Mar 13th, 2007 by Jimmie Malone
- Where is the nearest hotel? Try to keep the travel down for as many of your guests as possible.
- What are my options for pictures? Look for grounds that are landscaped and/or scenic as well as unique architecture that would make a nice backdrop.
- How many weddings will take place on my wedding date at the same facility? The advantages to a hall that only accepts one wedding a day are numerous, not the least of which is complete focus on your wedding.
- What time can you get into the facility and what time do you have to be out? Make sure that your decorator, florist, cake supplier and DJ will have plenty of time to set up and that you will be able to stay as late as you would like the party to go. Also consider local noise ordinances - some areas will require music to end at a certain time.
- If you choose a location that does not host events exclusively, for example a museum or a winery, will they close for the day of your wedding? Some may be open to the public prior to the start of your reception. This can contribute to your service providers not having sufficient time to set up as mentioned above.
- If the reception is outdoors, what will happen in the event of rain? Make sure that tent isn’t ‘just big enough’ for the number of guests you are inviting. You want all tables to be set in several feet from the edge of the tent; remember, rain doesn’t always fall straight down.
- Will there be sufficient power? You probably don’t need to ask this if you’re going with a hotel, but a 70 year old bed and breakfast may be a different story.
- Will the room layout keep your guests together or spread them apart? One large rectangular room with seating for all of your guests is the only real way to make sure everybody will get to share in all of the magical moments that make a wedding truly memorable.
- What is the real capacity of the facility? I’m not talking about how many people can squeeze in, you want to know how many the space will hold comfortably. Avoid having to set up the buffet on the dance floor due to space constraints (though many facilities will put it there despite ample room elsewhere). You certainly don’t want to have dinner tables on the dance floor that will have to be broken down after dinner, displacing the poor folks sitting at those tables. Too much room is bad too; it makes the room feel empty.
- How many people will be on hand to staff your reception? I almost didn’t include this one because I don’t know the magic fomula, but use common sense. If you are having a reception of 250 and there are only going to be 2 or 3 servers, that should raise a few red flags.
Stumble it!
Posted in General, Receptions, Service Providers | 1 Comment
Hey guys! pretty nice! I had a little bit of a hard time figuring out where to chat back to you, and #10 is showing #0 instead. 2 little tidbits.
Ryan, I also enjoyed spending time talking yesterday. I see a lot of potential with this site. I found myself being very interested to see what else there was to read about and I don’t think that is just because I am in the industry.
Looking at the site, I have a lot of ideas if you are ever interested. it is a great concept and I would be honored to do an interview. Just let me know when.
Good luck to both of you, not that you will need it! =)
Talk to you soon, Hope