We've gathered a comprehensive list of the important questions you should ask each of your wedding vendors you are looking at. To save you time, we've even included our own answers to each of the questions and asked many local wedding vendors their answers to each question.
Venue
- How many people does your wedding venue accommodate?
- Can I hold my wedding ceremony as well as the reception at the venue?
- What is your rental fee?
- How much is the deposit?
- How much is the deposit and when is it due?
- What is your cancellation policy?
- How long will I have to use the event space I've reserved?
- Is the food catered in or is it done in house?
- Are tables, linens, chairs, plates, silverware and glassware provided?
- Can I bring in my own alcoholic beverages?
- Are you licensed to provide alcohol service? If so, is alcohol priced per person or by consumption?
- What is your weather contingency plan for outdoor spaces?
- Does your facility have a bridal room and groom room to allow the wedding parties to prepare themselves?
- Can I move things around and decorate to suit my purposes or does everything need to remain as is?
- Do you have decoration guidelines that must be followed?
- Do you have restrictions on what kind of music I can play or a time in which the music must end?
- Does your venue provide on-site parking?
- Does your wedding venue provide any on premise security during the event?
- Are their nearby hotels that your venue recommends?
- Is the site handicap accessible?
- Does your venue have liability insurance in the event that someone is injured during the event?
- Do you have signage or other aids to direct guests to my event?
- Do you have a recycling policy?
- Tell me a unique aspect of your venue that I may not find anywhere else?
- Where did the idea for building tree houses on the property come from?
- What came first, The Grande Barn or the Tree house?
- Tell us about the on-site cabins you have on the property.
- What else would you like to say about your venue that I have not asked?
Click on a vendor below to view their answers to these questions.
Wedding Planner
- What is the cost of the average wedding you plan?
- What kind of services do you offer?
- Do you create the overall vision or do you bring in an event designer? Do you handle event styling?
- If you do both design and coordination, what is your main specialty?
- Approximately how many weddings have you planned?
- Do you handle professional services, contracts and payment processing?
- Are there wedding pros that you like to use? If so, what is your process for selecting and hiring them?
- Are you willing to step in as our advocate, conveying our visions and desires to pros when we don't feel up to the task?
- Will you handle the invitations, from wording and ordering to the addressing and mailing? What about guest list coordination and RSVPs?
- Do you do destination weddings?
- Do you handle rentals? Will you coordinate delivery, arrival and set up times with the photographer, the florist, the musicians and the caterer/banquet manager?
- What is the most unique wedding you've ever planned?
- What is your secret for staying calm under pressure, and how do you deal with day-of disasters? What's the biggest wedding mishap you've ever encountered and how did you deal with it?
- How many meetings will we have? Do you come with us to all of our relevant meetings? How often will we communicate, by phone and by email? What's the best way to get in touch with you?
- How many people on your staff will be at the wedding?
- What happens if you're sick or otherwise unable to be there on the day of our wedding?
- Do you have references?
- How will you help me stay within my budget?
- Do you carry personal liability and professional indemnity insurance?
- How do payments work? Will there be additional expenses on top of your base fee (travel, parking, food)?
Click on a vendor below to view their answers to these questions.
Photographer
- How long have you been a wedding photographer?
- How many weddings have you shot?
- How would you describe your photography style?
- How would you describe your working style?
- How far in advance do I need to book my wedding photographer?
- What sets your work apart from that of other photographers?
- Do you ever bring more then one photographer to the event?
- Do you have a portfolio I can review? Are all of your images yours and present work?
- What type of equipment do you use?
- Can I give you a list of specific shots we would like?
- Can you put together a slideshow of the engagement session along with other photos we provide and show it during the cocktail hour?
- What time will you arrive at the site and how long will you shoot?
- If my wedding lasts longer than expected, will you stay? Is there an additional charge for this?
- What kind of photography packages do you offer?
- Can I customize a wedding photo package based on my needs?
- Do you provide retouching, color adjustment or other corrective services?
- What type of album designs do you offer? Do you provide any assistance in creating an album?
- What is the photo ordering process?
- What is the time frame I will receive my photos after ordering?
- How much of a deposit do you require and when is it due?
- What is your refund/cancellation policy?
- Do you provide a written contract?
Click on a vendor below to view their answers to these questions.
Bakery
- A little bit of insight about this partner.
- How long have you been designing wedding cakes?
- More on the beginning of the business?
- Tell me about "Sabering".
- How many wedding cakes do you schedule on the same day?
- Talk more about your destination services.
- How have reality shows like the "Cake Boss" effected your business?
- How do you price your cakes? By the slice and does cost vary depending on the design and flavors I choose?
- What is your minimum per-person cake cost?
- What recommendations can you give me to maximize my budget?
- Do you have a "menu" of cakes and prices that I can take with me?
- What are the fees for delivery and setup of the cake?
- Do you decorate the cake table as well?
- Are you able to coordinate with my florist for wedding cake flowers if needed?
- What do you do if the cake gets damaged in transit to or at my reception site?
- Do you provide or rent cake toppers, cake-cutting knife and cake stands? What fees are associated with this?
- How far in advance should I order my cake?
- What is the deposit and when is it due?
- When is the final payment due?
- Do you have a portfolio of your work I can view and did you make all the cakes in it?
- What are your specialties?
- If I provide you with a picture of what I'd like, can you recreate it? Does it cost extra for a custom design?
