12 Questions to Ask Before You Book a Wedding Venue
Not sure what to ask before you sign? Here are the twelve questions worth asking any wedding venue, answered honestly for ours.
Booking a venue is usually the first big decision of the whole wedding, and often the fastest one, made on the least information. Most couples visit two or three venues, fall for one, and sign within weeks. That’s not necessarily wrong, but there are real questions to ask before you book a wedding venue, and asking them early saves a lot of surprises later. Here’s what’s worth asking any venue, answered plainly for The Grange Leverton.
1. Is it exclusive use, or are we sharing the day?
Every wedding at The Grange Leverton is 100% exclusive use, full stop. The whole venue, inside and out, belongs to one couple and their guests for the entire weekend: no other wedding running alongside yours, no shared spaces, no shared parking.
Some venues run two or three weddings in parallel spaces on the same date, and “exclusive” gets used loosely in marketing. At The Grange it means exactly what it says. The site is yours alone.
2. What time do we actually get the keys, and what time do we have to be out?
4:00pm on the Friday to 12:00 noon on the Sunday: the same hours in our brochure, our contract, and in person. Forty-four hours, not a rushed single day. See how the full weekend actually unfolds.
Get the real hours in writing from any venue, not the rounded-off version from the brochure. An hour’s difference between what’s advertised and what’s contracted can quietly reshape your whole timeline.
3. What’s the actual maximum guest count — and is it the same number the venue tells its insurer?
Up to 80 seated day guests and 120 in the evening. That’s our licensed ceremony capacity too, so the number in our marketing is the number on our licence, not a rounded-up brochure figure.
Ask for the day and evening numbers separately, and ask what happens if you go slightly over. If a venue’s marketing number and its licensed number don’t line up, that’s worth pressing on before you book, not after.
4. Can we legally marry here, or is the ceremony symbolic?
Ceremonies here are legally binding: held indoors, in our licensed Oak View Ceremony Hall, floor-to-ceiling glass rather than a marquee or garden setting.
Not every beautiful space is licensed for a legal ceremony. Some venues host outdoor ceremonies that are symbolic only, with the legal paperwork done elsewhere beforehand. Ask specifically whether the room or grounds you’re picturing are actually licensed.
5. How many weddings does the venue host in a season — and on how many dates could we get lost in the shuffle?
Just 25 weddings a year, May to October: roughly one a week, never two running in parallel. Steve and Vicky live in the house opposite the venue and are hands-on with every couple personally.
A venue running one wedding a week gives a different level of attention than one running three a weekend. Neither is inherently better, but it changes what “personal service” actually means in practice.
6. Where do our guests actually sleep?
Your closest family can stay on-site: the Bridal Suite plus two further en-suite guest rooms are included in your hire, with a separate Family Apartment bookable from £300/weekend. Wider guests have independent cottages, farmhouses and Airbnbs from 2.1 miles away, plus the Premier Inn (5.4 miles) and Travelodge (8.9 miles). Full detail on our accommodation.
Push for real distances and real capacity, not “nearby accommodation available.” This detail rarely makes the brochure but shapes the entire feel of a wedding weekend.
7. What’s included, and what’s a separate line item?
Venue hire covers exclusive use of the whole site for the weekend: the Ceremony Hall, Dining Room, Grounds and Bar, the three on-site rooms, cross-backed chairs, round tables and linen, PA system, styling props, and full use of the Bridal Prep Lounge. From there, you make exactly two choices: your caterer, from our three approved suppliers, and your drinks package. Full pricing and inclusions.
Get a full breakdown before comparing prices between venues. Two “similar” quotes can hide very different inclusions, and we’d rather you compared like for like.
8. What happens if we need to cancel or postpone?
Every couple receives a clear, written cancellation and postponement policy as part of their contract: a 14-day cooling-off period with a full refund, then fair, tiered notice periods rather than a flat “no refund” rule.
Ask to see the cancellation schedule before you sign, not after. A fair, clearly written policy is a good sign about how a venue handles problems generally.
9. Who coordinates the actual day — and how many check-ins happen before it?
Vicky coordinates every wedding personally: three planning meetings at twelve months, six months, and six weeks before your wedding, plus a Friday dress rehearsal and hands-on coordination through the weekend itself.
Some venues hand you a folder and wish you luck. Ask what the actual touchpoints are, and who’s physically present on the day.
10. Are outdoor spaces available for the ceremony, photos, or evening — and in what weather?
Our grounds are for photographs, drinks and evening celebration: never the ceremony itself, which is always indoors in the Oak View Ceremony Hall.
Get specific with any venue about wet-weather plans. A genuine indoor alternative, not a marquee scramble, protects your day from the one thing nobody can control. Ours was never weather-dependent to begin with.
11. What’s the policy on suppliers — ours or theirs?
Catering is a closed list: three approved caterers, Black Pepper Mint, GoodGrub&Co, and Becky Griemink Catering. Everything else, photography, florals, music and more, is wide open.
Some venues require an approved list across every category; others are fully open. Both are fine, but it’s worth knowing before you fall for a supplier a venue won’t allow.
12. What do recent couples actually say — not just the testimonials on the website?
Read our reviews on Hitched and Google directly, not just the curated quotes on this page, and ask to speak to a recent couple when you visit. We’re always happy to arrange it. Every one of our Hitched reviews talks about Steve and Vicky personally, not just the building. See real weddings at The Grange.
The gap between marketing copy and lived experience is where most regrets live. A venue that’s comfortable pointing you to unfiltered reviews usually has nothing to hide.
Come Ask Us the Thirteenth Question
We think a venue that can answer all twelve of these plainly, without hedging, is one worth taking seriously. If we’ve missed something you’re wondering about, that’s what a viewing is for.