Venue visits are persuasive by design. The hall is lit, the staff are
charming, and it is very easy to leave having agreed to something you
don't fully understand.
Take this list with you. The answers are worth more than the tour.
On price
1. What exactly does the per-head rate include?
Ask for the menu in writing. "Standard menu" means different things to
different venues.
2. What are the hall or marquee charges, and when are they waived?
Many venues drop them above a minimum guest count. Get the threshold.
3. Is tax included in this figure?
A quote that becomes 18% larger at signing is not the quote you agreed to.
4. What is charged separately?
Air conditioning, decor, lighting, generator, service charges. Ask them to
list everything not in the per-head number.
On money and commitment
5. How much advance is required, and when is the balance due?
6. What is the cancellation policy?
And separately — what happens if you need to move the date rather than
cancel? Those are often treated very differently.
7. Is there a security deposit, and what would cause you to keep it?
8. Will I get all of this in a written contract?
If the answer is vague, that is your answer.
On the day itself
9. What are the booked timings, and what does overtime cost?
10. What happens if the power goes?
Ask about generator capacity specifically — whether it runs the air
conditioning and lighting, or only the lights.
11. How many cars can you park, and is there valet?
Parking is the most common guest complaint at Pakistani weddings, and it
is entirely predictable in advance.
12. Is more than one function booked on my date?
Shared venues can mean shared parking, shared entrances and noise bleed
between halls.
Two things worth doing
Visit in the evening. Most weddings happen at night. A hall that looks
bright at 2pm can feel very different at 9pm.
Ask what the last complaint was. It's an unusual question and you
learn a lot from how it's handled.
Before you visit anyone
Shortlist properly first, so you're only spending evenings on venues that
actually fit your guest count and budget. On ShadiNagar you can filter by
city, guest count, date and budget, and see per-head pricing and menus
before you go — start with halls in Lahore or
halls in Karachi.