Twenty questions for a barn venue tour
Barn venues vary more than any other category. These questions are what separates them.
These twenty questions exist because a barn is sold as a building and experienced as a project. Almost every unhappy account of a barn wedding traces back to something nobody thought to ask on the tour, and the gap is rarely dishonesty. A venue answers what it is asked; the categories below are the ones people forget to raise.
Take them to every viewing, ask them in this order, and write the answers down during the tour rather than afterwards. Two venues remembered a week later blur together. Two pages of written answers do not, and the differences that matter turn out to be in the answers rather than in the buildings.
Permits and liability
- Which ABC arrangement applies here — your permit, a licensed caterer, or a one-time permit we obtain?
- What event insurance must we carry, at what limits, and must you be named?
- What is the posted occupancy for this space, seated and standing, and what is the rule on open flame?
- If we tent any part of the event, who files the tent permit?
The building
- How is the space heated and cooled, and what does that equipment need in power?
- Where does the power come from, and is a generator included or extra? Build a load list before you ask.
- Are the restrooms permanent or trailer, and how many?
- Is there a prep kitchen, and what does it actually contain?
- Is there accessible access to every space guests use, including restrooms?
Access
- What is the driveway surface, and how does parking behave after heavy rain?
- Can an ambulance reach the building?
- How far is the nearest cluster of hotels, and do you have shuttle arrangements?
Money and contract
- What does the quoted figure include, and what is billed separately?
- What is the overtime rate and when does the clock start?
- What is the cancellation schedule?
- What is the severe weather clause, in writing, and what happens here if it rains all day?
Suppliers and the day
- Is there an approved vendor list, and what does it cost to bring someone from outside it?
- What time do suppliers get access, and is the rehearsal included?
- Will another event be on the property that day?
- Who is on site during our event, and what are they responsible for?
The two that matter most
Numbers one and five. Alcohol arrangements decide your liability, and climate control decides whether your guests are comfortable. Everything else can be worked around.
How to use the answers
Compare answers, not impressions. Build one sheet with the same twenty rows for every venue you visit and fill it from what you were told, not from the brochure. Two venues quoting similar hire fees can differ substantially once restrooms, power, climate control and rentals are counted, and the sheet is what makes that visible.
Three answers deserve particular weight. The alcohol arrangement decides who carries liability and what your caterer must hold — it is the first question for a reason. The occupancy figure is the one number that cannot be negotiated later, and a venue that answers it vaguely is a venue that has not been assessed for assembly use. And the wet-weather answer is worth testing rather than accepting: ask to stand in the alternative space, at the hour your ceremony would run, and judge it as a room rather than as a description.
An answer of we have never had a problem with that is not an answer to any of the twenty. It is a statement about the past that tells you nothing about your date, your guest count or your suppliers.
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