Wedding Wednesday: Venue Vetting

In the north east, we continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy. My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the storm. It was scary when Sandy made landfall on Monday night, but luckily, I am ok and my building is intact. So, as promised... I'm back this week with Wedding Wednesday.

We were last thinking about the venue and painting a vision for the ideal venue. The next step is to make a decision, so you can also set a date. Once you have a date, everything else is set towards the goal of that date, including all of your vendor interactions. So it's really important to vet through your venue options by asking the right questions.

• Ask every question you can think of about the numbers... How much does it cost? What is the per person rate? What is maximum capacity? What is the minimum guarantee? What's included in cost? What are all the extras and how much? How much are gratuities or taxes? How many hours for set-up, photography, ceremony, cocktail, reception, post-reception/pack-up? How many chairs and tables? How many staff members? How many weddings are held at the same time? How many menu selections are included?
• Ask for a full tour and walk through of the wedding flow to see if it's in line with your vision. Ask about the bridal suite and the behind-the-scenes areas. Ask about alternative ceremony and reception locations within the facility if you have any part of your day outdoors.
• Ask about the wedding agenda and make sure it's in line with your plan for the day.
• Ask about the payment plan and all of their policies. Make sure you walk away with a clear understanding of how much and when payments are due and don't forget to cover all policies include vendor restrictions, if any.

Come back next week for another installment of Wedding Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by today and stay safe!
- KRAFTY pearl