How To Find The Right Venue For Your Smaller Pre-Wedding Functions!
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Haldi, mehendi, chooda ceremony or even a small sangeet are few of the most fun events that are in the run-up the wedding week. But unlike a wedding or reception, these pre-wedding events have a limited guest list. Which means you need a smaller venue than your wedding banquet. While these functions may be small, they are important events. So, you need to pick out the perfect venue for them. If your next question is – how does one do that? – We have you covered. Here are some quick and fool proof ways to pick out the right venue for your smaller pre-wedding events.
Image via Papertales Studio
#1. Unique Venue Locations
Don’t be limited by just wedding-y banquet halls. Check with friends and families if they have residential complex banquet halls or even a large terrace that you can book. You can also check schools and colleges that rent out their auditoriums or amphitheaters on weekends or vacations. A lot of big hotels have smaller conference-style halls for business purposes, check those too. A number of nightclubs also rent out the place during the day, which can be great for a haldi, chooda or even mehendi ceremony. With a little smart décor, you can turn the place around in a jiffy!
#2. Check For Guest List And Venue Size
First things first. Make a guest list for all your pre-wedding events. Pick a venue that can accommodate all. If you are looking for a mehendi event – look for a place that can accommodate your guests as well as mehendi artists and their team. There should be ample place for chairs or seating that is required for a mehendi. For a sangeet – check if the venue is big enough to accommodate a stage for your performances. Pick the venue size based on these points.
Image via Shruti and Ashish
#3. Location Of The Venue
Most of your guests who will come for these pre-wedding events will overlap with weddings too so pick a location that is ideally close to the wedding location. That way you can put up your outstation guests close to the location and save travel hassles.
#4. Check For Facilities
Do they have extra rooms for the bride and groom to change post-haldi? Do they have good lighting for your sangeet dances? Do they have a good music system or will you need to hire one? If it’s a small venue, check for the number of washrooms too! Venues have non-wedding events too so they may not have these but these are non-negotiable for you while booking.
Image via Khusboo and Aditya
#5. Package Deals
Most big venues have a monopoly of vendors when it comes to catering, decorations and even photographers. Check with them on what their packages start from or what is the royalty fee you have to pay to use your vendors. Ask for discounted rates if you opt for the venue recommended vendors.
#6. License Check
For your small sangeet night or even mehendi night, if you plan to have music, you need a music and DJ licence. Check with your venue if they can apply for one. The same goes for an alcohol licence too if you want to have an open bar for your sangeet!
Image via The Wedding Galore
#7. Payment Policies
While the pandemic is almost nullified, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Check what their payment and cancellation policies are. If there were to be any government restriction in your city, would they postpone or refund? Always opt for a venue that allows you to at least postpone the event if not cancel!
#8. Draw Up A Contract
Whatever you have discussed and decided, put it up on a contract. Smaller venues may not have the facility themselves but you can easily draw up one that ensures you are protected in case of any last-minute mess.
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#9. Ask for a POC!
Small venues have limited staff so you may not always find the person who co-ordinated your booking available there. So ask who your point of contact will be till the event and on the day of and if possible, meet them. It’s essential that you know whom to talk to and coordinate with on the day of the event.
#10. Check For Parking
Check if the venue has valet or ample parking – if not, add that to the cost that you may have to bear to hire your own valet services. Generator facilities are a must as well.
Image via Rimghim Photography
#11. Open Venues
If it’s an open venue or lawns, do they have provision for any last-minute weather change like rain or anything. These are small details which usually get missed out.
#12. Curfew
Check if there is any limitation of the timeline for when your event must end. A lot of small venues are part of corporate parks or residential complexes which may have a time limit, so check on that.
If you are hunting for a venue for your small events, check our WMG venues gallery, where you can find the perfect venue for your event by city, capacity, reviews and even budget!