be a private tasting between you and your fiancee. Sometimes they are only offered by request.
- Can you accommodate special dietary requests? Custom menu choices, allergies, celiac disease, kids meals, vegetarians, vendor meals? You’ll want to make sure all of your guests and vendors have something they can eat.
- Do you offer cakes and is there a cake cutting fee? Also, do you provide cake cutting utensils?
- Do you offer different types of desserts?
- Do you have a recycling policy? All of those bottles of beer and food scraps will have to go somewhere right?!
- What do you do with the leftover food?
- Can you provide us lunch or snacks on the wedding day while we get ready?
- Do you have late night snacks available and if so what are the options?
Bar Service
- Can I bring my own alcohol and is there a corkage fee? Can I bring beer, wine and liquor?
- Are you licensed to provide alcohol service? If so is alcohol priced per person or by consumption?
- Does the bar remain open during dinner service? Closing the bar during dinner is not uncommon so it is a huge bonus if your venue keeps their bar open from start to finish!
- Are your bar tenders RAMP certified? Serving alcohol responsibly will put your mind at ease knowing your guests can make it home safely. Bonus if your venue allows guests to leave their vehicles on the premises and pick them up the next morning!
There you have it, 21 things to think through and get answers for. Not everything on this comprehensive list will be applicable to you, but hopefully it will help you decide what is and ultimately help you make a decision on the perfect venue for you. In the third and final part of this series I’ll be covering questions about Accommodations, Payments and Liability.
Cheers to Love,
Nat