So last week I talked about the questions to ask your venue and this week I wanted to provide you with a DIY wedding venue checklist. Some questions will be the same but there will also be alternative questions you need to ask…

Some venues will already have a license for hosting events however you may find you need to apply for one. The venue will be able to talk you through whether you need to do this and if so how you go about it.

You’ll need to establish what structures are already there and what you’ll need to bring in i.e. tents, tepees, marquees etc.

Do you need to bring in power or do they have power or a generator?

Can you have access to water? This is will be important information to advise your caterers, bar company and toilet provider if you are bringing these in.

Do they have lighting already or do you need to hire this in?

Do they have toilet facilities or do you need to hire these in. Now, you can get some toilets that are not your horrible festival plastic cubicles and are actually quite luxurious so don’t panic!

You might need to ask the venue if you should consider bringing in heaters.

Check to see whether they provide tables, chairs, linen, crockery, cutlery, glassware etc but don’t be surprised if you have to hire all of this in. If you do need to hire it in find out from the venue when this can be delivered.

Do they have a noise limit or any other restrictions you need to know about?

What time does the bar and music have to finish by? This will be dictated by their license.

If you are bringing in outside caterers do they have access to kitchens or do they need to be fully self-contained?

Are they strict on what suppliers you can use or is there flexibility? It’s good to know if they have a preferred suppliers list as these suppliers will be familiar with the venue which could work in your favour.

You’ll want to understand when you can get access to the venue as well as when you need to have everything packed up by.

They should have public liability insurance but it’s worth just double checking.

One of the biggest things about using a DIY venue is that you will have a lot of suppliers and not necessarily one person to oversee everything. It can mean that some things can slip through the net if two suppliers think the other one has something covered and actually no one does. This is why I offer my on the day wedding co-ordinator package. I can come onsite and oversee the day, making sure all of the suppliers are doing everything that needs doing, checking nothing gets missed and ensuring the smooth running of the day. It takes the pressure off you, as I will be the point of contact for everyone and it means you can just enjoy the day knowing everything is in safe hands.

Happy Wedmin-ing!

Amy x

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