Bring this handy checklist along with you to your wedding venue visits, and you’ll feel a lot more confident about finding the perfect space for your big day.
The key to finding the perfect wedding venue in Eastern Shore relies on much more than just aesthetics. Although, being pretty is certainly important! There are many questions you need to ask your wedding venue before you sign any type of contract. And the answers they give should help you decide if the celebration space will offer enough space for your loved ones, fulfill your wedding ambitions and importantly, fit within your budget.
As a premier wedding venue in Eastern Shore, we have a lot of experience in helping couples exact their dreams of the perfect big day. And for us, the appointments we have with them mean much more than simply trying to get them to sign on the dotted line. We believe our clients should feel 110% confident that our space is right for them.
Using our first-hand experience with Eastern Shore couples, we’ve put together 5 essential questions you should ask your prospective wedding venue. Critical points that need answering before you go any further with your next appointment.
5 Essential Questions to Ask Your Eastern Shore Wedding Venue
The most important question you can ask a wedding venue in Eastern Shore, or anywhere for that matter, is, are you available? If you’re strictly sticking to a particular date, and the venue cannot host you on that day. Then don’t risk falling harder for their space, and move onto the next.
For the purpose of these questions, we’re assuming the venue is available on the date/s you desire.
1. How Many Guests Can the Venue Accommodate?
There is certainly a sweet spot when it comes to venue size. You want your guests to feel like they have room to breathe, in a space that feels buzzy, but not crowded. The ideal Eastern Shore wedding venue should be a little larger than your guest list requires. This will offer that feeling of space, without feeling like the venue is cavernous.
2. Will You Be Able to Host Our Ceremony & Reception?
For many couples, making loved ones travel from their ceremony space to a separate reception venue is completely out of the question. They want a location that can host both events, along with cocktail hour, and maybe even offer accommodation. If this is what you’re after, be sure to clarify the possibility of having both events on-site with your prospective venue early on.
At Tidewater Weddings, we are fortunate enough to be able to host both wedding ceremonies, and receptions across multiple magical spaces. Be it saying ‘I do’ looking out over the water, or surrounded by family and friends in our meticulously cared for gardens. Followed by celebrations in any number of stunning locations.
3. Do You Have a List of Preferred Vendors
A good wedding venue in Eastern Shore will offer a comprehensive list of vendors. These lists are often curated over time, and use the teams’ experience of working with local suppliers to offer suggestions they know are reliable. These recommendations are invaluable, and can typically save couples many hours searching for the perfect florist, planner or caterer, for example.
We believe our list of preferred vendors will greatly increase your ability to create the perfect wedding day, as we have personal experience in dealing with each and every one of them.
4. Where Will Each Stage of the Event be Held?
If you’re fortunate enough to find a wedding venue in Eastern Shore that can host both your ceremony, and reception. It’s good to understand the journey that you and your guests will take on the big day. Will your ceremony space be transformed into the reception area? Is cocktail hour far from either the ceremony location or reception venue? What’s the backup location for alfresco drinks if it’s raining?
Request that you and your partner are taken on a guided tour of the wedding day route, so you can understand exactly what to expect.
5. Is There Accommodation Available On-site or Nearby?
Many of your friends and family will be travelling some distance to be with you on your big day. And as celebrations draw to a close, the last thing they’ll want to do is hit the road again. Having comfortable accommodation on-site, or nearby, is a godsend. As it’ll allow your loved ones the ability to relax during your wedding day, knowing they don’t have far to go to rest their head at the end of the night.
As part of Tidewater Weddings, we also offer vacation homes to our couples, and their guests. Grand properties with waterfront locations, stylish interiors and luxurious details. Many of which have their own private pools, docks, and even tennis courts! Take a browse of these stunning homes, and treat your loved ones to something special on your wedding weekend.
We hope this list of questions to ask your wedding venue will help in your search for the dream Eastern Shore location. It would be an honor to guide your big day plans further, and actually host your wedding at Tidewater Weddings!
We have an abundance of elegant spaces for you to tie the knot in and celebrate with loved ones on, across multiple sites near St. Michaels, in Talbot County on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.
You are welcome to browse some images from recent real weddings we have hosted, and if you like what you see, feel free to get in touch via our contact page.