How to Prepare for a Wedding Venue Tour

Hooray! You've found some wedding venues you love (presumably this one) and are ready to hop into the car and visit! Many couples have a little nervousness around their first tour -- what should you expect, and what questions should you ask?

First: definitely make an appointment. Some venues are run by big corporations that hire people to sit in front of a screen and put in "office hours" but a good number of venues are good ol' Mom and Pops, some with kids, some have full time jobs as well as the venue. You wouldn't believe the stories we have heard, and what we have experienced, so just know good old thoughtfulness and reaching out to schedule a tour is a good plan.

If you are traveling or vising multiple venues in a day, it might be helpful to create a "cheat sheet" of what each venue offers and what you were most attracted to about that venue. Some only include tables and chairs, some include catering, some have restrictions, some include all kinds of things like onsite lodging. Leave space in your notebook so you can write down your impressions (positive or negative) after the tour so you and your love can remember all the details later, lest they blur together.

Who should come along on the tour, if anyone? This is totally subjective, but if you are on the shy side or feeling overwhelmed, bring a friend! We love it when there is a trusted friend along who can ask questions on your behalf or lend their past experiences from being in a few weddings. If you're feeling pretty sure about a venue or two, go ahead and involve your parents if they are the ones contributing financially for the wedding. They will also have questions, they might not be the same questions you have as they are coming from the perspective of hearing about how their friend's children's weddings went, and have things to ask based on those conversations. If you do bring a larger group (say, both parents and a friend), make sure the two of you get a chance to walk around ALONE a bit after the tour. Sometimes the chatter of a group and the pressures and expectations of friends or family can feel a little heavy, but the day is about the two of you and what you want.

Should You Bring Your Dog? We love dogs and would love to meet yours, particularly if they will be in the wedding. Do let us know, as we often have Jack along (our 15pound MinPin) and we might also begin trying to train Sasha to assist on tours, and it would be easier if we left them home that day.

How Long is a Tour? We typically expect a tour to take about an hour at our venue.

What to Expect On Your Tour On the day of the tour, make sure you've confirmed with the venue. Most venues send out a tour confirmation email or text the day before or the day of to make sure everyone's schedule is matching up.

We all know traffic happens, so if you are going to be a little late or a bit early, shoot us a quick message! There is no surer way to our hearts than to know that we haven't been stood up and to know you thought of us. Most venue folks are crazy, crazy busy, so knowing we have five minutes to answer another email or a missed call is fabulous. If you're on the early side and you don't hear back, we might still be in the tour or meeting ahead of yours and not yet ready for you.

On the tour: don't be shy about asking questions! We expect them. We typically try to cover all the things that maybe were not on the website, or that people often ask about, during the tour, but every wedding is different and your question might be one we haven't encountered as often. It never hurts to ask.

Don't feel rushed. Most of our tours are about an hour, a lot of that is spent just walking around or explaining in better detail what is included, how past events have used a space, or answering questions. Some couples find they can't think of any questions at all until after the tour -- it's absolutely fine to just take in the space and listen to us prattle along. You are making a big financial decision with your venue, so also don't feel like we need a "book it now" answer right then and there. Some people do know we're their spot right away, and that's ok too. We want you to have had the time to feel comfortable and know you've made the best decision, so just know we will never push you for a booking, though we will let you know if the date you are considering is a hot one.

We also know, it can be hard to picture yourself in the venue while some stranger is walking you around and talking. It's absolutely ok to walk around after the tour as a couple and be able to talk about everything. There may be some things you hadn't thought of before and you want to see how your partner feels about it, or you want to talk about some ideas that hit you while walking around.

After the Tour After the tour, take a moment to write down some notes. What did you like about the venue? Does it feel right for you both? Can you see yourself there on wedding day? Were there any unexpected costs or fees that you didn't know about previously, or were there some things included that then made it softer on your budget than you thought?

Most venues send a follow-up from the tour. We might be sending additional helpful info, or covering some question in greater depth. If you love us, let us know!

Have any further questions about tours? Let us know, we'll add it to the article to help other couples, too!