Why you should ALWAYS ask about other booked events at your wedding venue

Did you hear the one about the Offbeat Bride who found out about the Fetish Con being hosted at her wedding venue? Yeah… add that to the list of “shit I would NEVER have thought about when planning a wedding.”

That's not to say that some of y'all wouldn't be THRILLED to stumble upon a con happening at your wedding venue. Think of the awesome photo ops! (I mean, just look at the adorableness that is the “lady Ninja Turtles wandering past the flower girl and ring bearer” photo from York Street Creative!) And the energy of certain conventions (especially of the nerdy ilk) can be an awesome wave to ride. Hell, I'd probably be stoked to find out my wedding butted up against a cosplay convention.

But I bet a lot of you would be horrified to unknowingly subject your conservative grandma to say… whips and bondage gear IN ACTION on your wedding day. Or perhaps you don't want a bunch of suited-up business men photo bombing your post-ceremony portrait sessions. Or drunk convention-goers crashing your reception. (Because if there are going to be S&M practitioners or cosplayers at your wedding, you want them to be your friends — not strangers.)

So here's a little tip from Rebecca, an Offbeat Bride and former hotel business lady…

Having worked in the hotel business for some time, I found one thing that I think every planning bride deserves to know…

I have learned through experience that sales managers are frequently a little more preoccupied with making commissions rather than helping orchestrate really quality events. Booking many events at once can be a perfect example of this… While it may not seem like a big deal at first, let's face it, some celebrations need a little more space or a specific atmosphere to work.

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I saw this in action recently while I was attending an anime convention (working a booth in the vendor hall with a dear friend). We learned that the hotel hosting the event had also booked not one but two weddings for that same weekend. Now, with the wedding planning stress the poor couples had to deal with already, suddenly they had to cope with hundreds of individuals — in costume — surrounding their ceremony.

Further, the mood was soured as the attendees of the convention were treated rather badly by the hotel staff — trying to corral the huge crowd away from the various wedding ceremonies. And if that wasn't enough, I'm sure the poor employees caught flack from everyone — convention attendees AND both of the wedding parties.

All because the sales manager who booked the events saw dollar signs instead of seeing that each event should have the right atmosphere.

My advice is to ALWAYS double-check what other events might be going on at your venue on your wedding date. And then politely check back over time, as the calendar of events tend to change over time. Do NOT trust that the event managing staff is going to take care of you.

So how many of you are calling up your venue right NOW? Or how many of you actually dealt with this on your wedding day? Do you former brides or industry pros have more tips or advice for this admittedly-odd-but-totally-feasible scheduling issue?