Venue Search and Questions to Ask

Ok, so you’re newly engaged, you’ve figured out your budget and your vibe and now you’re starting to look at venues! Here are some things to keep in mind and some questions you should make sure to ask!

1. Get information in regards to pricing and date availability before a site visit: there’s a reason most venues try to get on you on site before they share prices with you, and its because they want you to fall in love with the space before they tell you how much it will cost 🙂 If you saw our live this week, you know that most venues in the northern NJ area start at about $125 per person, do the math in your head and make sure you’e comfortable with that number for your guest count, so you know where you need to land on a per person cost when discussing venues.

2. Only visit 3-5 venues! Any more than that and you’re going to get confused or start second-guessing yourself.

3. Pick a venue that is already somewhat decorated and one that is already in the vibe you’re going for. A beautiful space means you don’t need to spend money covering it up or making it pretty.

4. Start asking questions about the logistics of how a wedding works at the venue you are visiting. Here are some of the my favorites: What time can set up begin? How late can the party go? Are there noise restrictions? Is extra time allowed at a fee? When does breakdown need to be completed? Do you allow real candles? Do you have preferred or required vendors? How many weddings do you host at once? Are there extra fees beyond what has been disclosed? Is gratuity included? (Admin fee and gratuity are not the same thing, people!)

These are just some of our tips to get you set up for a successful venue search. Do you want the whole list? Comment below with the word “Venue Search” and your email and we’ll send you a full list of questions to ask and things to consider. Want to talk more? Schedule a free consultation with us here: https://calendly.com/nessmcgovern/initialconsultation