Top 10 Commonly Asked Questions of Wedding Venues

#1) Do you have [insert specific date here] available?

Although this seems like the most basic question, it’s heartbreaking for both sides when you’ve found the perfect

venue that has everything you want to then immediately find out that your inflexible date is already booked. Some

dates are in high demand; remember that you’re not the only ones out there looking for a wedding venue. You’ll find

it a lot easier to book a venue if you have flexibility with dates and provide us with more than one date or month/

season you’re looking to book within. If there is a specific date that you absolutely must have, you’ll probably want

to book at least a year in advance or sometimes even 18+ months for really popular dates and venues.

If you are really flexible with dates, feel free to ask if there are times when it’s cheaper to book a wedding. Some

locations offer discounts if you book during an off-season or a day other than a Saturday. They may even offer deals

if you’re booking a wedding within 6 months, as most venues usually don’t book many large events within that short

of a time span. Don’t expect an immediate answer on discounts though. Some venues may need to get approval or

will want more information on what you’re planning before even considering negotiating.

#2) How large of a group can you accommodate?

This is a very common question that is harder to answer than most people realize. Every location will state an

average number, but take it with a grain of salt. Some venues will advertise a maximum capacity which entails

cramped spaces and little setup flexibility. Spacing & capacity depend on square footage, equipment size, and how

you want your space to be laid out. Here are some things to ask yourself:

Are you doing a small 2-6 seated head table or a long/staged 10-16 seated one?

Are you planning for traditional rounds, or are you open to some long tables?

How big is the venue’s dance floor?

Are you getting a DJ or a large band?

Are you doing a buffet? If so, where will it be located?

At the HGIF, our maximum capacity for round tables is about 320 people in our 4,500 ft2 ballroom. A comfortable

large wedding brings us down to 250 guests as we typically have to take into account a dance floor, head table,

banquet bars, and a DJ. We can fit 280+, but you may need to incorporate long tables, decrease the dance floor size,

and relocate items to outside of the ballroom. If you have a band instead of a DJ and want that photo booth inside

too, you’re probably going to have to lose 2-5 additional tables of seating.

Ask your venue what they traditionally do and how different configurations affect seating capacity. Have them show

you some past wedding setups of various wedding sizes and layouts. Many venues have the capability to digitally

map out their space so you can see what it will look like before it is even set up.

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#3) How long do we get the space for?

Some places may restrict you to 5-6 hours of event time, which is the average length needed for a wedding

reception. If you want the space for longer, you may be expected to pay a bit extra. Some locations are more lenient

on event time but may have other rules or guidelines in its place. For example, HGIF doesn’t limit you on how long

your event can be, but an event cannot be scheduled to run past midnight.

Remember that venues must schedule their staff to be there to setup and clean up and potentially help during your

event. Asking for longer times means the venue has to pay their staff to work longer hours. Avoid asking for

extended event times when it may not be necessary. Discuss what the start and end times for your event will be. If

you need to extend them, discuss what the extra costs will be and if this will change event logistics.

#4) Can we get in the night before to decorate and what about clean up afterwards?

This question always immediately follows #4, but usually doesn’t have a guaranteed answer. One thing to keep in

mind is that most venues are running a business of selling their event space to other groups. This is for every day of

the week, including the days immediately around your wedding date. There’s a good possibility that you and your

family could be decorating the morning of your wedding and cleaning up immediately after the reception.

Talk to your venue about how they schedule for setup and teardown with their wedding groups. Some have very

strict policies and allotted times, while others, like HGIF, will work with you to get you in if they did not book any

other events around your wedding date. You may even be able to block off your space the day before for a nominal

fee. This would guarantee that no one else will book an event the day before yours. If you are unable to do so, have

an action plan in place in the event that another group’s party impedes your ideal setup and cleanup time.

#5) Can we bring our own outside food or catering?

Outside caterers are great when you want to do things yourself or if you have specific cuisines in mind, but be

prepared to put in a lot of extra legwork to get this arranged. There’s a belief that finding your own caterers will

make things cheaper, but that isn’t always the case depending on who you book. Venues that don’t provide catering

may be charging you more in rental costs. Do your homework and see how much providing an outside caterer +

rental fees will cost you all together in money & time.

Venues with in-house catering, like the HGIF, usually require you to use their food & alcohol. Ask them about their

policies and request to see a menu with pricing to see their options. Verify if there is a tasting that comes with a

wedding booking or see if you can try their food before committing to anything. Ask if there is any flexibility on

bringing certain food items or if the can prepare off-menu items. These venues may seem more expensive upfront,

but you could actually be saving money and a lot of logistical hassle in the long run.

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#6) Can you accommodate ceremonies or rehearsal dinners?

Some couples want to keep things traditional with a church ceremony. If this isn’t make-or-break, having the

ceremony in the same location as your reception could save you some money. Ask venues about their ceremony

capabilities. Some places may charge you a little extra, while venues like HGIF may have no additional charges at all.

The one thing to keep in mind is that you may need extra venue space to accommodate a ceremony. Venues like

HGIF can utilize limited venue space and do a “flip” to accommodate a ceremony. This basically means the staff will

quickly transform your ceremony space into the remainder of your reception between the two events. If this is

something you may need to do, see if venues are capable of doing so, how much experience they have with it, the

additional costs of doing so, and how long this may take them to accomplish.

Venues will jump at the opportunity to also host rehearsal dinners. What’s convenient about this is you’ll be able to

stay and prepare for your reception immediately after dinner. Ask venues if there are any deals if you book a

rehearsal dinner along with the reception. For example, at the HGIF we provide 2 free nights in our wedding suite

and no additional rental costs for a rehearsal dinner if we book your wedding reception.

