Questions to ask venues?

First off, congratulations and welcome to wedding wire!!

Venue hunting is such a fun part of wedding planning, probably my favourite!
Depending on what you want the questions will vary. We wanted something that was both ceremony and reception. We knew we wouldn't have a huge guest list so we asked if there was a minimum # required, a lot of placed do have a minimum! We also asked about if they provided catering, bar, and staff. We actually didn't even ask much questions for the one we picked because she actually answered them all before we could ask them!
The main things I think would be..
Dates
Guest #s
Services included (catering, bar, etc)
Decorations included (linens and such)
Preferred vendors (dj, catering, florist, etc)
Obviously the big one, COST!
Also smaller things you may not think of are any specific licensing for liability or alcohol
Guest accommodation such as handicap accessible, parent/family room/areas for those with children or breastfeeding moms.

Congratulations! I had a whole list of questions for our venue that I had found on Pinterest. In my Bridal planner, if something came to mind I'd write it down. We asked for a meal tasting which was such a nice Evening & my Parents were able to join us. We chose our wine through the tasting as well. We asked what linens are included & we are now waiting for an appointment to see a mock up table where we can take our centerpieces to see what we think. We asked what they supply for decorations and found out they have mirrors to go under centerpieces, votive candles (we supply candles) they asked for pic of how we would like our napkins folded. Ask about uplighting for guest sign in table, gift table & cake table. We asked their timeline suggestions from the ceremony on. Where vendors set up etc. When is rehearsal, when can you decorate, when can centerpieces be delivered (ours need to be delivered the day of our Wedding because they don't have a cool enough area to store them) Who is responsible for card box, when do you need all decorations picked up by. (ours is by Noon the day after our Wedding) Is clean up & take down included. Where head table will be. 1 surprise we just got was finding out that because we have 13 People in our Wedding Party that we need to pay $75 per extra riser and we need to decide if my FH and I will sit one riser up at our own sweetheart table and have our Wedding Party all sitting one riser down.

Congrats on the engagement! And you've already got a great list to go off of already with all these questions!

Some I'm glad I asked that haven't been already covered were:

What is the difference between on and off-season pricing, especially since you've picked October, there might be some wiggle room for you.

Ask what their back-up plans are. For example, if it's an outside venue, you'll want to know if they have a dry place to move to if it rains. This is also the same for any slip-ups or difficulties on the day, just to be safe.

Ask what is included as in what you definitely have to pay for. For example, my venue comes with an officiant that we pay for even if we don't use them. See if those are expenses you would want to incur.

And don't forget to ask how things will go once you've signed. I find its nice to have a good timeline to go off of.

Good luck!

Congrats on the engagement!! Also, excellent month choice for your wedding

Here are a couple links that may be of some help:

6 hidden costs you should ask your venue about

5 Things Every Couple Should Know Before Booking Their Venue

My biggest questions were,

How many can I fit?

How much does the venue cost?

How long do I get it for?

Do you do set up/ tear down?

Can I bring outside catering in or do I have to use you?

What are the prices for food?

What types of bar services are there? (full, open, cash etc.)

What dates are available?

Do you provide a day of/ month of coordinator?

Nearby hotels?

Where can I have my pictures taken?

Can I book my own DJ or will there be a set up fee?

Congratulations! To add to Casey’s great advice, ask if they have a food and beverage minimum. Some of them can be outrageous lol. there is also things like Room rental fee, if there is a corkage option, cake cutting fee. All the little things that can add up!

Congrats on the engagement! And welcome to this wonderful community!

If you and your FH are doing the set up check and see how early you can get in should you need it.

What types of things will the venue include in the price. (Decorations, Linens, chairs, tables, etc)

How many people they can hold.

If you are looking to do ceremony and reception at the same place, do they charge extra for the ceremony (Some places in Niagara charge to have the ceremony on site along with chair rentals)

Just a few to get you started