What Your Wedding Venue Wants You to Know

There are so many things being thrown at you at the beginning of the wedding planning process. That’s why we teamed up with three of our favorite venue managers in Austin to ask them things that they wish engaged couples knew – the good, the bad, and the ugly! Keep reading to be in the know and educated when it comes to wedding venues as you start your search.

Searching for a Venue

When searching for a venue, what do you think is most important?

There are so many things to consider when you are venue searching, but here are our top picks:

• Guest Count – How well will your guest count fit in the space? Will it be crowded, will the space swallow your guest count, or does it fit just right?
• Scenery & Ambiance – What does the property look like? It is well decorated and beautifully constructed? Is there anything you don’t like or would want to cover up?
• Venue Requirements & Policies – Talk with the venue manager about their vendor requirements, the amount of access time you get with the venue, and any extra fees for furniture setup, cleaning, security officers, etc. 
• Budget – Does the venue fit into your budget? You don’t want to book your venue then realize you don’t have enough leftover for the rest of the vendors you want!
• Venue Inclusions – Do they provide tables, chairs, bar fronts, etc.? If not, do you have a wedding planner who can help you bring those in? Sometimes a venue just includes the property so their clients can have full creativity over the space. 
• Emotionally – How do you want your wedding to feel? Maybe it’s formal, or laid back, or like a big family reunion. Does the venue space aid in that feeling?

What types of couples are your favorites? Your “ideal” client?

At The Wayback, couples who prioritize a “family” feel to their event with a touch of exclusivity. When you have your wedding at The Wayback you get private access to the whole property. Perfect for those destination-to-Austin weddings with a smaller guest count!

For the Grand Lady – they want to be involved in your planning process! Their favorite couples are like friends to them. They trust the venue team to take care of their wedding day and aren’t afraid to reach out if they have questions. 

With Cactus Moon Lodge a couple that is more concerned about the mood, environment, and intimate feel of their wedding day over the little aesthetic details. They really put their heart into the venue and the idea of hosting a full wedding weekend. 

How far in advance do you see your venue booking for saturday dates?

This was a fun question! All of our venue managers gave different answers here, but here is the breakdown:

• Niche venues hosting smaller events tend to book out at least 8-9 months in advance. 
• Larger venues who can host a variety of aesthetics book high-season Saturday dates 12-18 months in advance. 

Are there any venue policies you get pushback on often and why are they important?

Each venue has different policies and requirements! Here are the most common policies from the venues we interviewed (and across the Austin market) and the reasoning behind those requirements:

• Requirement of a wedding planner/coordinator – Most venues in the Austin market require couples to hire a wedding coordinator at minimum. Some require you to hire a full service planner! Here’s the reasoning behind it: coordinators are in charge of organizing the wedding day and the team of vendors in order to have a seamless, efficient event. We have professional experience and insurance to back us up, too. Venues see better quality events and outcomes for their clients by having this requirement! 
• Rain plan tents – Ah, the dreaded rain plan! We never want to think about rain or inclement weather happening on a wedding day but sometimes it is inevitable. For venues who don’t have a large indoor space that could be used for the whole wedding day, they might require a tent as a rain plan. 
• Required full-service caterer – This is a big one and very common across the Austin market. Venues don’t get “commision” or any sort of financial kickback from requiring certain caterers. They truly only do this for the protection of the venue property, protection of your guests, and to maintain the integrity of your experience as the client. Not all “full-service” caterers have equal services, and caterers are very hands on with venue furniture and belongings. Having a list of required caterers ensures that venue property will be well taken care of and also guarantees an incredible event for you as the client!
• Kids – For venues that include lodging, an age restriction on the guests who are staying onsite is common! Especially for those venues that have a pool. Pools + young children = a big liability. If you have little ones that you want to include in the weekend fun, make sure to check this policy before booking your venue.  

What advice can you give to a couple who is just starting the venue search process?

Of all three venues that we interviewed all of them said the same thing right off the bat: Hire a wedding planner!! Here’s a few reasons they gave for this:

• Your wedding planner will create a vision board and help you narrow down what you want and what you can do with the space. 
• Planners are like an iceberg – you only see 10% of what the planner does and underneath the water there are a million little things that they handle. 
• A wedding planner will help you navigate the booking process with every single vendor so you don’t feel overwhelmed. They can also give you clarity on exactly what to look for and what doesn’t matter as much. 

The Planning Process

Is there anything you wish couples knew about the planning process that would make their lives easier?

Other than hiring a planner, here is what they said:

• For venues that include catering, food is a really big part of your experience. Have conversations about the menu early and often, and take advantage of your tasting!
• Don’t forget that you can visit a venue multiple times, not just for your initial tour then the wedding day! Design walkthroughs of your venue can be incredibly helpful in helping you visualize the space and think through the flow of your event. 
• Read your contract (or have a planner that is very familiar with the venue contract). It will save you a lot of time/heartache!
• Take advantage of the venue manager as a resource – they have lots of experience and are there to help you! Don’t be afraid to email, ask questions, and let them be a little more hands on in your planning process. 
• Hire vendors that are on the preferred list, have worked at the venue before, or are willing to do a venue walkthrough with you if they have never seen the space. 

What is the advantage of booking vendors off of your preferred list?

To reiterate what was mentioned above, venues don’t get any sort of compensation or kick-back when they put together a preferred vendor list. PVLs (for short) are only made with your success in mind! These vendors know the venue inside and out. They know the venue policies, what works and what doesn’t, the quirks of the venue property, and they have been vetted! You are always safe hiring a vendor off of a venue (or planner’s) preferred list. 

On the Wedding Day

Venue managers – what do they do? 

Venue managers are not wedding coordinators! Their main responsibility is to make sure the property is respected, the venue policies are followed, and ultimately to be a resource for your vendors so they are supported and you don’t have to worry about any venue needs or questions. Venue managers are hands on – they often help with a lot of the setup and strike, including putting out inventory, restocking bathrooms, checking in with vendors, etc. 

How can couples make sure they stay within venue rules?

Number one answer here? Read your contract! And hire a planner or coordinator whose job it is to help you stay within venue policies. We want you to get your security deposit back! 

Thank you so much to the following venue professionals who took the time to answer our questions and gave us incredible answers on how to help engaged couples navigate the venue booking process!