Venue shopping!!

I’d ask about cleanup protocol. When does it have to be done by and what’s the charges involved (sometimes there are depending on certain things)

Ask about any service charges or charges for alcohol.

Another big question is if you'll need to buy separate liquor licenses and private event insurance- some places require you to provide both, and those can add up quite quickly if they're not licensed and insured on their own.
It's also worth asking if accommodations such as linens and pillows are available to your guests, or if they'll need to bring their own , and if the tap water is drinkable (or else you will need to provide drinkable water for your overnight guests, as many lake places don't provide this, or it comes at an extra cost.)

Hopefully this helps, and good luck planning your beautiful wedding!

View quoted message Thank you so much for all your help here and the reassurance 😁😁

View quoted message Corkage is when they let you buy the wine, but charge you a fee per bottle. Almost like a hidden service charge.


And I think if you love it and it's in your budget there's no need to shop around for another venue. Especially if you think that you'd be upset if someone else booked your date and you missed out.

View quoted message Thank you. Some of these questions are diffenitly useful and I aporiate your input. For the venue there will be no other events being held. We are renting out the entire lot. What is corkage though? I've seen it mentioned else where and I just have no idea. I'm new to this wedding planning thing lol. I've only ever been to one wedding when I was young 😅. And from what I recall we have to have someone doing everything. But I don't know. So asking what they offer for wedding service (such as cake cutting and what not) is a good question to ask and I will add it to my list. This is the first place I am looking it and it might be the only. Would the be stupid to do? Even if I love the place and the price should I still shop around? I need a venue that offers camping and rvs since my family will be traveling from bc to Alberta.

I'm not sure if these are obvious or not, but I would ask about outside vendors. Like can you bring your own caterer if you want, do they charge corkage if you bring booze or must you use theirs, will they cut your cake for you.


Will you have the whole space or do they book multiple events in one night (another wedding could be awkward, but so could stranger retreat guests crashing your wedding).
What is included in the venue rental (ask for a printed list if possible) and what isn't included. If things aren't included do they rent them or do you need to source them yourself (av equipment, or chair covers for example).
What is the deposit, is it refundable, and when is the balance due? (I keep all these dates in a spreadsheet once I get contracts so I'll know if I have several payments to look out for at one time)