The Venue Search: How I Stayed Organized

When I first started planning my wedding, I was overwhelmed really quickly with how much there really is out there.  There are a TON of ideas, venues, vendors, etc. and months and months of searching wouldn't even put a dent in everything out there.  When I started calling around to different vendors and venues, asking questions and getting quotes, I had no freaking clue what I was doing.  What questions do you ask?  What's important to ask now and what can wait until later? 

I came up with a lovely way to stay organized, so I thought I would share this with you all.  After searching around and discussing our priorities for the wedding, we came up with a list of questions we would ask a prospective venue.  Since I am a planner to the core, I took it one step further. 

I made a Word document.  Each page of this document was for a different venue and had the information for the venue and all of the questions we wanted to ask written out.  I printed out each page and put it inside its own plastic sleeve which then went into a 3-ring binder.  Inside the same sleeve I put any business cards or additional information I got from the venue.  So whenever I got a phone call returned or an email from a venue, I filled out the informaton on the sheet and put a copy of the email in the sleeve.  It made for a much easier comparison between venues and helped us narrow down our venue and find the perfect place for us.  So here's the setup I had for each of the venues we contacted.   

Venue Name & Address:
Distance from Atlanta (mileage, time):
Phone Number:
Email:
Contact Name:
Nearest Airport (name, distance):

1.  Is the site available on (insert dates here)?

2.  How many guests can the site accomodate?

3.  Can we hold both the ceremony & reception here?

4.  What is the site fee for the ceremony?

5.  What is the site/rental fee for the reception? 

6.  What do these site fees include? 
       a.  Ceremony:
       b.  Reception:

7.  Do you have any wedding packages?  What is the cost and what's included?

8.  Is there lodging available at the facility?  If so, how many people can stay?  If not, is there lodging nearby?

9.  Is there transportation available to hotels in the area?

10.  Do you cater?  Do you allow outside catering?

11.  Do you offer both options of either buffet or plated meals?

12.  Do you have alcohol packages?  Is outside alcohol allowed? 

13.  Is tax and gratuity included in the quoted price?

14.  Would you host the rehearsal?  Is there an extra cost for this?

15.  Can you host the rehearsal dinner?  What is the cost for this?

16.  Is there a wedding coordinator or planner that works with your venue?  Is this included in the package or price? 

17.  Is there a florist your venue works with?  Is this included in the package or price?

18.  Is there a DJ your venue works with?  Is this included in the package or price?

19.  Is setup and tear down included in the cost?  If not, what is the cost for this?

20.  How long do we have use of the facility?

21.  How many weddings or events are going on at the same time?

22.  Do we need to purchase event insurance?

23.  Do we need to purchase a liquor license?


How did you or are you staying organized with your planning?  How did you keep track of everything you asked the vendors/venues?