Touring a maybe-location tomorrow, questions to ask?

[musey]

FI and I (and, incidentally, both our sets of parents and his grandparents... ugh...) will be visiting and taking a tour of our possible ceremony/reception location tomorrow (we'll be having the whole thing in one spot). What questions should I be armed with? So far I have

1. Will we be allowed to bring any outside food besides the cake? (they require you to use their in-house catering except for the cake, and we want other dessert tables as well... namely cookies and cupcakes!)
2. Do you get fall color? (I keep hoping!!)
3. Do you have restrictions on vendors besides the catering rules? (photographer/videographer/florist/etc.)
4. Can animals be on the grounds? (we want to include our dog)

What am I leaving out, that they wouldn't volunteer anyway?

 

[neatfreak]

1. What''s included and what''s not.

Namely, you want to make SURE that your linen choices, silverware choices, glasses, etc. are included AND what they''ll look like.

2. How do they work their open bar. Per drink? Per person? Do they charge you a standard flat fee?

3. Any noise restrictions?

4. Can you get in the day before for a rehearsal?

5. When can you get in on the day of to decorate? Are there other weddings that weekend or that DAY?

That''s all I can think of for now...I''ll keep thinking for you.

 

[robbie3982]

Ask if by signing the contract you''re locking in the current prices. I can''t remember if it was on here or the knot, but someone recently thought they''d locked in prices and then found out they hadn''t when there was an increase.

 

[basil]

Do they have air conditioning (depends on the time of year, obviously)

What help will they give you/ who will be there the day of

ETA: Do they have minimums and what are they for different days/seasons/etc. This was a big surprise to fiance and I when we were looking...our group was "too small" to meet many places minimums, so we ended up at a venue where you hire your own caterer.

 

[krockie]

You might also want to ask what staff are included - for our place (all parts in the same location, too) we have an extra fee for the bartenders, the bathroom attendant and the coat checker, but the servers and waiters are included in the per person cost. Be specific about the bar if that''s important to you - our place includes "premium liquor" but that could mean anything, so we asked specifically what kind of liquor, what brands, how many bottles, etc (booze is important to us!!).

And, like a pp said, make sure that if you sign a contract, all of the specific details you discussed are writted down in it - price per person, additional fees, any specific agreements on cost or color, etc. Leave nothing to chance.

I know this forum doesn''t really like The Knot, but they have some great checklists for "what to do ask before you sign a contract" for almost every kind of vendor. See if you can find the catering or reception one - it has some great ideas. Good luck!

 

[Gypsy]

Might be too late-- but ask them for a copy of their standard contract. Make sure you study it carefully and note where you need modifications.