Asking Liz: Venue Questions This Week

Photo: Fondly Forever

Questions, I get questions from my couples every week. Some of them might help you out, so here we go:

1. My venue manager says that I need to buy insurance. Why do they need insurance if I already gave them a deposit? Will it cover cancellation or postponement of my wedding?
2. This is standard with many venues, to require that you purchase at least $1 million dollars worth of insurance, with them being the beneficiary. It will cover extreme damage to the venue, like, for instance if you burn the place down (I don’t know). It’s basically a back up to the deposit you gave them. “If you mess up the venue, we’re keeping the deposit. If you REALLY mess up the venue, we’re keeping the deposit and making an insurance claim.” Insurance here in California, depending on the amount that’s required, is between $100 – 200, so not too steep. There’s an additional charge (usually around $100) if you want to purchase cancellation or postponement that covers your costs, but not all insurance companies offer that. Ask.

Our wedding is in the outside patio, and then everyone will move inside for the cocktail hour and reception. We want our guests to use and enjoy the outdoor space during the reception, too, but how do we get them to go back out there?

Universal Wedding Rule – Guests go where you go. The patio is a great spot for the photo booth, a dessert bar, a couple of cocktail tables, anything that can be set up easily during the cocktail hour or the first few minutes of the reception. Grab a couple of friends and head out there to talk, or take pictures, and just hang. Bonus points if you bring something back inside with you, like a donut or a photo booth print. Everyone is going to be looking for you, constantly (sorry), “Oh, where are they? They’re outside. We can go outside?” Yeah, you can.

We’re getting married at one place and having our reception at another. The problem is there are tight delivery and pickup windows at both locations, and we’re working with three different rental companies. What can we do to make sure this doesn’t cost a fortune?

First, figure out exactly how much of a fortune it’s going to  cost you. You have one hour after the ceremony to get all the chairs, decor, cocktail tables out. You have to get all the rentals out of the reception venue that night, because there’s another wedding there the next day. How much is the total delivery cost for that, on top of the rentals? Okay. Consolidate the rentals: You’re renting from three different companies, is there a way to chose items from just one or two so you’re not paying three delivery fees? Work on the timing: How much would it cost to buy more load-out time at the ceremony site? Compare that to the cost of picking it up at the designated time.

What questions do you have right now about your wedding? Complete the form below to schedule a consultation, or click the chat box to talk with me now.

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith

Are you following me on Instagram @lizcharm? You should be.