- What flavors and fillings do you offer?
- Do you have cake tastings and is there a charge?
- Do you do both fondant and buttercream icing?
- How much time in advance of the wedding is the cake actually made? Do you freeze your cakes?
- What else would you like to say that I have not asked?
- Jan wants to give Back to the military.
Click on a vendor below to view their answers to these questions.
Catering
- How long has your catering company been in business?
- Are you a licensed caterer and are you licensed to serve alcohol?
- Will I need any special permits for my event?
- Do you specialize in any particular cuisines?
- Do we have to work off of a preset menu or can you create a custom menu for my event?
- If I have a special dish I'd like served, are you able to accommodate that?
- What do you charge for the services you offer
- Do you offer event packages and what might a sample package include?
- What's the difference in cost between passed appetizers and appetizer stations?
- What's the cost difference between a buffet and a sit down meal?
- What is your charge for children's meals?
- What is your charge for vendor meals?
- What is your cancellation policy?
- What is your payment policy? Do you accept credit cards?
- How much of a deposit do you require?
- How many days before the wedding am I able to give you a final guest count?
- Do you offer package upgrades such as chocolate fountains, ice sculptures or specialty displays?
- Do you use all fresh produce, meat, fish, etc?
- Can you source organic or sustainably farmed ingredients?
- Can you accommodate dietary restrictions such as kosher, vegan, etc?
- What decor, if any, do you provide for appetizer stations or buffet tables?
- Can you do themed menus such as bbq or luau and would you also provide decor for this?
- Do you also create wedding cakes? If yes, is this included in the per person meal or is this extra?
- Providing you do offer cakes, are you able to show me photos of recent cakes that you've created?
- If I decide not to serve cake, can you provide a dessert display instead?
- Do you charge a cake cutting fee if we choose to use a cake designer outside of your catering company?
- Do you do food tastings and what is the cost of this?
- Do you handle any rental equipment such as chairs and tables?
- What types of linens, glassware, plates and flatware do you provide?
- What is your policy on cleanup and who is responsible for this?
- Are we able to wrap up any leftover food for guests to take home or drop off to a shelter?
- Do you provide alcoholic beverages and bartenders?
- Can you accommodate specialty cocktails?
- What brands of alcohol will be served?
- Are we able to provide the alcohol and you provide the bar labor?
- How do you charge for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages? Per consumption or per person and which is more cost-effective?
- Is the champagne toast after the ceremony included in your meal package or does this cost extra?
- How long will alcohol be served?
- Is coffee and tea included in the per-person meal charge?
- What is the ratio of servers to guests?
- How will the servers be dressed?
- How much time do you require for setting up and breaking down my event and do you charge extra for this?
- In one or two paragraphs what would you say about your company?
Click on a vendor below to view their answers to these questions.
Attire
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DJ
- How many weddings have you done? How many do you do in an average weekend?
- How long have you been in business?
- Can you provide the client with a short list of brides that can be contacted for references?
- Are there any other services that you provide, such as lighting design?
- What sets you apart from your competition in Columbus?
- Have you done events at most ceremony and/or reception locations in Columbus?
- What is your pricing?
- Does the pricing include setup and breakdown?
- How far in advance do you book your services, what is the deposit?
- When is the final payment due?
- What is your refund policy if the event needs to be canceled or the date altered?
- What happens if the event runs longer then expected, are there additional fees?
- Do you help choosing the music for the processional, recessional, father-daughter dance, etc.?
- How extensive is your music library or song list?
- Can the client give you a specific list of songs they want played?
- Can you provide wireless mics for the ceremony?
- What kind of space or stage do you require?
- How much time will you need for setup, sound check and breakdown on the day of the event?
Click on a vendor below to view their answers to these questions.
Videographer
- How long have you been in the videography business in Columbus, Ohio?
- How many weddings have you shot video for?
- How did you get started filming weddings and is it your main business?
- How many videographers will be filming at most weddings you shot?
- What parts of the wedding day do you film?
- Do you back up the footage immediately after the wedding?
- Have you worked closely with many photographers in Columbus, Ohio?
- How will you co-ordinate the filming of the wedding with the photographer or other vendors?
- Is your website the best place to view other weddings you have filmed?
- Will you be filming in HD or possibly 4K?
- How do you price your work and is the final product included in the price?
- How much is the deposit and when is the remaining balance due?
- Is there a charge for staying later in the evening if needed?
- How long will the final product be?
- Can you make changes to the film once you have seen it?
- Does the final video use dialogue from the wedding day or is it more of a music video?
- When can a bride expect to see the finished wedding video?
- Who owns the copyright of the final wedding video?
- Is the film watermarked or does it have the videographer's logo?
- What is it about your company that is special and unique?
Click on a vendor below to view their answers to these questions.
Salon
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Linens
- How broad is the spectrum of linens that you offer?
- What should someone expect to spend on linen rental?
- What is the deposit and when does it need to be paid in full?
- Are there any good and creative ways of keeping my linen budget in line?
- Do you provide site inspection or diagramming with your service?
- Can you provide samples of linen to take with me?
- Are there separate fees for delivery and pick up of linens?
- Do most customers use the website or do they come to your office?
- What do you want to know form your client?
- What are the current trends in wedding linens?
- Do the chair covers come pre-tied?
- What happens if the linens get stained or damaged during our use?
- What other products do you offer beyond linens?
- Do you have referrals?
- What makes your company unique and special?