How to brief a venue

Send a venue the message “Hello, how much is a wedding at yours?” and you receive a brochure. Tell it exactly what you are looking for and you receive a quote you can compare with others. The difference is the brief: ten lines written once and sent, unchanged, to every venue on your list.

What it should contain

1. The kind of occasion and the mood you want: a wedding with dancing until morning, a lunchtime christening, a birthday with a seated meal or a buffet.
2. The date — and how flexible you are. “Any Saturday in September” brings more options than a single day.
3. The number of guests as a range: the minimum you are sure of and the possible maximum, with children counted separately.
4. The hours, including setting up and clearing away. Ask until what time music may be played.
5. What you bring and what you expect from them: band, cake, drinks, decoration, photographer.
6. The budget, at least as a range. It does not put you at a disadvantage: it spares you quotes you would never have considered.
7. When you need an answer by, and how you prefer to be contacted.

What to ask

• What the price per person includes and what is charged separately: drinks, corkage, extra hours, cleaning.
• What the minimum number of paid menus is, and until when you can give the final number.
• How much the deposit is, when the balance is due, and what happens to the deposit if the event is postponed.
• Whether another event is taking place in the building on the same day.
• How many parking spaces there are and how far it is from the car park to the entrance.
• Whether there is step-free access and a quiet place for small children or grandparents.
• Whether the room has a floor plan to scale, with table dimensions. Without it, seating is guesswork.

How to compare the answers

Set the quotes side by side, on the same rows: price per person, what is included, minimum numbers, deposit, hours. Where a venue did not answer a question, write “unknown” — do not assume it is included. A quote with three unknowns is not cheaper, only less clear.

A good brief shows that you know what you want. Serious venues answer faster and more precisely to those who ask precisely.