What Happens at a Venue Tour?
You’re engaged – congrats! đź’Ť And now you get to start dreaming and planning your wedding.
Scrolling through photos of venues. Checking out their websites, Instagram, Facebook and more.
Now you have pricing, emails from a few different venues, blog posts to read and everyone is asking if you would like to schedule a Venue Tour.
That sounds fun! But, wait, what is a Venue Tour like? Your parents are asking if they are supposed to come. Your fiancé is asking if they need to take off work. (Do you need to take off work?) What are you supposed to wear? What are they going to ask you? It’s just the beginning so you don’t know everything yet! Ok, maybe this doesn’t seem so fun anymore…
Walking into a new experience can be fun and nerve wracking – we get it!
So, what if someone told you exactly what to expect? What you should wear, who should be there, what questions will you have to answer and what questions should you be asking. Well, we’ve got you covered!
What is a “Venue Tour” at our North Georgia Wedding Venue?
Don’t feel like this is a dumb question. Since we are also a working farm with farm events and visitors, the “Venue Tour” has caused confusion for several people! We renamed it “Wedding Tour” to help. Before that, we would get Tour requests asking if they could see the chickens and maybe milk a goat (completely separate from wedding planning). Obviously, we were not communicating clearly!
So, a Wedding Venue Tour is a chance for couples to see the venue in person while they are deciding if they would like to get married here. Think of it as a home showing with a Real Estate agent. It’s designed for someone who is looking to buy and let’s them see the space in person – which is important for both Wedding Venues and buying a house!
It doesn’t cost money to come. You aren’t required to spend money to book the venue if you come. And, at Pleasant Union Farm, you will not get a pushy sales person waving a contract at you before they allow you to leave. No offense to car sales, but we aren’t a car salesman!
Ok, that’s the simple overview. Let’s dig into some details so you are fully prepared!
How do I schedule a Venue Tour?
If you are looking for a wedding venue in North Georgia and are local to Canton, Ga, it’s pretty simple. (If you are out of state, don’t worry – I’ll cover the easy way you can tour in just a minute!)
Our website covers all the details of our packages, pricing, photos, etc.
You will find a link in several places to “Request A Tour” or “Schedule a Tour”. Clicking that link will take you to a page with a short form to fill out. It will ask items like your name and phone number (this makes it easy for us to text you in case our email reply ends up in Spam jail), your preferred wedding date and FiancĂ©’s name. If you don’t have a specific date, choose one that falls within the range and you can make a note later in the form.
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If you aren’t local, we can schedule a virtual tour! We can Facetime or set up a Zoom call to walk you through the space and answer all your questions. The great news is our all-inclusive packages make planning a wedding while out of state much easier.
Choosing a Tour Date
After you answer the questions, you will find a calendar that shows available days and times for a tour. You can choose the one that fits you best. The great thing about this is you can handle it on your time – even if that’s at 9:30pm when you can finally talk with your fiancé and anyone else that you need to talk to.
After You Schedule your Venue Tour
Once you hit Submit on the form, your tour time is booked on our calendar! You can find our address,
email, phone number and a map at the bottom of the page. This is easy to go back to when it’s time to come visit us.
We will follow up with an email and a text to confirm your tour.
You can reply to any of these with questions you have. You will also get reminders the day before and a couple hours before your tour along with options to easy change the tour time, if you need to.
A couple of these emails will be automated, but we will also send a personal email with some additional information for you and a few more questions. Yes, it’s a lot of questions but we want to get to know you and your needs so we can help you have the best wedding day possible for YOU!
Take a few minutes when you get the form and answer as many questions as you can. It’s perfectly fine to not know the answer yet. And we are happy to give you guidance, if needed. You’ve got this!
You can have a gorgeous, unique wedding that you get to fully enjoy!
Venue Tour Details
So, you’ve made it through scheduling, answered our many questions (thank you) and now you are planning for the tour.
Who should Come
Anyone who needs to see the space before you make a decision, but not everyone who might just have an opinion.
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It could be just you and your fiancé, it could include your parents, maybe a maid of honor or sister. Make sure it’s people who will truly support you as you decide and that need to see it before a final decision is made.
What Should I Wear
Something you feel good in, something comfortable and something you like in case you decide to take any pictures of you and your fiancé around the space! If you are together with a beautiful sunset over the blueberry fields or the cut flower garden is in full bloom, you don’t want to miss out on the photo op. You don’t need to dress up, but if you are always looking for an excuse to dress up – then go for it!
We are typically in “business casual”. A skirt or dress, nice jeans and a blouse or something similar.
Where do I go and What do I do when I arrive?
You will see a Pleasant Union Farm sign at the entrance to the venue.
We have a gravel drive (it helps you slow down and enjoy country life) that you will follow back to a parking lot in front of the barn. It’s very common to see rabbits, deer, goats and a chicken or two along the road.
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The beauty of a Georgia farm wedding venue means you will see lots of trees, views of the blueberry fields and our large garden area on your way in.
Once you park, you will be in front of the venue. We will be watching for you and greet you at the front door.
If you arrive early and it looks like there are additional cars there for a previous tour, feel free to hang out on the side porch or walk the grounds while you wait.
What will I Do On a Tour?
We will guide you through the space and show you what a wedding day setup and flow might look like.
We will ask you a few questions, share information (which we will send in a follow up so you don’t have to take notes) and answer all the questions you have. You will see options for ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, dancing and more.
We will explain the typical wedding day flow at the venue, but we are happy to talk with you about different options.
One of our couples had a background working at summer camps and they changed the flow around so that they had time to mingle before the ceremony. Feel free to share your vision with us and we will walk through how to bring it to life!
How many Questions do I have to Answer?
Just a few! Generally, we just want to get to know you better and understand what is important to you.
Do you want something laid back or a party with everyone on the dance floor? Do you have specific worries or concerns? All of those things help us serve you and make sure you have the information you need as you decide where to host your wedding.
What Questions Should I Ask?
We will give you lots of information – both on our website and as we walk you through the space. Many of our couples say “You’ve answered all my questions!”.
Wrapping Up the Tour
We usually wrap up the tour by sitting down, offering you a cold water and a small snack while we go through pictures of the space decorated for a wedding and explain how our All-Inclusive Packages work. After that, we like to give you time to sit and talk (without us yammering in your ear) or walk the grounds and enjoy the peaceful setting.
Then you can ask any questions that might have popped up before you head out. If it’s lunch, dinner or snack time, feel free to ask us for recommendations on where to stop and eat as you head home. Downtown Canton has some of our favorite restaurants!
Queenie’s – we recommend a slice of the Chocolate Mousse Pie
Bizarre Coffee – check out their seasonal flavors
Sidelines Grille – go healthy with the Paleo Chicken, or all out with Chili Nachos
The Mill on Etowah – stop by Reformation Brewery or any other of the great restaurant options
After You Tour
We will follow up with an email that highlights the points we talked about on your tour.
We will also let you know the next steps to book your date.
That’s it! Low key and fun. The goal is to meet us, let us get to know you better and let you walk through the space.
​PS – there’s a link to schedule a tour just below
Owner, chief dreamer and assistant farmer at Pleasant Union Farm
