{"id":2695,"date":"2010-08-23T15:43:19","date_gmt":"2010-08-23T14:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.weddingdates.ie\/blog\/?p=2695"},"modified":"2010-08-23T15:43:19","modified_gmt":"2010-08-23T14:43:19","slug":"what-to-ask-your-wedding-venue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/what-to-ask-your-wedding-venue\/","title":{"rendered":"What to ask your Wedding Venue"},"content":{"rendered":"

Your venue is probably what you will spend the most on for your wedding day and a huge part of what will make your day special. \u00a0Knowing what to ask and what to expect will ensure your big day is a big success. \u00a0The majority of Irish couples are still chosing to get married in a wedding hotel, however more people are looking into unusual wedding venues and there may be more planning and organisation to do on your behalf if you aren’t going down the traditional Hotel route.
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\n1. \u00a0Do you have a wedding coordinator, or who will be the person I will be dealing with in the lead up to the wedding? If so, will he\/she be there on my wedding day?<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/strong>
\nA wedding coordinator is like the man behind the curtain at the reception. Because they often works for the venue, they are your go-to person in the lead up to the big day and if (God forbid) anything goes wrong while you’re enjoying your celebration. \u00a0Be sure to get a list of his\/her responsibilities and confirm their attendance at your wedding before you sign the contract. \u00a0If your venue doesn\u2019t have a wedding coordinator, consider hiring a wedding planner even just for the day itself as you won\u2019t want to deal with any mishaps on your wedding day and its not really fair to expect one of your bridesmaids or parents to do it!<\/em>
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\n2. \u00a0What’s the corkage fee if I bring my own wine?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nSupplying your own wine (no matter where you have your wedding) could save you money, depending on the corkage fee. \u00a0Standard fees, which vary from place to place, can be between \u20ac10 to \u20ac20 a bottle. \u00a0Some hotels have eradicated corkage altogether in these tough times as a way to attract more wedding business. \u00a0Make sure to ask \u2013 and don\u2019t be afraid to haggle!<\/em>
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\n3. \u00a0Is there a shuttle or any transportation required between the ceremony location and the wedding venue?<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/strong>
\nMaking wedding-day transportation a no-brainer for your guests will ensure that things run on time. Some hotels are now including a wedding car or use of their shuttle for weddings. \u00a0If there isn\u2019t one provided, \u00a0consider renting your own.<\/em>
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\n4. \u00a0At what time will my guests have to leave the venue?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nUnderstanding the timeline of the day will help you plan more efficiently. Ask the reception hall to write the time in the contract. Some sites charge for bar extensions, some don\u2019t.<\/em>
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\n5. \u00a0Do you have to use the Venues Suppliers?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nSome private hire venues will expect you to use their caterers and florists. \u00a0Know that you can sometimes avoid this, but you may still have to \u00a0pay the house caterer, in addition to paying your own caterer.<\/em>
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\n6. \u00a0Do you allow alcohol and open flames?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nMany museums or galleries have restrictions about the types of alcohol that can be brought in. Red wine might be a no-no, as might mixers with serious staining potential. Also ask about having candles. Flames are not always a welcome element in places containing storied art.<\/em>
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\n7. \u00a0Will there be a hosted bar, a cash bar, or a combo?<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/strong>
\nThis is a personal decision that you and your fianc\u00e9 should make based on your budget, not one that should be dictated to you. The best answer you can hope for is that there will be a combination. \u00a0Maybe first round free and then everyone pays for their own after, or the wine on the tables is free but guests pay for extra drinks at the bar. \u00a0Make sure this is communicated clearly to then\u00a0venue in advance of the day, particularly if your open bar is due to close at a certain point!<\/em>
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\n<\/em>
\n8. \u00a0Who is responsible for setting up and dismantling the decor, and when will it be completed?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nNo matter where your wedding is, find out if you need to hire an extra person to take care of constructing and deconstructing the wedding set. \u00a0Hotels will normally cover this as part of your package, however if you are getting married in a more alternative unusual venue, then you may have additional d\u00e9cor to consider.<\/em>
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\n9. \u00a0What is the situation with parking?<\/strong>
\n<\/em><\/strong>
\nMost likely there will be a car park, but for city centre venues you may have to pay extra for it. \u00a0Make sure to ask about parking arrangements for your guests.<\/em>
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\n<\/em>
\n10. \u00a0What’s the backup plan?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nMake sure the venue has a contingency plan when it comes to bad weather or other unforeseeable circumstances, particularly if you are having a marquee wedding.<\/em>
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\n<\/em><\/strong>
\n11. \u00a0How early can I get into the site to set up?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nReception halls generally allow you ample time for this. But with museums, galleries, theaters, and stadiums, you need to find out how much time you have. Occasionally they won’t permit a setup until the public hours of operation are over. For instance, if a gallery closes at 5p.m. on a Saturday and your reception begins at 7 p.m., that will pose a severe time crunch.<\/em>
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\n<\/em>
\n12. \u00a0Are there restrictions for the photographer?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nIf you’ve booked the reception at your favorite art museum, only to be told that flashing camera lights are prohibited near the painting where your fianc\u00e9 first kissed you, you might want to rethink that location.<\/em>
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\n<\/em>
\n13. \u00a0Are there any additional costs?<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>
\nAre you expected to pay for Security, Cleaning fees, insurance-fee waivers, etc.? Get it all in writing so there are no surprises.<\/em>
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\n<\/em>
\n14. \u00a0How many weddings will be booked on my day?<\/strong>
\n <\/em><\/strong>
\nMost venues in Ireland have a \u201cOne Wedding Per Day\u201d policy, but some of the larger venues have multiple function rooms and will book more than one wedding, particularly if one of them is a smaller group. \u00a0You don\u2019t want to bump into another bride in the bathroom \u2013 so make sure to ask!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your venue is probably what you will spend the most on for your wedding day and a huge part of what will make your day special. \u00a0Knowing what to ask and what to expect will ensure your big day is a big success. \u00a0The majority of Irish couples are still chosing to get married in a wedding hotel, however more people are looking into unusual wedding venues and there may be more planning and organisation to do on your behalf […]","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[58,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wedding-venues","category-wedding-planning-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2695\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/weddingdates.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}