Searching for and deciding on a venue is one of the biggest parts of your wedding planning. Most of the time it’s the first thing that you pick. I wanted to share good questions to ask while you’re touring venues so you can make sure it’s a good fit for your wedding day. I recently toured The West Events, a newer industrial style venue near Madeira Beach, and Armature Works, a multi space venue in Tampa. These are just 2 of the many amazing venues in the Tampa Bay area. You can read more on each specific venue after the questions.

Here are some tips and questions to ask your venue:

• What spaces am I allowed to use and how many guests can fit in each space?

  • Knowing an approximate guest count will be helpful before you even tour or look at venues. This will help you know whether your guests can fit in certain spaces and rooms.

  • For some venues, you get the whole place to yourself. Other venues you might only have specific spaces and there might be other events going on there.

• Where do my guests park?

  • Most of the time your venue will have a lot or specific guest parking, but sometimes you have to let guests know that they’ll have to find their own parking.

  • This might be a really simple question, but it will help with providing your guests information on arriving at the venue and knowing what to do.

• What is included when I book your venue?

  • Some venues you are just renting their space so make sure to find out what’s included in the price.

  • Venues sometimes provide the set up for you: tables, chairs, linens, etc.

  • For the venues that only provide their space, you have a blank canvas to work with!

• Do you recommend any vendors?

  • Some venues have preferred vendor lists. This means they can either recommend specific vendors that they’ve worked with before or you have to find a vendor on their list (or else pay a fee).

  • Especially if you already have specific other vendors you want at your wedding, it’s helpful to know if the venue has a preferred list before you book.

  • For the venues who don’t have a list, you’re free to pick any vendor of your choosing. Most venues will at least require that they’re licensed and insured though.

• How much does it cost to rent your venue?

  • Your venue is one of your biggest costs, but if you’re able and willing to have your wedding on a day other than Saturday, sometimes the price is lower. You can also ask about pricing during their off season.

  • Before you start looking at a bunch of venues, set a budget so you’re not wasting time touring venues that are way out of your price range.

  • If you have a venue that you love but is out of your budget, see if you can find other ways to save.

• What other options do you provide?

  • Some venues have inclusive packages that make the planning easier on you.

  • Knowing the venue’s additional services helps you know what else you’ll need to figure out before your wedding day.

I’m excited to feature two Tampa Bay venues below. I got to personally tour Armature Works and The West Events. They both are great spaces and have a lot to offer!

 

 

Armature Works

The West Events

The West Events has 2 separate rooms for the ceremony and/or reception space, a bridal suite, a smaller side room, a bar area, and an outdoor space. The largest room there, called the Blue Ribbon Room can hold about 150 guests for a reception and even more for a ceremony. The other room, called the West Wing, can hold about 50 guests for a reception and over 50 for a ceremony. Their bridal room has its own bathroom, several large mirrors, chairs, a couch, and a great space for the girls to get ready in.

The West Events has a lot behind their venue that fits about 30 cars and they also provide valet service through an outside company to a church parking lot nearby. They have 150 crossback wooden chairs, low round tables for a reception, and high top tables for cocktail hour.

The West Events has a preferred vendor list with vendors that have either done a wedding or a styled shoot in their space. You can find a vendor off of their list or pay a fee to hire a vendor not on the list. The West Events also requires all couples to hire a day of coordinator/planner. They base their pricing on the day of the week. Saturdays are the highest, then Fridays, and then Sundays. Weekdays are the least expensive, but all of their prices no matter the day are currently under $5,000.

The West Events works with an outside company for couples who want to have their ceremony on the beach across the street but have a space for cocktail hour and the reception after. They also have cottages across from the venue that can hold up to 20 of your guests.

The West Events are currently featured on Here Comes the Guide and Junebug Weddings. You can find out more info on their website here: https://www.thewesteventspace.com/