When booking your dream wedding venue there are a few questions you probably have, and some you might not know you should have! I’m going to list a few questions that you should ask when talking to prospective wedding venues and then I’m going to hand over to three wedding coordinators who are going to share common questions that they are asked (as well as the answers).
This week’s guest experts:
Claire from The Grayson, Georgina from Silver Tassie Hotel, and Roderick from Temple House Estate.
LAST WEEK: How to nail your wedding venue site visit
We asked and answered things like: is it ever appropriate to visit a prospective wedding venue while they’re hosting another wedding??
First, if you’re looking at a prospective venue, two big questions you should always ask:
- Are you available on my date / date range?
- What are the costs?
Now that you know the venue is available on your date and fits into your budget, here are the next four questions to ask:
- How long can you provisionally hold a date for?
- How many guests can you accommodate?
- How many weddings do they hold per day?
- Who is the point of contact in the lead up to the day?
Our wedding coordinator experts share three questions they are often asked, which you probably have asked:
How Do I Better Understand the Venue Costs?
Claire from The Grayson says:
As someone who has worked in the industry for over 15 years and is currently on the hunt for my own wedding venue, I couldn’t get over the amount of brochures that I had received that I could not make heads or tails of when it came to understanding what I would be paying.
Here at The Grayson, I always encourage our couples to send over a wish list after reviewing our brochure and from there we can offer a full tailored proposal for the couple. Every wedding is different and one couple’s perfect day may be entirely different to the next so it’s important that you have the opportunity to put your own flair on things while understanding if it fits within your budget. I will always make a point of letting our clients know that there are no hidden costs or surprises along the way when planning a wedding with us in The Grayson and I would encourage all couples to ask this question when reviewing proposals.
My one piece of advice to anyone on the hunt for the perfect venue, be sure to get a final quote and proposal in writing and get an understanding of where you can pull back on costs or add on enhancements as you wish.
Are items like linen & room decor included or do we need to arrange to have the wedding room decorated on the day?
Georgina from Silver Tassie Hotel says:
It depends on the choice of your venue because every venue is different! So it’s worth asking this question at your first consultation.
At the Silver Tassie Hotel and Spa, all table, linen, chair covers and bows are included as standards! Centrepieces, top table flowers, menus, table number, and decor for on arrival.
We work closely with local decor companies for extras that couples would like to add on.
It’s definitely worth asking your venue coordinator for supplier recommendations!
What is the simplest but the most useful piece of advice that you would give for planning a wedding?
Roderick from Temple House Estate says:
You’re getting ready for your wedding, surrounded by your best friends and family, with a gorgeous view in sight! It’s all coming together and it’s a beautiful feeling.
The simplest and most useful piece of advice: set up a wedding email address which you can both access easily! It’ll be easier to manage all your correspondence and bring your day together beautifully.
