Hello lovely readers…
Today I’m giving you a little advice on what to ask a venue when booking your wedding. Here are my top 10 questions that you should ask before signing anything…
- Is there a minimum spend?
- Is there a down payment when confirming the venue?
- How many people can fit into the venue space?
- What does your minimum spend include? Ask for details & a breakdown. – for example – do you get a free nights stay or a day at the spa?
- What time can you set up the decorations? Can you set up the night before or early morning?
- What time can the band/DJ play until? This is important for outdoor venues as neighbours or hotel guests may complain if music is played too late.
- Is alcohol allowed at the venue? If so, are there any time restrictions?
- Do you allow corkage?
- What’s the cancellation policy?
- Do you include chairs or linen? If you want special chairs, can you hire them through the hotel?
These are just a few questions that will come up when you look at venues. From experience the minimum spend is usually the question that can act as the deal breaker. For example if you’re venue has a minimum spend of AED 50,000 and you only have 50 guests then that seems a little excessive… AED 1,000 per person seems far too much for only food & beverage. From researching and experience I’ve learnt that F&B is one of the more costly items on the wedding list… so just watch out for this. And if you’re going to go for F&B packages, calculate what it might cost if you bought on consumption too. Buying a package per hour might not always be the most affordable option.
I’d also suggest getting everything in writing. Send emails rather than calling! This way everyone is clear on what’s going on and you have a paper chain of answers for backup. Also, try and negotiate when you can… as a good friend of mine says “ if you don’t ask you don’t get’. And this is true.
It’s also a good idea to check if the venue has any other events on at the same time as your wedding. You wouldn’t want a shortage of waiting staff or random people wondering by on your wedding day.
Good luck planning… and if you have any more questions you’d like answers to, please drop me an email. I’m always happy to help. You can write to me at Joelle @mylovelywedding.com
Back tomorrow x
