Wedding venue
quotation checklist

Start with the same event brief

A useful comparison starts before the price arrives. Share these requirements with every venue and ask them to identify any assumption they cannot meet.

• Date and function: wedding, reception or another celebration; alternatives if your preferred date is unavailable.
• Guest count: expected adults, children and vendor or staff meals, with the same assumptions in every request.
• Format: seated meal, floating reception, ceremony, stage, dance floor and other space requirements.
• Time: supplier access, guest arrival, event start and finish, and pack-down.
• Scope: venue only, a package or individually quoted services. State which items you will arrange yourself.
• Quotation record: exact property and hall, venue contact, quotation date, version and expiry date.

Separate event hours from access hours

Record all four windows: setup, guest event, supplier collection and final handover. Confirm who can extend a slot, the overtime billing unit and any hard closing time.

• Space: the specific hall, dining area, stage, changing rooms and any shared areas included.
• Layout capacity: the permitted guest count for your proposed seating, stage and dining arrangement. Do not assume a single advertised capacity fits every layout.
• Concurrent events: shared entry, lifts, washrooms, parking, sound or loading access.
• Guest access: step-free routes, lifts where needed, accessible washrooms, seating support and the route from arrival point to event spaces.
• Arrival logistics: allocated parking, valet responsibilities and charges, drop-off space and signage. Ask what happens when the allocated spaces are full.
• Contingency: the agreed alternative if an outdoor or weather-dependent part of the plan cannot be used.

Match the menu to the guest count

Ask what the quoted meal price covers and which number determines the bill. A minimum commitment, final guarantee and actual attendance may be different figures.

• Menu and service: the final menu, service style, meal or refreshment windows, drinking water and any separately charged items.
• Guest categories: adult, child and vendor/staff rates; age bands or other charging rules where used.
• Guarantee: minimum billable meals, deadline for final numbers, and how the count is measured and agreed.
• Changes: charges and availability for extra meals; treatment of a lower-than-guaranteed turnout.
• Requirements: dietary or allergy requests, what the caterer can provide and how it will be handled. Confirm this directly rather than assuming a label guarantees suitability.
• Outside catering: whether it is permitted, kitchen access, equipment, cleaning, coordination and any fee or restriction.

Check inclusions, responsibilities and limits

For each service, record whether it is included, optional, supplied by you or still undecided. Ask who is responsible for delivery and whom you should contact on the day.

Reference images describe a look only if agreed. Ask for the exact décor and equipment specification in the quotation; a photograph alone is not an inclusion list.

Make every cost visible once

Use the worksheet to record the rate, unit, quantity and amount for each item. Keep the same guest count, slot and service scope across all venues. If an item is bundled, mark it “included in package” so it is not counted twice.

If a required item is still unpriced, mark the total “incomplete”. Compare confirmed amounts first, then document the specific uncertainty and what could change it.

Confirm the written booking terms

• Booking identity: contracting supplier, exact venue and hall, event date, slot and named customer.
• Payment: advance, instalment dates, final settlement, payment recipient and receipt or invoice details.
• Cancellation: what each party can cancel, notice requirements, deductions and how timing changes the amount returned.
• Postponement: date-change procedure, availability conditions, carry-forward of payments and any repricing or fee.
• Refunds and deposit: the circumstances, process, evidence for deductions and expected return timeline.
• Changes: how a revised menu, guest count, timing or extra service is priced and approved in writing.
• Contingency: agreed response to unavailable space or services, disruption and other circumstances addressed in the contract.

Keep the accepted quotation, service specification and later changes with the agreement. Ask for any verbal promise that affects your decision to be written into the booking record.

Before you pay an advance

• The same event brief has been used for every venue being compared.
• The actual hall, layout and included areas have been checked during a visit or confirmed by the venue.
• All essential services are priced or explicitly marked as unresolved.
• Taxes, service charges, extras and refundable deposits are visible and not double-counted.
• Cancellation, postponement, payments and changes are understood and recorded.
• The quotation version matches the final agreed scope, and the event-day contact is identified.

Choose on the complete fit: price, suitability, accessibility, logistics and the clarity of the written commitment. Keep unresolved items open until the venue supplies an answer.

This is a practical planning aid, not legal, tax or financial advice. It does not set standard charges or promise availability or services. Each venue must confirm its own quotation and terms; seek suitable professional advice on an agreement when needed.