The perfect venue: how to find the place of your dreams

We discuss the different types of locations, give tips for site visits, and tell you which 'red flags' you should look out for. From the curfew to the corkage fee regulation – we leave no detail out so that you can ultimately make a decision you won't regret even after the wedding.

Before you schedule the first visit, you must be clear about your style. Do you want a fairytale castle wedding or rather a relaxed barbecue in the garden? Every venue brings its own logistical challenges. A barn looks romantic but often requires more effort in decoration and technology. A hotel offers the advantage of overnight accommodation on-site but can be less exclusive.

Create a mood board. Which colors and textures fit which place? Also think about the number of guests. A hall that is too large looks uncomfortable, one that is too small feels too crowded. The golden rule: the venue should have about 10-15% buffer in capacity. This leaves room for the dance floor, buffet, and photo box without the guests feeling like they are in a sardine can.

Book the viewing for the time of day you plan to marry. A west-facing terrace at six in the evening and the same terrace at eleven in the morning are two different rooms, and only one of them is the one your guests will stand in. If that is impossible, ask for photographs taken at your hour — of a real wedding, not a styled shoot.

Then check the things a brochure never mentions, because they are the ones that cost money later:

• Sound. Clap once in the empty room. A hall of stone, glass and beams throws speech back at you, and a hundred guests in it will be shouting by the main course. Ask what the band or DJ has done here before, and whether anyone has ever brought in acoustic panels.
• Power. Ask how many separate circuits reach the stage corner and where the sockets are. A band, a food truck and a coffee machine on one 16-ampere circuit is the classic way to put the lights out during the first dance.
• The kitchen. Is there a working one, or does an outside caterer have to bring a tent, gas and water? That answer moves a catering quote by a four-figure sum and almost never appears in the room hire price.
• Toilets. Count them. One per thirty-five guests is workable, one per fifty means a queue through the drinks reception, and hired cabins need a place to stand and a supply.
• Shelter. Where do a hundred people go in the ten minutes it rains? If the answer is the same room the dinner is set up in, someone has to reset it while your guests watch.
• Level access. Walk the route a wheelchair or a pushchair would take, from the car park to the toilet. Gravel, a single step at the entrance and a first-floor bathroom each rule someone out.
• Noise from outside. Stand still and listen for a full minute. A road, a railway line, church bells at six, a beer garden over the hedge — none of it shows in a photograph.

Take photographs of everything, including the ugly corners. Two weeks and three venues later they all merge into one, and the picture of the fuse box is the one you will actually need.

This is often where joy and sorrow are decided. Explicitly ask about the curfew. Many locations have strict requirements from the municipality, requiring room volume from 10 PM or 12 AM. If you want to celebrate into the morning hours, this is a knock-out criterion.

Another important point is exclusivity. Are other weddings or events taking place at the same time? Do you share the toilets or the outdoor area with strangers? If privacy is important to you, you should insist on exclusive use. Also clarify from when you are allowed to enter the venue for setup and by when dismantling must take place the next day. Time pressure during setup is one of the greatest stress factors the day before the wedding.

Many locations work with fixed catering partners or offer their own gastronomy. This can simplify planning but limits the choice. If you want a free choice of catering, look for locations without catering exclusivity.

Pay attention to hidden costs like corkage fees (if you bring your own wine) or cakeage fees (for a brought cake). Some locations also charge fees for external service providers like DJs or florists who are not on their recommendation list. Transparency in costs is vital here. We recommend comparing all offers digitally and contrasting the conditions in an overview. This way, you immediately see where the best price-performance ratio lies.

Most of what is discussed at a viewing is atmosphere. These are the questions whose answers end up in the contract, and each one is worth asking out loud and writing down.

Time. From what hour may you start setting up, and does that cost extra? Until when may the music play, and is that a house rule or a licensing condition? When must everything be out — the same night or the next morning, and who pays for the hour if it runs over?

Exclusivity. Is another event running the same day? Shared entrance, shared toilets, shared garden? A venue can be exclusive for the hall and not for the grounds, and the difference is a stranger's photograph in the background of yours.

Catering and drinks. Are you tied to one caterer or to a list? If you bring your own drinks, is there corkage and what is it per bottle? Is there a minimum spend, and does it count food only or the whole bill? Is service included in the per-head price, or billed by the hour on top?

What the price contains. Tables, chairs, linen, crockery, glassware, the final clean, the heating in October. Ask for it as a list rather than a yes — the word "included" covers a different set at every venue.

Bad weather. How many people does plan B actually seat, not stand? Who decides to move it inside, and by what time? A fallback that holds sixty when you have invited ninety is not a fallback.

Money and dates. What is the deposit, when are the instalments due, and what is refundable at which point? What happens if the guest count drops by fifteen — is the minimum spend renegotiated or not?

Practicalities. How many cars fit, and what happens to the ones that do not? How many rooms are on site, and are they held for you or first come first served? Is there a projector, a screen, a microphone that works from where the speeches will be given?

Ask for the answers in writing before you sign. Not because anyone is dishonest, but because the person who showed you round in March is often not the person on duty in September.