Wedding Planning - Episode 1: The Venue

So, Nic proposed February 16, 2014. That was awesome. We figured we should start looking at venues and get an idea of what we liked.
The ceremony venue wasn't hard to choose, because Nic and I were raised and baptized together at Ottawa Mennonite Church. It makes so much sense to get married there.  That was easy. I love that OMC has such a bright, open sanctuary. It is very easy to decorate, and hopefully it'll be sunny on June 20, 2015.
The church wouldn't really work for a reception if we wanted dancing, and we would have to set the tables up after the ceremony, therefore we needed to find a reception venue that was close enough and easy to decorate.

What I Wanted:
A couple years ago I had been looking at reception venues for my dream wedding. My vision was a cute, rustic barn wedding around Ottawa. However, those are all 45+ minutes away from OMC, and way more expensive than I had been thinking of. I didn't want an impersonal reception hall with those glowy lights and no windows. We may have no money, but I still wanted to have a nice-looking place.

The Process
It's always important to shop around. I fell in love with a couple other places that boasted cheaper prices, but with chair rentals, food, alcohol, washrooms, they ended up being just as expensive. Apparently planning a wedding is stressful and frustrating. Venues that I figured we could personalize ended up being booked June 2015 so we realized we were under a time crunch.
What would be awesome? A set form that vendors fill out so you can actually compare them. It may not be pretty, but they do it for comparing technology... Looking at our lovely GoogleDoc was challenging and I'm glad I'll never have to do that again. Until looking at photographers, of course.

What to ask venues:

Accommodation

• Number of guests
• Accessibility
• What’s your weather contingency plan for outdoor spaces?
• Coat check
• Is there an outdoor space where my guests can mingle, and can it be heated and/or protected from the elements if necessary? Is there a separate indoor “socializing” space?
• Do we have exclusive use of the venue?
• Is there parking on site? If so, is it complimentary? If there is no parking on site, where will my guests park? Are cabs easily accessible from the venue? ? If a shuttle service is needed, can you assist with setting it up? 
• How many restrooms are there?
• What overnight accommodations do you provide? Do you offer a discount for booking multiple rooms? Do you provide a complimentary room or upgrade for the newlyweds? What are the nearest hotels to the venue?
• Are there any areas we don’t have access to?
• Separate room for wedding party?
• Will there be any renovations before then?
• Is there a safe space for wedding gifts to be stored?

Table

• Linens
• Can I use real candles?
• Are tables, linens, chairs, plates, silverware and glassware provided, or will I have to rent them myself or get them through my caterer?
• Chair covers

Costs

• What dates are available in the month I’m considering?
• What is the rental fee and what is included in that price?
• How much is the deposit, when is it due, and is it refundable? What’s the payment plan for the entire bill?
• Is there a service charge on top of the bill?
• Is there a discounted fee for not doing the ceremony there?
• What’s the cancellation policy?

Drinks

• What is the bar service like?
• What alcohol is included? What is the cost of alcohol per person if open bar? What is the cost of drink tickets?
• Are you licensed to provide alcohol service? If so, is alcohol priced per person? By consumption? Are there additional charges for bar staff? Is there a bar minimum that must be met before the conclusion of the event? What is the average bar tab for the number of people attending my event?
• What is included per person?
• Champagne toast?

Set-up

• How long will I have use of the event space(s) I reserve? Is there an overtime fee if I stay longer? Is there a minimum or maximum rental time?
• Can I move things around and decorate to suit my purposes, or do I have to leave everything as is? Are there decoration guidelines/restrictions?
• What time can my vendors start setting up on the day of the wedding? Is it possible to start the setup the day before? How early can deliveries be made? How much time will I have for décor setup? Does the venue provide assistance getting gifts or décor back to a designated car, hotel room, etc. after the event has concluded?
• How big is the dance floor?
• What are the table sizes?

Food

• Even if there is an in-house caterer, do I have the option of using an outside caterer instead?
• If I hire my own caterer, are kitchen facilities available for them?
• What is the food and beverage cost on a per/person basis? What is the service charge?
• Can I bring in a cake from an outside cake maker or must I use a cake made on the premises? Is there a cake-cutting fee? If I use a cake made on site is the fee waived? Do you provide special cake-cutting utensils?
• Dietary restrictions?
• What time is the meal served?

Reception

• Are there restrictions on what kind of music I can play, or a time by which the music must end? Can the venue accommodate a DJ?
• Do you offer on-site coordination? If so, what services are included and is there an additional charge for them? Will the coordinator supervise day-of? How much assistance can I get with the setup/décor?
• Does the venue have liability insurance?
• Can I hire my own vendors (caterer, coordinator, DJ, etc.), or must I select from a preferred vendor list? If I can bring my own, do you have a list of recommended vendors?
• Do you have signage or other aids to direct guests to my event?
• Do you have a recycling policy?
• Can I hook up an iPod/laptop to the sound system?
• What is included in the sound system?

The Results
We came across the Britannia Yacht Club while looking at Ottawa photographers. Their motto is "Your cottage in the city." I looked at lots of pictures of it, and the price was better than most places in Ottawa, and not ugly. Perfect. In the end, Nic and I booked the Yacht Club. I was so relieved that I started crying.

The Yacht Club is on the Ottawa River, and I love it. I also really like the wooden bones of the building and I love fairy lights everywhere.  I'm excited to plan how we're going to decorate the place. It should be fairly easy to do so since it already has personality.

From BYC's Wedding Photo Gallery

Also from BYC's gallery