Final Planning Meeting With Your Venue
Your wedding day is fast approaching, your to do list should be shrinking and it’s now time to plan for the all important final meeting with your wedding venue.
In order that your final meeting be as productive as possible most venues will send you a schedule of points to discuss or a final itinerary ahead of your meeting. Be sure to take a look at this, noting any questions your venue have so you can attend your meeting armed with all the information they require. You should also take time to consider any points you would like to confirm, so do take a little time to prepare this list prior to your final meeting.
With so many last minute points to consider it’s easy to become overwhelmed, so I’ve put together a few pointers to help you prepare for your final meeting and ensure nothing is overlooked.
Supplier details
You should furnish your venue with a comprehensive list of your suppliers including their mobile contact number (not their office number), the time they are expecting to arrive at your venue, what items they are supplying, the area that they will be setting up their equipment and when they will be returning to collect any hire items.
Wedding day timings & Locations
You should also expect to run through all timings for your day. If bridal/groom prep is taking place at your venue you should start with the time you are allowed to arrive, then moving onto the time you will meet with the registrars ahead of your ceremony, followed by your ceremony start and finish time, your drinks reception timings, wedding breakfast service time, the amount of time you have allocated for your speeches, the time your evening guests will arrive, when your cake cutting & first dance will take place, the time your evening celebrations will end and finally if you are staying at your venue the time you and your guests will need to check out the morning following your wedding day.
You should also discuss the rooms/spaces that you will be using for each element of your big day as well as confirming a suitable plan b should the weather not allow your original plans to go ahead.
Guests
Your final meeting is also the perfect opportunity to inform your venue of your final guest numbers, your guests dietary requirements and any other needs that your guests may have.
You should also discuss your table plan and inform your venue where you have seated children who require a highchair, parents who will have babies in pushchairs as well as any guests that will be in a wheelchair. This will allow your venue to ensure there is suitable space in the areas where these guests are seated.
Additional information
In order that your day runs as smoothly as possible you should also discuss points such as who will be playing your ceremony music, (if you have chosen a playlist rather than a live musician), who will be announcing you into your wedding breakfast and playing your entrance song, does your venue have a cake stand, a cake knife and an easel for your seating plan. You should also discuss your evening bar arrangements ensuring your venue is aware of your wishes, for example will you be offering your guests a free bar, and if so which beverages will be included. You should also discuss when your venue will offer your suppliers their meals to ensure this isn’t at a time when they will be performing.
Finally, if you have any items that you need to drop to your venue such as your seating plan, favors, name cards, guest book, card box and gifts for the bridal party you should discuss with your venue when these items can be delivered and whether or not they will set them out for you on the morning of your wedding. If your venue does not offer a morning set up service you should arrange for a member of your bridal party to do this for you.
I do hope that this brief guide has helped you prepare for your final meeting and that you are excited to be finalising the plans for your big day. If however you would like a little support in the countdown to your wedding or with any other accept of planning your big day, please do get in touch to discuss the planning services I offer. I am a wedding planner based in Brentwood Essex, I primarily plan and deliver weddings throughout Essex, Suffolk, Kent, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, although I am able to travel a little further afield if required.
Image Credit: Danielle Smith Photography
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Contact info
Hayley Jayne Weddings & Events
Brentwood, Essex
01277 226785
07889 171453
hayley@hayleyjayneweddingsandevents.co.uk
About Hayley
With a keen eye for detail, organisational skills that are second to none and the love of a “to do” list it was inevitable that Hayley would become an events planner. She started her career within the legal profession and was a Personal Assistant for 14 years before training with the UKAWP to become a professional wedding and events planner and then going on to launch “Hayley Jayne Weddings & Events”.