Ask These Questions Before You Say “I Do” to Your Wedding Venue

wedding venue my fiance & I booked for our wedding!

Before we get into the list of venue questions - just a quick story time for you on how we picked our venue! Both of us were born & raised in Bismarck, North Dakota, and a lot of our family members and extended family still live in this area. Learn more about me here! Although we now live in Florida and it is not optimal to plan a wedding from across the country LOL, we have decided is really important to us to get married in a place that will always feel like home to us! Not to mention it will be convenient for most of our family - so we can have the greatest chance of everyone being able to attend!

Fun things about North Dakota - you don't dare get married there in the winter (I mean you can....but it is quite a risk). Don't get me wrong the snow is gorgeous - but that snow can also be present on a negative 40 degree day which sounds like NOT a fun time for wedding photos haha and even running from your car to the building! Engagement sessions are fun though in the snow - because then you can plan them for a slightly warmer day! I actually just photographed an engagement session in ND this past Christmas break.

Another fun thing is a lot of the venues are country-rustic, and in a legit way - they were actually made from barns - it's big farming country up there! Barn vibes is exactly what we are going for, and the venue we chose is a barn converted to a venue.

We toured a couple venues in ND over Christmas break, and settled on South 40 Events in the early summer 2027 in Lincoln, ND - it has a close proximity to the church we are getting married at, while also being only a short distance from the airport - where some out of state family would fly in to!

Also, another fun fact about ND weddings is they are usually huge! The max guest count at this barn is 330 people and we will likely be close to that (our first guestlist had 450 people on it lol). We have both always wanted big weddings - it's such a great opportunity to get everyone together, and I'm so excited to see everyone all in one place!

Now...on to the full list of questions we asked in case you are venue-shopping! These questions are helpful no matter where in the world you are getting married! There are so many beautiful venues down here in Florida as well - some of my favorites are right in my area - Oviedo, Winter Springs, Winter Park, and some gorgeous ones outside of town - like Mia Bella Gardens in Mims and The Grand 721 out at New Symrna Beach with my all-time Florida favorite landing in Hawthorne - it's called The Barn at Lakeside Ranch and it is GORGEOUS. It is where I would want to have our wedding if we got married in Florida.

Now on to the questions!!

Another photo of the wedding venue my fiance & I booked for our wedding in ND!

• Min/max guest count? (perhaps the most important question)

• Decor

  • Rules for hanging decor?

  • Can you use ladders?

  • Hang up banners?

  • Any restrictions like glitter/flower petals/etc that we would get charged for?

  • Do you allow us to decorate?

  • Do you allow professional vendor companies to decorate?

• Vendors

  • Is there an open vendor policy?

  • Can vendors come and go as they please for setup?

  • Do you allow cold sparks?

• Day of

  • What time do we have access to the venue in the morning of the wedding day?

  • What time is the latest for last song to be played?

  • What time do we need to have all decor out of the venue that night?

  • Who/how many people will be on site day of from your staff?

  • Do you provide tables, chairs, tablecloths?

  • Do you provide miscellaneous tables for gifts/dessert/etc?

• Ceremony (if you are having it at the same venue)

  • Where is it located?

  • Do you provide an arch & chairs?

  • What is the rain plan?

  • Who will be on site that day to navigate the rain plan if chairs need to be setup indoors?

  • How will the ceremony space be converted for cocktail hour if the ceremony is indoors

• Bar

  • How many bartenders are provided?

  • What percent gratuity is added to the bill if we have an open-bar?

  • What are the alcohol rules?

  • Can we have alcohol if we get ready on site?

• Food

  • Is there a full-service kitchen?

  • Does the food vendor need a license/insurance?

• Getting Ready

  • Is there a getting ready space?

  • Can we store stuff there throughout the day?

  • Is there AC/heat?

• Parking

  • What is the parking situation?

  • How many cars can be there?

  • Will there be a parking attendant?

• Other

  • Do we need liability insurance (many venues are starting to require this)

  • Who will be the contact throughout the process if we have any questions? (get phone number or email)

  • How many bathrooms do you have?

  • Can we read through the contract?

  • Is there AC/heat?

  • Is there outdoor space reserved?

Hope this helps you on your journey!

xoxo

Amy