#7) What’s your cancellation policy?

Not enough people ask this question because nobody plans to cancel their wedding. Random personal life events

can occur causing you to change plans. Before signing any contracts, make sure you know exactly what you’ll be

charged if you have to cancel. Expect it to be somewhat hefty, especially from venues that are in high demand. By

signing a contract, you are committing to your event and date. A cancellation fee is the penalty you pay for making

your venue turn away other people who would’ve actually had their event on your date. It’s uncommon for a venue

to rebook a new wedding or large event, especially when you cancel within 6 months, so don’t expect much leniency

on this fee.

Unforeseen circumstances may also happen at the venue itself, requiring you to relocate. Check what circumstances

venues will take responsibility for so you will not be penalized.

With venues that provide their own catering, you’ll probably run into a contract clause called a Food & Beverage

Commitment. This is an agreement on how much food and/or beverages they will be requiring you to purchase for

your event. High demand and high quality venues with catering may have larger F&B requirements than others. F&B

requirements may also fluctuate with season and day of the week. Work with your venue to make sure you will

meet their requirement. Ask what will happen if you don’t meet your minimum and what you can do to meet it. It’s

uncommon for this to be an issue if you’re realistic and upfront with your budget and estimated attendance. Where

it may really come into play is with cancellations. You may have to pay a percentage of the F&B commitment as your

penalty fee if you end up cancelling on your venue.

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#8) Do you have a list of approved vendors?

Venues work with numerous vendors and can tell you which ones have been great to work with. Vendors who have

worked at your venue may already know how to deal with complex issues or setups that your location may have.

They can also give their own personal experiences working with your venue. Either way it’ll give you a good starting

place when you’re ready to start looking for them.

Be aware that some venues may require you to book from their list of approved vendors, so get that information up

front before making any commitments. You will now need to verify the prices of these vendors to make sure they fit

your budget. Although required vendors make things convenient, they may cost more than others for the same

quality of work.

#9) Can we get a discount on overnight accommodations for wedding guests?

This is the biggest advantage hotel venues have over other venues. If you’re expecting a lot of out-of-town guests, it

can be convenient having a reception venue where they can simply go up to their room after a night of fun. Whether

or not you choose to have your reception at a hotel’s venue, nearly every hotel has room block policy and are more

than willing to help you out. Ask how many rooms they will be willing to hold for you, the discounted rate, how long

they will hold the room block, and if you will be charged for any rooms your guests don’t pick up. Find out if your

guests will also have to pay for certain amenities like breakfast or parking and if they have any deals to make these

amenity costs cheaper for your group.

Just like with venue space, you may find that other groups are blocking hotel rooms as well. These include sports

teams, reunions, conferences, or even other wedding blocks. Your hotel will have more flexibility with rate and the

number of rooms they can hold the sooner you book. In the event that hotels are booking up, you may need to

create small blocks at multiple hotels. Make sure you get information and pricing from multiple hotels before

deciding on which ones to book your block with.

*Pro-tip: Ask if there are any additional perks like a complimentary suite if you pick up a certain amount of rooms or

a rewards program for you to earn points! HGIF is a part of the Hilton Honors program, which awards many points

for your room blocks and even wedding receptions!

#9b) Hotel Shuttle Service

Hotels also get asked if they have a shuttle service to take guests to an off-site reception. The demand for

shuttle service is not high in the Findlay area, so nearly all locations in town no longer provide shuttles. If this

is something you will want for your guests, be prepared to try and find a company to arrange one with.

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#10) What will all this cost me?

The biggest mistake most inquiries make is asking about cost before taking the time to find out what all is included.

With so many details involved in wedding planning, no two price tags are alike. Some couples will immediately turn

down all-inclusive large price tag venues without realizing that it could have saved them money and stress in the

long run. We can’t tell you the number of people who’ve turned us away for a “cheaper” venue to come back later

and say they spent more money on other details they forgot to plan for.

We encourage you to plan your wedding budget. When we say that, we mean budget out everything you can think

of (venue, food & drink, decorations, DJ, cake, etc.). With this you’ll be able to determine what items are worth the

most to you and how much you’ll be spending overall. If you find a venue that handles many of these budget items

themselves, you’ll be able to combine these budgets together. If one budget item is cheaper than originally planned,

you can funnel extra money into another budget you maybe had to bring down.

Be open about your budget with your venue inquiries. We understand that some groups have smaller budgets, and

we immediately notice when mention of our pricing changes your tone and attitude. Venues will let you know if your

budget realistically fit their offerings. We will work with you on how we can possibly help, but be aware that you

may have to eliminate the late night snack that sounded really cool. Once you’ve given the venue your budget, go

over all the details discussed in this Q&A and let them know exactly what packages you’re considering with them.

This will allow them to create a realistic quote just for you.

Ask venues to provide similar quotes so you can compare each of them. As you compare more expensive venues to

cheaper ones, as yourself the following questions:

Do they provide all my tables, chairs, and all your linens? Am I setting this up or is a staff doing it for me?

Are some facilities newer and more well kept?

Is the food some venues provide of a lower or higher quality?

How much more will I be paying for services not offered? How much extra work will I be putting in for this?

Are any venues more flexible with their services or are they strict in what I can and can’t do?

Are my contacts experienced, personable, and willing to go the extra mile for me?

Is my budget realistic for my favorite venues and the services provided?

Feel free to bring your quote to a different venue and let them know what the competition is offering. They may

negotiate a better deal or explain what service they provide that makes them worth the extra cost. Negotiating can

be okay if a comparable venue is giving you a better deal, but realize that venues carefully price their services and

may become less flexible if you start making changes and requests down the line. Do your best to come to an

agreement that both parties will be happy with.

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