Tips for Touring a Wedding Venue

Even though 2026 feels so far away when we are only halfway through March, the bookings and inquiries are really starting to ramp up for next year. With that in mind, let’s talk about wedding venues because where you choose to host this joyous celebration is really going to set the tone for the rest of your planning journey and the overall vibe of the wedding itself. This is one reason why it is very important to ask all the right questions and gain as much information as you can when touring a venue, and why I chose this blog post topic to help with some tips before those tours.

The first thing I recommend doing is sitting down with your partner and figuring out what kind of wedding you are hoping to create. This can be anything! Just start putting words on paper… everything from general vibe to feelings you are hoping to evoke. Examples of this are: rustic, timeless, black-tie, “woodsy”, intimate, party, modern, full weekend experience, garden, you get the idea. This process will also help to make sure you and your partner are on the same page before visiting any venues.

After you have a vision in mind, you will better be able to tailor your venue search in the area you are hoping to get married. You can easily get lost in this research phase, making sure there isn’t a single stone left unturned… that is going to drive you into madness. Google & social media are great tools, so use them as just that… tools to see places where people have enjoyed getting married that fit your vibe. Work on compiling a list of the top 3-5 venues you want to tour and get a look at in person (or virtually). There is such a thing as too many options.

Once these tours are scheduled and you are preparing for your visits, beyond ensuring the overall vibe suits what you are hoping to accomplish for your wedding day vision there are some specific things to make sure you understand and know the answers to before contract signing. For a short list, six of those things are…

1. Accessibility & lodging: Is grandma going to be able to get to the ceremony space without too many issues? How close to the ceremony & reception areas can cars get for drop-off and/or parking? What are the closest lodging accommodations for out-of-town guests? Is a shuttle going to be needed to transport guests to and from the venue, or are there ride share services prevalent in the general area?
2. Plan B options: This one is specific for an outdoor wedding, but it is a big one to have answered for hosting an outdoor wedding in the Inland Northwest because the weather can change drastically day to day. What are the plan b options in case of inclement weather? Does it require additional rentals? How soon in advance do we have to make that call?
3. Bathrooms: What does the bathroom situation look like? Are there onsite, plumbed in restrooms? Does the venue include porta-potty rentals? Are you required to bring in bathroom rentals?
4. Included in rental cost: What is included in the overall cost of the venue and do they have specific rules? A few examples of things to inquire about… tables, chairs, set up, take down, linens, any décor, arrival & departure times, get ready spaces.
5. Vendor requirements: Usually every venue has a recommended vendor list that every couple can take advantage of, but does the venue have specific caterer requirements? Is a professional coordinator required? Are there any vendors (whether that is a vendor category or a specific business) that they don’t allow on property?
6. Any venue specific rules/regulations: There are certain state & city laws that each venue has to follow (like sound ordinances or alcohol restrictions), but there can also be specific venue rules that the owners or managers have set that you need to be aware of. Some examples of potential things to ask about are… any restrictions on children in attendance, maximum guest count that the venue can accommodate, any areas of the property that are off limits to attendees, confetti/sparklers/faux flower petals.

Venue owners and managers are used to giving tours and should be providing all of this information to you as you walk through their space, but it is also a lot of information to cover in a short time and they do a lot of tours every weekend, so it is also on you as the contracting party to understand all the venue specifics before signing. To help you keep everything organized as you go on tour after tour, I created a “Venue Comparison Worksheet” that is available on my Etsy shop and is an easy instant download, so you can print and take with you to each site visit. Don’t leave such a big decision up to your memory! There are a lot of other things that take up space in that brain of yours, so do yourself a favor and use these as visual pro & con lists, if you will. Make sure to use the code “THANKYOU” for 10% off your purchase!

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There are so many amazing wedding venues out there just waiting for you to find them and transform their spaces into the wedding already forming in your head & on your Pinterest board. Take a deep breath and know that it will all work out exactly how it is supposed to!