11 Essential Questions to Ask Your Wedding Venue (Including The One Most Couples Forget)

When it comes to hunting for your dream wedding venue, it’s essential to ask the right questions. Don’t forget, your wedding venue is so much more than just a pretty space! While it’s important to find a venue you love, you’ll also need to consider the practical details like costs, logistics and accessibility.

Not sure what to look out for? Here are 11 essential questions to ask your wedding venue before signing a contract (including the one most couples forget).

Image by Nathan Lapham

What does your availability look like?

It might sound obvious, but wedding venues do book out quickly, especially during peak seasons. So, if you’ve already set a few tentative dates aside for your wedding, be sure to ask about availability upfront.

Your wedding venue should be able to let you know how quickly their calendar is filling up in advance, allowing you to make a decision in the right time frame to avoid disappointment. Tip: If you’re planning on hosting your wedding on a Saturday, over a long weekend, or during the more popular months of spring and autumn, you’ll want to start your venue hunting a little earlier as these dates tend to book out first.

What is/isn’t included in the venue price?

To help you plan and manage your budget, ask your venue to break down exactly what’s included in the venue package fee. For example: does this include tables and chairs, or are they available at an additional cost? Are there any extra fees for things like speakers and PA equipment, corkage, cake cutting, rubbish removal or compulsory insurance?

Knowing exactly what costs to expect upfront will make it much easier to narrow down venue options that fit within your budget.

Do you offer any specials for seasonal or midweek weddings?

Some wedding venues may offer discounted rates for midweek or low-season weddings, which can be ideal for couples working on a tight budget. If you guys are open to a weekday, winter or summer wedding, it’s definitely worth asking about any specials you may be able to take advantage of before locking in a date (especially when you consider how breathtaking the Tweed Coast can be during the winter and summer months!)

Image via Bird and Boy Photography

When do we have access to the venue?

Some wedding venues may offer a 3-day hire period, while others will require same day setup due to other bookings. Make sure you confirm all venue access details including setup time, pack-down time, and curfew on the night. Not only will this help you plan your wedding day timeline, but your wedding suppliers will also need these details to quote accordingly, organise staff, and account for any after-hours fees.

As well as confirming access details for your suppliers, don’t forget to consider accessibility for your guests, too. How will they arrive and leave your venue? Is there parking available on-site, or will buses need to be arranged? What time does everybody need to vacate the venue at the end of the night? Your venue should be able to talk you through all of this information, and can point you in the right direction for transport options if needed.

Do you provide an in-house wedding coordinator?

When it comes to the logistics of your wedding day, who will be responsible for things like setting up tables, liaising with suppliers and managing staff?

Some wedding venues will offer their own in-house coordinator, while others might require you to bring one in.

Are there any accommodation options nearby?

If you have any loved ones travelling from interstate or overseas, accommodation is definitely something to think about early on. Ask your venue about any local accommodation options nearby so you can share the details with your guests.

If the majority of your guests are travelling, consider looking at venues located close to hotels or resorts to keep things practical. You can check out our recommended Tweed Coast accommodation options and book directly through our sister platform Tweed Coast Guide!

Can we host our ceremony at the venue?

Something else to consider during your venue tours is how your day will flow from start to finish. Do you want to host your ceremony and reception at the same location, or separately? Ask your venue about any on-site ceremony spaces you can use, or their recommendations for beautiful ceremony spaces nearby. We share our top 10 ceremony locations on the Tweed Coast here!

Image via Kirk Willcox Photography

What are our wet weather options?

While you may be dreaming of an alfresco reception under the stars, the weather is always going to be unpredictable! Ask your wedding venue for their recommended Plan B for a rainy day, based on their previous experience. They’ll be able to talk you through any backup undercover spaces, or might suggest you hire a marquee, tent or tipi instead.

Do you have the right approvals to host a wedding?

This is a question most couples forget to ask, but trust us – it’s an important one! The last thing you want to worry about is added stress before the wedding due to an unapproved venue falling through (and unfortunately, we’ve seen this happen too many times).

Just because a venue has hosted weddings in the past, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be able to in the future without the right permits. Put your mind at ease by confirming your wedding venue has all of the right approvals to host your big day before signing any contracts.

Here at TCW, you can rest assured each and every one of our handpicked local venues has all of the correct approvals and permits.

Can you recommend some local wedding suppliers?

Once your wedding venue has been secured, the next step will be finding your dream team of suppliers. Your venue will have plenty of first-hand experience working with a bunch of different suppliers, from florists to celebrants and everyone in between! Ask your venue for their top recommendations on trusted local suppliers – chances are, they’ll have an A-list of talented people they love to work with.

Can you share your best real weddings? 

During your venue tours, you might find it hard to visualise exactly how the space could be transformed for your own big day. Ask your venue to send through some images, blogs or galleries that showcase a selection of real weddings for some visual inspiration. This will also provide you with a helpful guide on things like table layouts, colours, and styling details that work well within the space. Ps – you can also check out a bunch of real weddings over on the TCW blog, with the option to filter by venue and wedding style.

Image via Cloud Catcher Co 

Currently venue hunting? We have some pretty incredible venues dotted right across the Tweed Coast region, from the hinterland to the beach. Check out our handpicked selection of Tweed Coast wedding venues right here to get started.