Twelve questions before the deposit
The unglamorous ones — corkage, curfews, rain plans and who stacks the chairs at midnight.
Every venue tour covers the view. Almost none cover the twelve questions below — a pity, because they're where the surprise costs live.
What does hire actually include — tables, chairs, linen, or a bare floor? What's the corkage, and is there a cap? When does the music stop, and is that a bylaw or a preference? What's the rain plan, and can you stand in it today? Who runs the day — a coordinator on staff, or you?
Then the endings: how late can vendors break down, who stacks the chairs, what's the breakage deposit and when does it come back? And the one nobody asks: if the farm sells before your date, what happens to the booking?
“Ask the curfew question first. It killed two venues we loved and saved us the tours.”
Twelve answers in writing beat any brochure. Venues that answer fast on WDDNG tend to run their weddings the same way.