How to choose a wedding hall: 15 things to check on the viewing

On Instagram the hall is flawless: golden light, neat rows of tables, a glowing stage. Those photos are usually taken in an empty room with lighting set up just for the shoot. You, on the other hand, arrive for a daytime viewing: the lights are off, the manager is in a hurry and you are expected to decide in twenty minutes. The most expensive mistakes happen in exactly those twenty minutes.

Azerbaijani weddings are usually held in a şadlıq sarayı (a dedicated wedding banquet hall). Save the list below on your phone and go through it with the manager one question at a time. The key rule: get the answers in writing. A verbal «don't worry» never makes it into the contract.

15 questions for the viewing

1. 01Real capacity: how many people per table is the brochure number based on, and how much room is left for dancing?
2. 02Is another wedding happening in the building that night? Are the entrance and lobby shared?
3. 03How many cars does the car park hold, and who gets it on the night?
4. 04Does the Google Maps or Waze pin lead to the right entrance?
5. 05Which floor is the hall on, is there a lift, and can an older guest get in without stairs?
6. 06Do the heating and air conditioning cover the whole room?
7. 07Is there an echo in the empty room, and is the stage big enough for a band?
8. 08What is the light like for the photographer: can the coloured lights switch to white?
9. 09Is there a bride's room with a mirror, good light, sockets and its own toilet?
10. 10Is there a menu tasting, and what exactly is included in the price per person?
11. 11Is a separate service charge added on top of the price?
12. 12Is decoration (flowers, tablecloths, stage dressing) included, or do you need your own decorator?
13. 13Can you bring your own drinks, cake and fruit, and is there a fee for that?
14. 14Are there music restrictions, what time must the wedding end, and how is overtime charged?
15. 15Does the contract spell out the deposit, payment schedule, cancellation and date change terms?

Capacity: the brochure number and the comfortable number

A «400-guest hall» does not mean 400 guests will sit comfortably. First question: how many people per table is that number based on? 400 guests means 34 tables of 12 or 40 tables of 10. Six tables sounds minor, but it is roughly 60 square metres.

Event planners use a rough rule: a guest at a round table needs about 1 square metre including aisles, and each person dancing needs about half a square metre. So those 60 square metres are a dance floor where more than a hundred people can dance at once. At Azerbaijani weddings the dance floor is rarely empty, so do not give its space away to tables.

One more check: stand between two tables. If a waiter carrying plates cannot pass behind the chairs, someone will be standing up to let them through all evening.

Two weddings in one building

Many halls have several rooms, and two or sometimes three weddings run on the same night. Ask whether the other rooms are booked on your date. If the entrance, lobby, cloakroom and parking are shared, your guests will mix with another family's guests, and some will walk into the wrong room.

Check the sound as well. A large room is sometimes split in two with a sliding partition, and a partition blocks sound far less than a wall does. During a toast or your first dance, the music from next door may come through.

Parking, the entrance and the map pin

For example, at a 300-guest wedding up to 150 cars arrive on the same street around 18:00. How many spaces are there, is the car park shared with the other room, is there someone directing cars? These answers decide the mood your guests walk in with.

The most forgotten check is the map. During the viewing, search for the hall in Google Maps or Waze and start navigation. The pin sometimes points to the back of the building or to a neighbouring street. If it does, stand at the right entrance and save your own pin: that is the one that goes into the invitation.

Older guests, temperature and sound

If the hall is on the second floor, is there a lift, how many people does it carry, and will it be working on the day? If the stairs are the only way up, that will be the hardest part of the evening for grandparents.

Ask about heating too. An empty hall can be cold in November, and a full one heats up quickly in July. Does the air conditioning cover the whole room or just one side? Do not seat older guests at the table directly under a vent.

To test the acoustics, clap once in the middle of the empty room. If the echo is strong, speeches may sound muddy in a full room too: people absorb some of the sound, but not all of it. Ask about the stage size, sockets for the band's gear, and whether the sound system belongs to the hall or to the musicians.

Light, photo spots and the bride's room

Many halls switch to purple and blue LED lighting in the evening. It looks pretty to the eye, but in photos faces come out pale or purple. Ask whether warm white light can be turned on for moments like the first dance and the cake. Are there good photo spots: the facade, a staircase, a garden?

Do not skip the bride's room: all evening it is the only quiet place to fix hair and makeup, rest and change. It needs a mirror, good light, a socket for hair tools, its own toilet and a door that locks.

Menu, service charge and what you bring yourself

The price per person is only the start. To compare fairly, ask every hall the same questions:

• Is there a tasting before you sign, and how many people can come to it?
• What does the price include: cold and hot dishes, fruit, sweets, tea, water and juice?
• Is a service charge added on top? If so, is it a percentage or a fixed amount?
• Can you bring your own drinks, cake and fruit? Is there an extra fee for that?
• Is decoration included? If you bring your own decorator, what time can they get in?
• How many days before the wedding do you have to confirm the final guest count?

For example, Cavid and Səbinə were comparing two halls. At the one that looked cheaper, the service charge, fruit and decoration were all extra. Once everything was added up, the difference was gone, and the better parking was at the other hall.

Music, end time and the contract

Some halls only work with their own sound system or their own DJ, and some ask you to turn the volume down after a certain hour. What time must the wedding end, and how is each extra hour charged? You cannot plan the evening's programme without knowing this.

The contract should state the date, the name of the room, the guest count, the menu, the price and what it includes. Read separately the deposit (beh) amount, the dates of the remaining payments, and what happens if you cancel or change the date. And what if the hall moves your date? That answer belongs on paper too.

A simple rule: close every important promise from the manager with «let's put that in the contract».

When to go for the viewing

A daytime viewing is good for talking, but it does not show you the hall as it is in the evening. Go a second time on a night when another wedding is on, and ask the manager for five minutes at the door. Only then do you see the real lighting, how loud the music is at the tables, how fast the waiters move and what the car park looks like at 19:00.

Hall booked: show your guests the exact way in

Once the contract is signed, add that saved pin to your invitation. In E-Dəvətnamə the map button takes guests straight to that entrance. Add one line to the address as well, for example: «Entrance at the back, 2nd floor, Grand hall». If two weddings share the building that night, this line keeps guests out of the wrong room.

If the hall is settled and the invitation is next, browse the templates.

Quick answers

How do you work out a wedding hall's real capacity?

Divide your guest count by 10 per table and check that those tables fit in the room together with a dance floor. As a rough guide, a seated guest needs about 1 square metre and a dancer about half that.

When is the best time to view a wedding hall?

Go twice: in the daytime to discuss terms with the manager, and in the evening during another wedding to see the light, the sound and the parking.

What should you check before paying the deposit?

The contract should list the date, the room, the guest count, the menu, what the price includes, the payment schedule, and the cancellation and date change terms. Ask separately about the service charge and the end time.