touring wedding venues? don’t forget to ask these questions!

First of all if you’re reading this, congrats on your engagement! It’s such an exciting, yet sometimes daunting, start to wedding planning! A few of my closest friends got engaged this summer so I’ve been working on a list of questions for them to consider when researching and touring wedding venue and wanted to share with anyone else looking for some guidance.

our last venue visit before our actual wedding day!

Ryan and I probably toured only 3-4 venues before our first visit to Valentine in Downtown LA where we would eventually have our big day! The day we said “yes” to the venue was actually on Valentine’s Day about a year and a half before our wedding and that felt so serendipitous and special. 

The aesthetic of your wedding photos, the flow of the evening, the hype of the dancefloor – nearly everything about your wedding is impacted by your venue choice in some way or another so it’s worth taking your time to find one you’re excited about.

If you’re not sure where to start, I used sites such as The Knot, Here Comes the Guide, The Venue Report, and Wedding Wire to search through databases while also gaining inspiration from photos and videos of weddings in my city on TikTok and Instagram. I highly encourage you to do some light stalking of other weddings once you’ve narrowed the list down so you can imagine what your day will look like through the lens of previous couples who have been married there!

If you’re starting your wedding venue search soon and scheduling tours, here are some questions I’d have in mind and ask!

To know before you go!

How many guests do you anticipate having? 

It’s not worth touring venues that won’t hold your guest count unless you plan on making some significant cuts! 

Rough budget?

Save yourself the heartache and try to outline a rough budget before touring anywhere! 

Any other priorities? (Ex: no/late curfew, open flame candles, etc.)

For us, the priority was a late night dance party so that helped us choose an indoor venue with few neighbors where noise wasn’t an issue!

To ask while you’re there!

What is included in the rental? Furniture, linens, catering, staff, etc?

Venues can range from being just an empty lot of land to all-inclusive. It’s super helpful to your budget to know what your venue fee includes and what you’ll have to outsource (and, therefore, add to your budget) 

Do we have the space all day or is there a rental window?

Is there a curfew?

How far away are the closest accommodations?

Or this is one you could just google :) But good to know! 

Are there suites for getting ready?

Knowing where you’ll be getting ready is helpful in planning later timeline logistics.

Does the venue accept outside vendors?

Some venues require pre-approved preferred vendors. For example, our venue required one specific valet company but for the rest of the wedding we had free reign! 

How far out are they booked?/What is the availability?

This will give you a great indication on how fast you should move if you decide it’s the one!

Are we able to have a wedding rehearsal here?

I know you can have rehearsals at other places, but in my opinion, nothing beats a rehearsal in the space. You get the excitement and anticipation, but you also get to practice the timing and the flow in that specific space which I felt was valuable! 

Is there a weather contingency for outdoor weddings?

Are rideshare services easily accessible?

If the answer is no, you might have a sneaky transportation expense later if you want your guests to enjoy the bar and not be stranded. 

Is the venue ADA?

Think about those older loved ones – is this a place they’ll be accommodated and comfortable?

Are there any decoration restrictions? (Candles with open flame, etc) 

Before we planned our own wedding I was shocked to know so many venues don’t allow open flames. It makes sense, but it did crush my taper candle dreams.

In what capacity is your staff involved on the day of? Set-up, breakdown etc.

A venue coordinator is not the same as a day-of coordinator. Don’t get these two confused! 

Can I picture us getting married here?

Ultimately, we chose our venue because it matched our personality and taste. Your wedding is for you so do what feels right!