Questions to Ask your Nevada Wedding Venue

If you’re in the final stages of selecting a wedding venue, you probably have more than your fair share of questions. In addition to the obligatory tour and discussing your vision with the people that run the venues on your short list, choosing a wedding venue isn’t something to take lightly. It’s the backdrop to the wedding ceremony itself, and it’s also where you’ll be for your cocktail hour and reception, so ensuring that you and your venue are on the same page is an important part of having a great wedding.

But not every venue will give you the wedding of your dreams. Some venues, no matter how beautiful they are, are a challenge to operate in, and you could be setting yourself up for failure if you select a venue that’s ill-suited to the size of your wedding party or the number of guests you have, or if it’s a challenge to bring in your own entertainment or otherwise make your wedding uniquely yours. 

After all, wedding venues typically have dozens of bookings each season, and unless you ask your Nevada wedding venue the right questions, you could end up with some canned wedding. Sure, it’s nice to not have to worry about the proceedings, but it’s your wedding, and you want to make sure that you and your guests will be accommodated if, for example, you want to go wild with decorations or you want to bring in a live band.

Nevada Wedding Venue Questions: Before the Tour

Before you even consider taking a tour, you’ll want to have some questions ready to determine whether you should short-list a potential venue or move on to something better. If you don’t, and you end up falling in love with a bad venue, you could be jeopardizing the big day itself, and that’s no way to start off your new life together. 

While you’re still shopping for a venue, you’ll want to finalize a date, your budget and the type or style of wedding you want. 

The date is easy enough. If there’s an availability, great. But if not, and your date isn’t flexible, you’ll have no choice but to move on. 

Same goes for your budget. If the cost of a specific venue exceeds what you’ve budgeted, and they’re not taking on extra responsibility with all-in pricing, you’ll need to find another venue. 

Style is also a hugely important issue. If a venue doesn’t seem to get what you’re going for and the venue itself doesn’t look the part, it’s not like you’ll get something radically different on the day of your wedding. If you’re thinking about a small and intimate gathering but your venue has huge, open spaces, no amount of planning and decor will make it right, and you’re better off looking for an alternate venue.

Nevada Wedding Venue Questions: During the Tour

Once you have a few venues in mind and you’re ready to take some tours, the right wedding venue questions will save you time and headaches down the line. Things like minimum and maximum capacity are important because once those invites go out, it’s difficult to make big changes. A venue that can comfortably handle 50 guests won’t work if you show up with 100 people, so be sure to pick a venue that can handle your entire guest list, not just the first people that show up. 

Another important question to ask your Nevada wedding venue if you’re not providing transportation is what the parking situation is like and how your guests will get from the ceremony to the reception if there’s some traveling involved. If you’re unfamiliar with the area, it’s also a good idea to ask about traffic around the time of your wedding so you can give advance notice to your guests before the big day.

For those coming in from out of town, you’ll want to check with the venue if there are any nearby hotels. A 10 minute drive or cab is no problem, but a venue that’s 45 minutes or an hour away from the closest hotel could be problematic, especially if you plan on getting everyone liquored up during the reception. While Uber and Lyft are a viable option, it’s also best to check if cars can be left overnight to be picked up in the morning.

The tour is also the best time to discuss the focal points for the ceremony, as well as for the cocktail hour and reception. This is a good time to get a sense for how the venue does things, and it’ll also give you a chance to interject and see how open they are to your input. It never hurts to ask your wedding venue if you have something specific in mind, and based on their answer you’ll have a better idea as to whether you’ll be able to work with them.

Also, if you’re not keen on handing the reins off to a family member or hiring a wedding planner to deal with all the different vendors on your wedding day, it’s important to ask your venue what their capabilities are. Some venues have existing relationships with a team of vendors, or they might even have a full wedding staff in house. This can save you a significant amount and ensure that things go swimmingly, but if your venue can’t handle the things you need to make your wedding work, you’ll have to go back to the drawing board. 

Nevada Wedding Venue Questions: Costs and Finances

First and foremost, if you’re going to sign a contract and put a deposit down on a venue, you need to know what you’re getting yourself into. What happens if you need to move the date? Are you sharing the weekend with other bookings? Can you move things earlier or later? How much notice do you need to give for a cancelation? You never know what’ll happen until it does, and if your plans end up changing or you need to make a last-minute modification, how flexible is your venue and how will any changes affect your costs?

Nevada Wedding Venue Questions: Vendors

Vendors are the unsung heroes of weddings. You can’t really have a wedding without them, but many venues come with vendors ready to meet your every need. That could be a lifesaver when it comes to something to eat and drink for all your guests — however, what happens if you want to bring your own alcohol or hire a family friend as the official photographer? Or if you have a DJ or live band in mind, can your venue accommodate you? Like it or not, but some venues have very real noise restrictions and other rules and regulations, and you might not be able to turn things up to 11 if your venue isn’t open to it.

Nevada Wedding Venue Questions: Decor

Believe it or not, but a wedding venue without the right decor is just a venue, even if it has some breathtaking views and beautiful spaces. Lights, flowers and other decorative bits and bobs can really make even the most lackluster venue come to life, especially in the late afternoon sun or with some lovely nighttime lighting. But not all venues will allow you to bring your own decorations and make the place yours for the day. Some venues might do over a hundred events a year, and they’ve in the right decorations to let their setting shine. Even so, that’s not to say that you won’t be able to bring a personal touch or two. By discussing it with your venue up front, you’ll avoid awkward encounters in the run up to your wedding day.

If you have any questions about which Nevada wedding venue is right for you, contact the experts at Occassions4.us. Our five fabulous venues are a perfect way to ring in your new union, and the best part is that we do it all — from ceremony to reception and everything in between — so that you can truly enjoy your big day. Contact us today to see how we can help you realize the wedding of your dreams.