Use this guide when comparing fields for hire or outdoor wedding venues. These are practical questions for owners and suppliers, not legal advice. A listing is a starting point. The owner still has to confirm what they can actually offer for your event.
Start with the event you actually want to hold
Tell the owner your date, guest numbers, event type, music plans and whether anyone is staying overnight. Then ask straight out whether they will accept that use. Advertised wedding hire does not automatically cover a public ticketed event, and camping is not automatically included just because the field is big enough for it.
Get the owner to show you the exact hire boundary, any shared areas and anything that stays in use around you. Agree when suppliers can arrive, when guests must leave, and how long you have to clear the field afterwards.
Walk the whole layout, including the working areas
Sketch where guests will gather, eat and move between activities. Then add the marquee, the catering work area, toilets, parking, waste collection and supplier vehicles on top. Get your suppliers to check their own space and access needs against that plan, not against a photo.
Look at slopes, soft patches and the route from parking to the event. Think about what guests with limited mobility will actually need to cross. Check gates, turning space, overhead obstructions and vehicle access after rain. A dry afternoon tells you nothing about how that same entrance behaves after a wet week.
Confirm facilities with the people providing them
Ask which toilets, water points and power supplies are included, where they sit, and whether they are shared with anyone else. Pass that information straight to your caterer, toilet supplier and equipment providers so they can confirm it actually suits what they need to bring.
If you are hiring in temporary equipment, agree delivery positions, servicing access and collection times up front. Find out who arranges waste removal and where rubbish sits during the event. Keep those working routes clear on your layout, not just the guest areas.
Talk through rain and the evening
Ask where water collects on the field and what happens if a vehicle cannot reach it. Talk through shelter, walking surfaces and whether there is a fallback area. Get any extra trackway or ground protection written into the agreement, including who pays for it.
A dry afternoon tells you nothing about how an entrance behaves after a wet week. Ask about the wet-weather plan before you fall for a field.
Confirm music and finish times, which way speakers can face, and who to call if a neighbour raises a concern. Ask about lighting between the event, the toilets and the parking. Agree who makes the call if the weather turns, and what that decision actually means for your booking.
Questions to print and take with you
- Will you accept our event, guest numbers and overnight plans?
- Which areas are ours, and which are shared or excluded?
- When can we set up, deliver, finish and clear away?
- Can our suppliers reach and work on the site after rain?
- What toilets, water, power and waste services are included?
- What is the wet weather plan, and who pays for changes?
- What are the music, lighting and evening access arrangements?
- What deposit, cancellation and ground reinstatement terms apply?
Leave with a written picture of the hire
Ask for an agreement that covers the area, dates, access hours, what's included, extra charges and who is responsible for what. Chase down anything still unanswered before you commit, not after. Keep your saved shortlist handy for comparison. If you are arranging the suppliers yourself, read our guide to a dry hire outdoor wedding next.
