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Sealing the deal and walking away with that wedding band on your finger is the most important thing about your big day, but what’s a wedding without a fiesta?
In the closing part of this series, we point out all the specifics of throwing the most epic wedding bash ever.
Missed the first two segments? Read part one and part two.
Splendid suppliers
If wedding vendors were a jar of cookies, grabbing one cookie after the other would come so easily, and running away with the whole jar even more so.
Not so fast- specific venues restrict your supplier choices by sending you an “approved supplier list”. Basically, if they’re not on the list, you can’t hire them.
This is most likely to happen if you’re thinking of going for a really upmarket venue (lucky you). These venues aim to uphold a high standard when hosting events, and require that any suppliers on their premises match that standard.
Otherwise, your venue might simply help you out by recommending suppliers to you. Just a heads-up: if they’re not a recommended vendor, they may need to submit a certificate or other official paperwork to show that they’re credible and have a proven track record.
Pretty up your space
Decorating your venue could possibly be one of the most exciting parts of wedding prep as it’s an opportunity to put your personal stamp on the venue of your choice, but there might however be limits as to how you go about doing so.
To avoid disappointment, make sure that you keep your florist and any other décor suppliers informed of all the things you can and cannot do at the venue. You might also have to make arrangements with them to have a décor mockup at their studio or another location, as not all venues permit this.
The good news is that certain venues are so intricately adorned, that there’s not much decorating left for you to do, which could help you save a few pennies.
Some venues even have décor items for hire. These can vary from pretty wire hearts and seashell mobiles, to glass vases and baskets. If your venue is on a farm, perhaps you could add freshly picked produce to your décor for a natural, earthy feel.
Read more: 5 ways to have a charmingly offbeat wedding
Fancy Furnishings
Like any home, your venue needs to be furnished, lit and well-equipped so that everyone’s happy and comfortable.
It’s a relief that the most basic of all furniture, tables and chairs, are regularly included in venue hire.
Seating can come in so many different styles that you’re nearly spoilt for choice - tiffany chairs, Paris chairs or even just plain plastic chairs with chair covers for added chic.
Be wary that although reception seating is typically incorporated into the venue hire cost, ceremony seating is not.
An often overlooked, yet rather impactful aspect of a venue is lighting. Swanky venues may be adorned with sparkling chandeliers or mood lighting, giving you less work to do when decorating.
You might also come across venues that rent lanterns and fairy lights, which are utterly pretty. Other than that, lighting props usually need to be outsourced from other suppliers.
The same goes for sound equipment. A PA system and perhaps a podium, will be needed for speeches, unless you’re keeping guest numbers small.
Few venues do offer a full PA system, which they will most likely obligate you to use. Occasionally, this will only be available for the ceremony.
When the speeches are out of the way and it’s time to get the party started, your band or DJ will need to rely on their own equipment to pull off a rocking performance.
They might be required to setup their stage and do a sound check beforehand, so enquire about this with your venue and ensure that your entertainers are up to date.
A final yet very NB detail that you can’t afford to forget is a generator. A fair number of venues have one available to rent.
If your venue does not have one, you should strongly consider either changing venues or finding a means of having one delivered. A power cut in the middle of your favourite song can be a total vibe-killer.
Happy bellies
Food, quite understandably, plays a huge role in almost any celebration - including your wedding. It’s one of the things that your guests are going to talk about the most.
Some venues are very stringent about using their in-house catering service, with no outside caterers allowed. If the chef can’t whip up strictly Halaal or Kosher meals, the venue might have these meals externally catered for by their preferred suppliers.
Be warned that these caterers may only use the venue’s kitchen and equipment at an additional cost.
Sometimes, Halaal or Kosher meals may be considered a “special dietary requirement”. In this case, the venue might provide only a small percentage of your guests with such meals, meaning that if all food at your wedding needs to be strictly Halaal or Kosher, you’ll probably have to find another venue.
Alternatively, you could opt to have Halaal or Kosher-friendly foods, from which pork and alcohol are eliminated.
Nevertheless, if you’ll be using in-house catering, chances are high that you’ll be shown a selection of preset menus to choose from. Make your decision wisely- not all menus make provision for guests that are vegans, vegetarians, or have otherwise restrictive diets.
If you’re considering a super luxe venue, you may be invited to personal consultation with your venue’s chef, in which you can design your own menu. You’ll then be invited to food tastings to sample your meal choices. As tempting as this appears, remember that such services are generally pricier and come at an added cost.
In contrast, your venue may not only insist on having catering done in-house, but limit you to one particular menu. In case you were wondering, yes, that would give you virtually no say in what gets served at your wedding.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have delicious food, but it does mean that you need to be 100% positive that the specified menu suits you.
A vital point to note about catering is that it’s normally not part of the venue hire fee. Catering is quoted for separately, and don’t be surprised if you’re expected to pay a 10% service fee, added to your final bill.
Read more: All the details on choosing a wedding venue: Part 2
Cheers!
If wine is your preferred beverage, and you’re throwing your party on a wine estate, there’s a good chance that you’ll be obligated to serve only their wine. Venues that are not wine estates, but are licensed, usually don’t permit any beverages to be brought onto the premises.
If it is allowed, you’ll be charged a corkage fee that is typically higher for champagne/sparkling wine than other wines. If choosing a venue that is not licensed, alcohol will not be supplied and you could be spared the cost of corkage.
Many venues also have an in-house bar with various payment options.
Three common selections are limited tab, unlimited tab and cash bar. The limited tab option gives you the opportunity to put a cap on the amount that can be spent, whereas an unlimited tab option is the exact opposite.
If you choose the latter, you’ll have to cover any outstanding costs after your wedding, which can become quite pricey.
Should you decide to have a cash bar, your guests’ drinks will be at their own expense. This is yet another soft-on-the-pocket strategy, although it is not always permissible. In this event, your venue may require you to spend a minimum amount on beverages per guest, which is likely to apply even if you have a strict no-alcohol policy at your wedding.
If you’re only serving non-alcoholic drinks, tea and coffee will perhaps be the order of the day. If your venue does not supply tea or coffee, be prepared to source your own, along with any necessary crockery.
As with the food bill, specific venues might add a surcharge, which is commonly 10% of the beverage rate.
You have been served
Unless you’re hosting a buffet meal, you’ll need to rely on a group of handy waitrons and barmen, to get the job done.
Conveniently, some venues put these staff members at your disposal for the entire duration of your festivities.
However, as with the use of the venue space itself, there are additional charges for calling on waitrons and barmen services after a stipulated time.
In some cases, venues do not provide any waitrons- only bar staff. Given this, waitrons will need to be outsourced from another service provider.
Take note that you might not be given free reign to choose whichever waiting staff supplier you please. You could be obliged to use only specific suppliers.
Whether you are hiring all waiting and bar staff or additional staff to those already available, make sure that there are enough waitrons and barmen to cater to your guests! Lastly, don’t forget the tip!
These guys will be on their feet, slaving away for several hours to make sure that your event is a roaring success. Show them some love.
Read more:
All the details on choosing a wedding venue: Part 1
