What you should be looking for on your venue tour, but won’t see!
Engagement season is in full swing as engaged couples begin their venue search narrowing it down to a few that meet the initial criteria of size, style and availability. Then it’s on to the tour process—to see which one feels like the perfect fit.
While touring venues is certainly a good practice, there are things that a tour may not reveal about a venue that can be important factors for you as a couple. Many times viewing a venue does reveal some important items such as:
- Is the space what it is represented to be? Does it really look like all those gorgeous Instagram photos?
- Provides a one-on-one chance to have packaging costs explained and ask good questions about policies (Examples: What will this venue really cost? What is your pet policy?)
- What is the surrounding location of the venue really like? Is it isolated? Is the route there pleasant or convenient?
These are just a few of the important tangibles, but there’s a whole other layer of venue touring that is not revealed to the novice, but we are sharing so you can get the best out of your venue tour. Here are five things you won’t see on a venue tour:
- You won’t see the details of policies on tours. Venue tours focus on the spaces and good ones will also share their important policies. For example, you shouldn’t have to ask, what is the policy on choosing your own vendors? I have two good examples of this. My son’s close friend is planning a grand wedding in downtown Nashville. She and her family are known foodies and own their own restaurant in New Jersey. Therefore, the quality of food served at her wedding is top of her list. The Country Music Hall of Fame was a top-contending venue for the couple as they got super excited while touring. On the tour, when she inquired deeper and discovered her food would have to be from in-house catering, she passed. While this may seem a minor detail, it was actually a smart decision. In her case, the food served at her wedding is as important as the style of the venue. By working with a private caterer of her choosing, she will have more freedom to vet the quality and more liberty in crafting an over-the-top menu. Another example is Weymouth Hill had a recent groom who was a true visual artist. Don’t think for a minute his wedding visualization captures through photography and videography weren’t heavily considered. Just a rehash, sometimes the venue has a policy in place that is a “no go” for you. Be sure to ask and don’t presume all venue tours will take the time to go over everything. There’s a lot to unpack during the tour.
- You may not see all the wedding table and chair inventory on a tour. This is particularly true as we head into the off-season. At Weymouth Hill, much of our wedding items get cleaned and stored for the winter as we change to lodge-style furnishings in our cabin to host corporate events. Be sure the photographs that are shared on your tour are actually what you will get on your day–noting: sometimes you see upgraded rental tables and chairs. Ask on your venue tour what the provided tables and chairs look like. Are the ceremony chairs the same as the reception chairs? If so, how do they get moved?
- You won’t see how helpful the venue staff will be on wedding day. I know this is a big one I mention often, but it’s truly the hardest and most important item to quantify. The only way to sniff this out is to ask specific questions like how many staff members of the venue will be present on your wedding day and what are their roles. Note: another blog is coming on this topic alone.
- Unless you are touring at the exact time of year of your wedding date, you will not see lighting, or landscape as it will appear on your wedding day. Keep in mind different seasons, even month-to-month, shadows and landscapes can change, even the color of the grass. At Weymouth Hill, we welcome our booked couples to come back and look at the venue during their season if the wedding was booked that far in advance. However, on your tour, the venue should have plenty of images or videos to show you during the projected time of year and what the venue typically looks like on your seasonal date. As our venue fits into the garden-style venue with heavily landscaped spaces, we have different things that bloom throughout the year and try to share images with touring couples to help them visualize.
- You won’t see housekeeping during your event. Most venues will not give a tour of a space that just had an event. Given some venues will do more than one wedding in a weekend, housekeeping is a biggie! Trust me; the most gorgeous of venues are not void of the impact of what 150+ excited guests can do to a space when you include beverages, wedding cake, and leaking garbage. Not to mention food, flowers, and children. If you are touring a high-volume wedding venue, ask them how they ensure the space will look fresh and tidy for your wedding just hours after another wedding. At Weymouth Hill, we have meticulous processes to make sure every surface is clean, and it’s fresh for each guest down to pressure washing outdoor spaces if needed. We also limit our volume to keep up with the integrity of the property.
- You won’t see experience: When I was a new venue owner, I spent three years researching and educating myself before my first wedding, and I NEVER quit learning. If you have a high expectation for your wedding, the experience will be important to you, but not something you can necessarily see. You will have to ask specific questions about the level of service or knowledge you require to determine if the venue and/or vendors can deliver. Just because someone is new, doesn’t mean they aren’t up to the challenge. I watched a very young photographer recently pull out all the tricks of her trade. I complimented her later and told her I noticed she’d been following the pros. She was flattered I noticed, but I was able to see she was keeping up with trends. You should be looking for this in your venue and vendors.
All in all, venue tours are a good way to discover which venue is for you! These tips will give you a leg up on the process and impress the venue tour guide you thought to ask. If you would like to schedule a tour at Weymouth Hill, just click on Contact us or shoot us a quick email @inquiry@weymouthhill.com.
