Wedding Venue Advice for Meeting
With Location Managers

Do most of the listening, not talking, it will give you a feel for how experienced the wedding venue manager is.

Find out if they require you to use their caterer, their in house band, or DJ and even florist.

• How much will the venue charge for the date and times you need, including set-up and take down time?



• What if your wedding reception goes over the time specified?
• What caterers do they work with on a regular basis?
• How many people can the wedding location hold?
• Will you be able to take photos before the ceremony at the location?
• Where can the wedding party get dressed before the ceremony?
• What is the parking situation?
• Are there any extra fees, like a clean-up fee?
• What are the available bathroom facilities for guests?
• Will there be a representative on-site the day of the wedding, or at least an emergency contact number?
• Will you need to rent tables, chairs,linens, or a dance floor?
• What about decorations? Does the venue have lights, plants, candelabras or other decorations stored somewhere they won’t mind you using?

Typically, location vendors want a 50% deposit the day the contract is signed with the remainder paid in full 6 weeks prior to the event. Ask for specific payment due dates.

Important wedding venue advice: Be sure to ask the venue manager what their specifications are for decorations. What can you do and what can’t you do?

Can have someone come in and drop paper lanterns, a disco ball or a chandelier from the ceiling? Can you hang or attach decorations to the walls?

If the space has no lighting grid on the ceiling, ask if they have one they can install or if they’ll allow an outside audio visual company to do this for you.

Also ask them if they have an in-house lighting person who will help you with adjustments. Don’t assume they’ll volunteer this information, it’s additional work.

Have any extras they agreed to throw in for you or special allowances, like hiring an electrician to hang a prop chandelier, in the contract.

You don’t want to end up stuck with a big plain space you are allowed to do very little to modify.

At a bare minimum, the venue contract will have the date and time the venue is for hire. The approximate number of guests will also be included, as well as the payment schedule.

Wedding venue advice to take note of: Make sure you know if there are other parties booked before or after your wedding. If there are, you will have less time to set up and the reception will not be able to be extended if the guests are having a good time.

Always read the small print, and if you’re unsure, have a lawyer look at all contracts before you sign.

One final piece of wedding venue advice: Start your wedding location search early enough that you don't have to settle on a site you're not excited about.

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