9 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Venue

First off, if you are engaged and still in the planning process, or looking for great ideas or vendors for your wedding day, you HAVE TO go to the Seattle Wedding Show! It is the largest bridal show in the West Coast and is so much fun, plus you get to see us there! This is our 3rd year participating in the Wedding Show and we see great new ideas and meet wonderful vendors every year!

If you haven't been to the Seattle Wedding Show before, I won't give away too much, but there are florists, DJs, caterers, photographers, videographers, planners, venues, invitation designers, photo booths and more! There are cake and catering samples from so many delicious and talented vendors too! Yumm! I always take at least one break a year to walk around and sample all the yummy treats and introduce myself to some vendors who we may get to work with in the future! This year the Seattle Wedding Show is at:

Washington State Convention & Trade Center

800 Convention Place, 4th Floor

Seattle, WA 98101

Saturday January 7th, 2012 from 10:00am to 5:30pm (ticket sales open at 9:30am)

Sunday January 8th, 2012 from 10:30am to 5:00pm (ticket sales open at 10:00am)

Make sure to swing by and say "Hi!"

At the Wedding Show there is a large selection of Wedding Venues.  For many brides and grooms the venue is the first thing they select for their wedding and can be quite the daunting task. We don't do things the same way as many wedding venues because this is your big day and you shouldn't be forced to use our caterers, pay our food and drink minimums and have a pre-packaged wedding just like everyone else if that's not what you want. If you want everything taken care of for you, we can make that happen for you as well with our fantastic local vendors we love to work with.  Here at Pine River Ranch, your wedding is all about you and what you want!

Question #1: What comes with my rental fee?  Many venues have a site fee, then tack on the extra expenses of tables, chairs, linens, food and drinks. At Pine River Ranch, your wedding rental fee comes with all your necessary amenities from tables and chairs to linens and flatware.

• Outside wedding venue, beautifully landscaped with rustic log arbor (Weddings can be moved inside in case of bad, or questionable weather, or if you choose to have an indoor wedding)
• Indoor reception in Historic 1944 Dairy Barn With Dance Floor.
• Beautiful photo opportunities (Nason Creek, meadows, mountains, historical barn, old farm house, small lake with waterfall)
• 2 changing suites for the wedding party with full length mirrors and sinks
• Free Attended Parking for 100+ cars.
• Up to 20 round dinner tables (8 - 10 guests per table)
• All Linens (Including Table Cloths and Cloth Napkins)
• 300 white wooden chairs for the wedding ceremony and reception
• Tables (Coffee, DJ, bridal gift & buffet table)
• Flatware (spoons, dinner forks, salad forks & knives)
• Stemware (water, wine & champagne glasses)
• Plates (Dinner, salad, roll & cake plates)
• Coffee pot & mugs
• Salt and pepper shakers
• Complete Setup, take down, and clean up
• 2 table bussers
• Coolers for beverages

Question #2: Do you have a food and drink minimum? No! Not everyone has the same vision for their wedding day, so we don't want to force you to use our caterers or drink our drinks and pay the expensive costs often times associated with in-house catering and bartending! We have had every kind of food imaginable at Pine River Ranch and we love to see people eat exactly what they love. You bring in your own food whether it is professionally catered or cooked by your friends and family. We have had everything from BBQ'd food like hamburgers and hot dogs and Pizzas cooked in wood fire grills to decadently cooked 5 course meals. As for drinks, you can provide your own as well saving you an exorbitant amount of money on your big day!

Question #3: Does the caterer include equipment or do you have to rent it?
That is a question for your caterer. We have commercial kitchen sinks, and prep tables as well as a full size walk in cooler, but we don't have the cooking equipment. If you want the cooking to be done by your friends or family, they will need to bring their own barbeques, grills etc. as well as serving and chafing dishes. Most professional caterers will provide that equipment.
Question #4: How do you charge for service people?
We do not have any additional fees or charges, the only cost is the rental fee of the venue (and that comes with all of the above amenities). Some wedding venues charge a percentage of the overall fee and others have a separate service fee that can really add up!

Question #5: Do you have any additional fees?
We do not have any of those hidden fees like a cake cutting fee, corking fee, or any of those other hidden costs.

Question #6: How many hours do I have the facility and personnel.
That depends on if you choose a 1 day or 2 day wedding package. With our 1 day wedding package you have the venue from 3 pm the day of your wedding until 11 am the next morning. With a 2 day wedding package the grounds are yours from 3 pm the day before your wedding until 11 am the morning after your wedding (example: Friday at 3 pm until Sunday at 11 am). With either package, your guests have to leave the barn by 10 pm and any guests not staying in the suites have to be off the grounds by 11 pm.

Question #7: Do you have decorations I can use?
We can show you some of the items during your wedding tour that previous weddings have left that you are more than welcome to use! We also have thousands of fairy lights that are already hung in the barn.

Question #8: What other events are taking place at the location and how do you have it scheduled?
None! You will have exclusive use of the entire 22 acres during your 1 or 2 day weddings! You don't have to worry about running into other wedding party guests or confusing your guests about going to the wrong ceremony location!

Question #9: Is there plenty of on-site parking and is there a fee?
There is plenty of parking and no fee! Our attendant will help direct parking for over 100 cars so you don't have to worry about delegating that job to one of your guests!

Asking these nine questions before booking your wedding reception venue is sure to help you find a space that suites your style! Have any more questions for us to answer? Just leave a comment and let us know, or visit our FAQs Wedding Page!

And because everything is better with a picture, enjoy!