Questions to ask your wedding venue

I am currently in the midst of planning my first wedding (besides my own)... eek! Luckily, the bride-to-be is a friend so no Bridezilla moments yet. This is a little unique because my friend's wedding is in Oregon and I now live in Utah. However, interstate planning is nbd these days due to a little thing I like to call technology.

The bride has a meeting today with her venue, the charmingly historic McMenamins Kennedy School:

The ceremony space

The reception space 

Here is the list of questions I sent the bride to ask the Kennedy School in their meeting:

• Catering - Do they provide the catering? If so, is there a minimum? 
• Alcohol - Do they provide the bar tending? Can you bring in your own alcohol or do you have to buy from them? If they miraculously allow you to bring your own wine, is there a corkage fee? Extra fees for bartenders? If they provide the alcohol, is there a minimum?
• Service charge - I assume they do their own catering (it's a restaurant), so what is their service charge? Do they expect tipping on top of that?
• Tables - Do they provide all tables and chairs? What about cake table, gift table, escort card table, etc.
• Linens - Do they provide any linens? If they provide anything (like linens, plates, glassware, etc.) ask to see samples.
• Layout for contingency plan - Ideally, the ceremony will be outside and the reception inside. If it is raining, what will the layout of the floor plan be for the ceremony and reception? 
• Cocktail hour - Location/set-up area?
• Payment - Make sure you know when deposits, final payments are due, etc.
• Rental time - Double check your actual rental time to make sure you have time for set-up/take-down, etc. What is the fee for an extra hour if you go over?
• Cake - Can you bring in your own cake? Do they provide a cutter or do you need to provide your own? Is there a fee if they do the cake cutting?
• Music - Can they accommodate a band or DJ? Do they have a sound system or would the DJ need to provide everything? Where are the outlets and how many do they have? 
• Parking - Do they have onsite parking?
• Coordination - What kind of coordination/assistance are they providing? 
• Vendors - Can you hire whoever you want? Do they have a list of preferred vendors? What about required vendors?
• Hotel - I know the Kennedy School has a hotel - do they offer a discount for wedding guests? If not, is there another local hotel they can refer you to that offers a discount?
• Signage - Is there signage directing people to the event locations?
• Slide show - Do they have a set-up for that or do you have to provide it?
• Decor - Any decor restrictions? Candles okay? Any hanging decor restrictions?
• Bride/Groom's room - Do they have rooms for you guys to hang out and get ready in?

This list is certainly not exhaustive, but should give any bride a good starting point when choosing a venue or meeting with them to discuss details. Most of these things are a good idea to know ahead of time as some of them can be real cost savers. For example, a venue that lets you bring your own alcohol can save you big bucks versus a venue that requires you to buy through them. Food for thought when venue shopping!