Questions to Ask Every Cornish Wedding Supplier Before Booking

Most wedding advice about suppliers is written as if everyone lives twenty minutes from the venue. Cornwall does not work like that. A photographer from Truro, a florist from Penzance and a marquee company from Bodmin are all "local" in Cornish terms, but any of them can be an hour and a half from a field near Bude in August traffic. The questions below are the ones that separate a smooth day from a stressful one.

Ask them before you pay anything. A good supplier will have the answers ready, in writing, and will not mind you asking.

Start With the Money: Deposits, Balances and Refunds

A deposit is not a booking fee in the vague sense people often assume. Ask what it is actually held against, whether any part of it is refundable, and what would have to happen for you to get it back. Then ask for the full payment schedule in writing: how much, on which dates, and what happens if a payment lands a day late.

While you are on the subject, clear up the extras that quietly appear later:

• Is travel included in the quoted figure, or added separately?
• Is VAT included in the price you have been given?
• What happens to the price if your guest numbers drop, or rise, after the final numbers date?
• Are there charges for extra hours, early set-up or a late pack-down?
• How do they take payment, and is there a fee for card or bank transfer?

If you are spending a significant sum, it is worth having the contract looked over by someone who deals with these things professionally. Contracts, insurance and licensing are areas where proper advice pays for itself.

Travel, Access and the Real Cost of a Cornish Postcode

Ask where the supplier is based and how long they expect the journey to your venue to take in the middle of August, not on a quiet Tuesday in February. Then ask how their travel is charged: per mile, a flat fee by region, or an overnight stay if they need to be on site at 6am.

Access matters more here than almost anywhere. Single-track lanes, tight granite gateways, steep farm tracks,軟 ground after rain, no turning space for a long van. If your venue is a field, a clifftop or a cove with a car park half a mile away, say so at the first conversation and ask whether they want a site visit. Some suppliers include one; others charge. Either is fine, as long as you know.

Questions worth asking about access

1. Do you need to see the venue before the day, and is there a charge?
2. What vehicle will you arrive in, and where will you park it?
3. How long do you need to set up and pack down?
4. Do you need power, and who is providing it?
5. If the venue is on the Isles of Scilly, how does freight and ferry timing affect the plan?

Insurance and Paperwork You Should See Before You Pay

Your venue will usually have its own list of requirements, and it is worth asking them for it early so you can pass it straight to suppliers rather than chasing documents in the final fortnight. Generally, you want to see:

• Public liability insurance, at the level your venue requires
• Risk assessments and method statements for anything involving rigging, working at height, generators or fireworks
• PAT testing certificates for any electrical equipment they bring
• Food hygiene registration and a current rating for caterers and street food traders
• The correct alcohol licence if they are serving drinks, or confirmation that you are providing it
• DBS checks for anyone working with children, if you are having younger guests at the reception
• A waste removal plan, so nothing is left in a field on Sunday morning

Licensing and insurance rules differ depending on the venue, the land and the type of event, so check the specifics with your venue and, where it matters, with Cornwall Council or a qualified adviser rather than relying on a supplier's summary.

Dates, Local Availability and the Cornish Calendar

Ask how long a provisional hold lasts, and when they need a decision. Summer Saturdays go first, and so do the weeks around the Royal Cornwall Show, Golowan, Boardmasters and the regatta season. That is not just about your supplier being free; it affects accommodation for their staff, traffic on the day and how quickly they can get between jobs.

Then ask the question people often forget: will you be working another wedding on the same day? Photographers, hair and make-up artists, cake makers and florists frequently do. It is not a problem if they have a clear plan, but you want to know how many other events they have that weekend and how they will handle timing if the first one runs late.

Cancellation, Postponement and the Weather Plan

Read the cancellation clause properly and ask about the difference between cancelling and postponing. Can the deposit move to a new date? Is there a fee for that, and does it apply more than once? What is the sliding scale if you cancel six months out versus six weeks out?

Ask what happens if they cannot perform: illness, a broken-down van, a family emergency. Do they have a named substitute, a trusted colleague, or a network they can call? A supplier who says "it has never happened" has not answered the question.

For anything outdoors, agree the decision point in advance. Who decides whether the ceremony moves inside, at what time, and who tells the guests? Ask the same of your marquee company and your band. And if you are buying wedding insurance, read the policy wording on adverse weather and supplier failure carefully, or ask a broker to explain it.

Get the plan in writing, including the time of the decision and the name of the person making the call.

The Day Itself: Timings, Contacts and On-Site Behaviour

Ask who your point of contact is on the day, and what happens if that person is unwell. Confirm that the supplier will speak directly to your venue before the wedding rather than routing everything through you in the final week. Ask for a written timeline showing arrival, set-up, service and pack-down times, and check it against your venue's curfew and noise limits.

Two small practicalities that go a long way: tell them where they can park, and tell them whether food and drink will be available. A supplier who has been on site since midday and is working until midnight will do a better job if someone has thought about that.

How to Ask, and How to Keep Track of the Answers

Send your questions by email, numbered, before you pay a deposit. A written reply gives you something to refer back to if anything shifts later. If a supplier is vague, or reluctant to put terms in writing, treat that as useful information rather than a personality clash.

Keep one folder or spreadsheet with each supplier's name, deposit paid, balance due date, insurance expiry and day-of contact number. It takes twenty minutes to set up and saves a great deal of searching in the last few weeks.

Finally, ask for two recent couples they have worked with at a similar kind of Cornish venue. A marquee in a sheltered valley and a ceremony on an exposed headland ask very different things of a supplier, and a reference from the right sort of wedding tells you more than a glowing review from somewhere else entirely.

Photo: RDNE Stock project / Pexels