Legal things to discuss with your wedding venue
The venue hire for your wedding will most likely be a fairly hefty item in your budget. The experience that your wedding guests have will largely be determined by the place where you have your celebration. A lot of moving parts will come together at your wedding venue and it’s important to know which of those parts come standard with your venue, which you’ve got to pay extra for, and which you’ve got to hire in.
Whatever your preference, and we are spoilt for choice here in sunny South Africa, it’s best to get the details nutted out in a thorough contract. Here is a list of things to discuss with the proprietor of your wedding venue:
LEADING UP TO THE WEDDING
What needs to be done to secure the venue for the date?
What is the cost to hire the venue?
What are the payment terms i.e. 50% deposit, 50% balance of payment 7 days before the wedding?
What is the refund policy if the venue cancels your booking?
What is the cancellation / refund policy if you cancel your booking?
Will there be an invoice issued by the venue hire?
Will there be a service agreement issued by the venue hire?
What items are included in the venue hire fee i.e. chairs, tables, vases, cutlery, bar facilities, sound equipment, bar staff?
Which services are included in the venue hire i.e. clean up? set up? bar staff? table service?
Are there any limitations to hiring an external service provider i.e. does the venue only allow stipulated service providers? If so, what are the costs involved?
Are there restrictions as to what my service providers can do?
What is the maximum amount of guests allowed at the venue?
THE WEDDING ITSELF
Does the venue have any noise limitations that you need to comply with?
What time will you have access to the venue on the day or in the days leading up to the wedding?
Who is the contact person to get in touch with if anything goes wrong on the day of the wedding?
What alternatives are provided by the venue if there’s rain or excessive heat?
Are there any additional costs involved for implementing contingency plans i.e. putting up canopies?
Is there a backup if the electricity goes out?
Does the venue have insurance against anything unforeseen going wrong?
Does the venue need your service providers to take out insurance?
Are there any restrictions regarding areas that can be used on the property?
AFTER THE WEDDING
What are the clean up requirements?
If you’ve hired decor, when does it need to be picked up by?
Is there staff provided by the venue to assist with this?
What are the costs for any damages done by your guests to the venue?
When and according to what terms will you get your deposit back?
If your wedding venue don’t present you with a contract, then you should be asking for one. And if they don’t have one, send them our way.