There is no denying that looking for a wedding venue is one of the most challenging yet important parts of planning a wedding. Aside from your budget, you should also consider a lot of factors before finally booking the venue. Finding a wedding venue is more than just searching for a place in your area and finding the prettiest settings. You should ask a lot of questions before you book the venue and sign a contract.

Asking questions will help you know if that venue is what you are looking for or not. If you do not know what questions to ask when looking for a wedding venue, we listed them for you. Read below and take note of the essential questions that you should ask the venue owner.

#1 Is it Available on My Wedding Day?

Asking for the availability of the venue on your preferred date is very important. You can either visit the venue before finding a date or you can do vice versa. What’s important is that you can confirm that the venue is available on your wedding day and no other events are booked.

#2 What is the Pricing?

Since you are working on a budget, ask the venue owners about the pricing. It is important that the price either fits or is close to your budget. As much as possible, do not book a venue where you need to add a significant amount on your set budget because that will force you to adjust your budget for other things needed for your wedding. 

#3 Is it Convenient?

Is the venue near to your wedding? Will your guests be able to easily go to the venue especially those who do not have a vehicle to use? Take this into consideration and ask the venue owner what are the possible ways to reach the venue from your wedding. 

#4 What Are the Do's and Don’ts?

Each venue has its own do’s and don’ts like you cannot bring your own food and such. So ask them what you can do and cannot do so you’ll know what to restrict to your guests and so that you can adjust your wedding plans as well to fit what the venue requires.

# 5 What are the Inclusions?

Ask the venue owners what are the inclusions of the venue. Are you solely paying for the place or are you getting any inclusions? Most venues do offer discounts and exclusive inclusions that lets you save on expenses. 

#6 What are the Event Specifics?

What is the capacity of the venue? How many can it accommodate at maximum? These questions are important so you can plan the arrangements for your tables and chairs accordingly leaving enough space for the stage and dance floor.

#7 What’s the Rain Plan?

If you are planning to go to an outdoor venue, that is great so you can have a bigger space to celebrate but you need to make sure that the venue has a backup plan in case of rain. Ask them if they have an alternative indoor venue in case of rain where you can transfer and never take “it never rains” for an answer because you never know what will happen. 

#8 Who is my Main Point of Contact?

Talk directly to the person whom you will be working with on your wedding day before you sign the contract. It is important to make sure you know who to approach if there is any problem in the venue so you can resolve it right away.

#9 What is the Payment Structure?

Ask if how much is the downpayment and when is your payment schedule so you won’t miss a payment. Also, ask if how many days can you still cancel the reservation if you want to and when can you get a refund. Lastly, do not forget to ask until when can you make changes with the setup and reservation without paying any extra cost.

#10 What’s the catering situation?

This is really an important question to ask. Ask them if the catering is in-house or will you need to bring in an outside caterer? Sometimes venues do include catering to their packages to be convenient for their guests. But to make sure that you’ll have food in the venue, ask them about the catering arrangement before you book.

#11 What are the Logistics you can provide?

Are they going to provide the tables and chairs? Do you need to bring your own sound system and microphone? Do not forget to ask these questions as logistics are equally important in the venue. It is better if all of the logistics you need are provided so you do not have to bring those yourself. 

#12 How Much Decoration is Needed?

Since you will be bringing all the decorations needed for the venue, ask how far you can put decorations and what are the prohibited materials to use. Make sure you get to list all those materials so that you are aware of what to use and not to use. 

#13 How Many Hours Does the Rental Cover?

Besides the actual ceremony, your wedding coordinators will need time to start setting up in the venue and it usually takes an hour or two. With that, you should know how many hours are covered in the rental fee that you are paying and how much you will pay for excess hours. 

#14 Do you Have a List of Approved Vendors or Should I Use any Vendors I Wish?

There are some vendors who restrict vendors who can work on their site for some reason. In that case, you need to make sure that their approved vendors are okay to work with you before booking and signing the contract. Remember that going for approved vendors can also save you some expenses. 

Make sure to bring a list of questions with you when you visit the venue to make sure you do not miss anything. Check the questions one-by-one when you have asked them and if there are other things that you want to ask, list them as well so you can ask everything on your site visit.