Rules to Tour By: Top 5 Things to Know Before You Tour a Wedding Venue

POV: You just got engaged and you are so excited to start wedding planning! You begin looking online for inspiration and you stumble upon a wedding venue you really like. Yay!

Before you message them about taking a tour of the venue, take a moment to consider these five important things…

Cait Fletcher Photography

Danielle Hazelton, Hazelton Creative Co.

Katie Figura Photography

#1: Your ideal wedding month & year.

Most venues, as well as other wedding vendors like caterers, bartenders, photographers, etc., operate on booking specific dates for their business. It’s wise to approach wedding planning with multiple dates in your ideal season and year in mind! Venues need to know your dates of interest to make the process more efficient for them and YOU! You may also be able to rule out a venue if your dates of interest are already booked. The season and year of interest can affect things like pricing, capacity, seating options, location availability, etc. It may also affect the time of year you want to tour wedding venues.

Vermont venues like Sleepy Hollow book up early for peak dates, like fall foliage, so contact early if you want a prime weekend.

Corinne Ryan Photography

Danielle Allendorf Photography

Iz La Motte Photography

#2: Your estimated wedding guest count.

Most venues have a maximum seated guest capacity. It’s important to have some idea of who you will be inviting to your wedding so you can provide vendors with a guest count range. Confirm whether or not your wedding celebration will work at a specific venue just by checking their venue capacity. Do you have too many people, too few or just the right amount that works in their space?

At Sleepy Hollow, our maximum is 165. This might be just right for your celebration!

Iz La Motte Photography

Katie Figura Photography

Corinne Ryan Photography

#3: Your wedding values.

Put simply, what is important to you and your partner on your wedding day? Consider what the venue has to offer. Does it meet your needs? Does it work with your wedding guest needs? Does it have options in terms of accessibility, back up locations in case of rain, accommodations onsite, your choice of outside vendors or all-inclusive packages? Are other events happening at the same time as yours at the venue? In no way is this meant to be overwhelming, but considering these things ahead of time, will help you be prepared to ask questions and be able to weed out options that don’t align with your values.

Beyond the venue fitting your needs, does it also align with your personal morals and values? Perhaps, you value your religious beliefs and want to get married in your place of faith, or perhaps, you value the environment and want an eco-conscious venue.

Sleepy Hollow is nestled in the Green mountains of Vermont and features a quaint inn, a light-filled round barn, outdoor covered pavilion, and lots of hiking, mountain biking and nordic ski trails. All of the electricity used during our weddings and events is offset by our solar panels. We have accommodations on-site and we allow you to choose your own vendors.

Corinne Ryan Photography

Wren Olivia Photography

Katie Figura Photography

#4: Your wedding vibe.

Is there a vibe that you and your partner are drawn to? When researching, did commonalities or patterns jump out to you between the venues? Does the venue match your Pinterest board or inspiration photos? If you don’t have inspiration photos, take time to pick some out, because this will help you make sure the venue aligns with your vision. The venue you choose should fuel or complement your wedding vision!

For example, Sleepy Hollow is an outdoor-centric venue, that highlights the surrounding Green Mountains. Our venue is full of warm wood tones and bright light-filled interiors.

Katie Lenhart Photography

#5: Flexibility is key.

Flexibility is key when it comes to many things about wedding planning, but especially when touring a venue. While this may seem frustrating, it is important to remember that wedding venues are often hosting weddings on weekends. Some venues might have different rules, but generally weekends are not going to be the ideal time for a venue tour. Venue coordinators will go out of their way to show you the venue on your schedule, but sometimes they can’t offer you a tour on a specific day of the week, and the reason is usually because of a pre-scheduled event.

At Sleepy Hollow, we often host weddings on weekends, so a tour will most likely need to take place Sunday-Thursday.

Bonus: Stalk the venue and learn everything you can before you tour!

Especially if you don’t live within a couple hours drive of the venue, it is important to do as much research as you possibly can on your own before you plan to tour. You might consider scheduling a phone call so the coordinator can answer your preliminary questions. Make sure it is worth your time and the venue coordinator’s time!

Bride & Groom embracing in front of the pond.

Mariah R. Photography & Film

Extra bonus: When you reach out to a venue, please share both names of the wedding couple, your time frame/dates of interest, your initial guest count, and how you found the venue.

Remember, communication is everything! Venues are there to help make your wedding day extra special, and we can’t do so without you sharing your vision and expectations.

If the venue or vendor doesn’t fit your vision, it is okay to say that you are no longer interested! Vendors prefer to hear a no, than nothing at all. And we definitely would prefer to know if you have to cancel a tour, because it’s a bummer to wait and to not have anyone show up.