Questions to Ask Your Wedding Venue About Rentals

The venue tour is your best chance to find out what the venue really provides. Many "included" tables and chairs turn out to be folding chairs in a closet. Many "outside vendor" rules show up only after you've paid a deposit. Use this list on the tour, or email it to the venue coordinator before you sign.

Ask in six groups

Furniture: what is already there

1. Which tables and chairs are included, and how many? Get counts by type.
2. What do they look like? Ask to see them, not a photo from last year.
3. What sizes are the tables? 60 or 72-inch rounds change your linen order.
4. Is there a ceremony chair set, or do you need to flip?
5. Who sets up and tears down? Venue staff, caterer or you.

Vendors: who can bring what

6. Do you allow outside rental companies, or do you have an approved list?
7. Do you charge a fee for outside vendors or for use of venue staff to help them?
8. What insurance is required, and does the venue need to be named as additional insured? Many venues, especially in downtown Chicago buildings, ask for a certificate of insurance.
9. Is your caterer's dinnerware included, or must you rent it?

Access: load-in and load-out

10. When can vendors arrive and leave? Ask for exact hours.
11. Where do trucks park or unload? Is there a loading dock or a curb?
12. Are there stairs, elevators or long carries? Freight elevators may be reserved.
13. Is the venue available the night before or morning after for setup and pickup?

Rules: what is allowed

14. What is the room capacity seated and standing?
15. Can we use candles, open flame or sparklers?
16. What are the music and sound rules, including end times?
17. Are tents, flooring or stakes allowed, and who pulls permits? Check your village for permit rules.
18. What about decor, like taping, hanging, confetti or hanging lights?

Fees: what else costs money

19. What is the cleanup fee, and what must be done before you leave?
20. Are there overtime charges if the vendor crew runs late?
21. What is the damage deposit, and how is it returned?
22. Are there minimums for catering or bar that affect rentals?

Weather: outdoor sites

23. What is the rain plan, and where does the ceremony move?
24. Is there shade, heat or cooling?
25. Who decides to move indoors, and by when?

How to use the answers

Bring a measuring tape and a camera

On the tour, measure the main doors, the elevator, any stairs and the width of the aisle between the loading area and the room. Take photos of the room from each corner, the coat area, the bar location and the nearest outlets. Note where the lighting switches are and whether the room has a ceiling you can hang from. Back at home, those photos and numbers let a rental planner build a floor plan without a second visit, and they make it easy to spot a problem, like a table size that won't fit through a doorway, while you still have time to change it.

Ask the coordinator for the venue's floor plan and any capacity chart. Many venues have one on file and will send it as a PDF.

Chicago-specific notes

Downtown Chicago buildings often require insurance certificates, specific loading dock hours and freight elevator reservations. Historic buildings may restrict candles and fixed hanging points. Suburban banquet halls might include chairs, linens and dinnerware but limit outside vendors. Park district facilities, forest preserves and public parks have their own permit and vendor rules; ask the managing office, and do not assume a scenic spot allows a tent or amplified music.

For a deeper comparison of what the venue may provide, see venue chairs vs rented chairs. For the broader timeline, see wedding rentals timeline, and for the Chicago side of rules see Chicago venue rules for chair rentals.

Get the rental side handled

Book a free 15-minute seating call and we will turn your venue answers into a rental list, or request a quote.