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Meeting with the venue to discuss your big day and want to be prepared? Look no further! In this article we want to make that initial meeting a little easier for you, by providing you with 10 useful questions to take prepared, which will really help in the long term!
It is not uncommon for wedding venues to book back-to-back events, therefore it is important to know if the room will be in use the day before or after your wedding. This will enable you to plan out your wedding morning itinery.
If the room is in use the day before, it is important for you to know in advance as you may not have access to set the room up until the morning of your wedding. You will then need to put a plan in place for room set up before the main event. This is likely to involve a number of people, so they will need notice also. You may have access the day before, which will make for a much easier set up, but is not always the case.
Do not assume the venue will have staff at hand to help. Always ask the question. You will, no doubt, need to gather a team of helpers, but the venue often have staff available to help. It may be a lot of fun decorating the venue and setting up the tables, but it takes time, therefore, the more the merrier! However, it would be nice for you to keep the venue a 'suprise' for your guests, if the venue is able to spare a few helpers, then that is ideal.
When setting the venue up yourself, you have to know exactly what time you will have the tables ready to use or even have access to set them up. Especially if you are setting up the morning of your wedding, as your entire morning will evolve around this moment.
The size/shape of the tables will allow you to allocate how many guests will be seated at each table and will also help you with your table décor planning. Knowing what chairs are available will help you to decide if you wish to use chair covers, or if you are happy with the chairs as they are.
The earlier you are able to start dropping décor items off the better. Asking about the storage facilities available is crucial, you want to make sure anything left at the venue will be kept in safe, secure storage facilities. Another important factor to conside, is air conditioning. This is especially important if you are storing any floral arrangements. Keeping the flowers in an air-conditioned room over night will keep them fresh ready to showcase on the day.
Be sure to ask this question, even if you do not know what decorations you are planning to use. At least you will know of any limitations before investing in the décor. For example, you may wish to hang fairy lights or create a flower or balloon arch which will require structual support, it is always best to know either way.
Understanding who is responsible to greet suppliers the morning of, is key to a stress free set up. Most venues will liaise directly with the suppliers, but be prepared if they will not be available for this service. You will then be able to ask the supplier in advance of anything they may need at the venue, such as electricity ports. You will then be able to ensure you know where to locate this in advnace, which may save time in hunting down staff members during set up.
If you are dreaming of that picture perfect moment on your day – make sure the venue is happy for you to use confetti, as not all are! Some might have certain restrictions, such as must be a biodegradable substance, however some just say no to confetti altogether. Make sure that you are aware, to allow you to plan accordingly, bubbles can be the perfect alternative.
Some Venues will offer a clear away service, however some will require you and a team of slightly sore heads to fully clear the venue the morning after- usually before a set time, as they may have another event that day. It is very wise to know and understand your responsibility in this, to enable you to plan ahead and gather reliable helpers for the task. It is also good to understand if they offer storage facilities the following day or if you will have to have everything cleared and packed up by a set time the next day.
We offer a great range of 'On the Day' stationery at Simply Invited. Available across many different designs - you can take a look here.
Happy Planning x