Is biodegradable confetti okay on the lawn
It is 10.40pm and a message arrives on Instagram. A couple wants to know whether you allow confetti, whether it has to be biodegradable, whether they can throw it inside the barn and whether there is a charge for clearing it. Earlier that day, three other couples asked about dogs in the ceremony, sparklers, and whether they could bring their own prosecco.
Your coordinator knows every answer. She also has a wedding on Saturday, two final details meetings this week and a show-round tomorrow. The questions are answered in batches, a day or two late, by which time some couples have asked the same questions elsewhere and got instant replies.
The answers exist, but only in a person
Most venues have a FAQ page, a brochure and a set of house rules. Couples do not read them, partly because they cannot find the answer to their specific version of the question. So they message, and each message needs a human who knows the rules, including the exceptions.
- House rules on confetti, candles, fixings and sparklers are spread across documents.
- Some answers depend on the space: allowed in the courtyard, not in the barn.
- Some depend on the package or season, such as corkage or curfew.
- Questions come by website form, email, Instagram and Facebook.
- Nobody records which questions come up most.
Slow answers lose couples, fast wrong answers are worse
Couples comparing venues in the evening often favour whichever one answers first. But a quick answer that is wrong, such as saying sparklers are fine when your insurance rules say otherwise, creates problems later. The coordinator's time is better spent on booked couples and show-rounds than typing the same answer many times a week.
How we build a pre-booking question assistant
- We gather your house rules, FAQ, brochure, packages and the answers your coordinator gives, and write them into one structured knowledge base, including the space, package and season differences.
- An assistant on your website chat and, where the platforms allow, your social inboxes answers questions from that knowledge base only, using a language model such as Anthropic Claude or OpenAI to understand the wording.
- If the answer is not in your rules, or the question is about a specific date, price exception or anything sensitive, the assistant says a coordinator will reply and passes the conversation on with the details.
- Every answer links to the relevant rule, so couples see it is your policy, not a guess.
- Conversations that show real interest are turned into enquiries with the couple's date and numbers, and the date can be checked against your diary.
- A weekly summary shows the most common questions and any the assistant could not answer, so you can improve your rules or website.
| Question | Assistant | Coordinator |
|---|---|---|
| Is real confetti allowed? | Answers from your rules, by space | Not needed |
| Can our dog come? | Answers with your conditions | Not needed |
| Can we have a discount on our date? | Passes it on | Replies personally |
| Can we bring our own caterer? | Answers from your policy | Only if an exception is asked for |
The assistant does not invent policies. If your rules do not cover something, it says so and hands over.
What the coordinator's inbox looks like after
Routine questions are answered at any hour, correctly, and the coordinator sees only the conversations that need her. Couples get quick answers and a clear route to a person. The weekly summary often shows that a few questions dominate, which can be answered better on your website too.
Signs you need this
- Your coordinator answers the same questions many times a week.
- Questions arrive late at night and at weekends.
- House rules vary by space or package and are hard to explain quickly.
- Couples ask questions your FAQ page already answers.
- You do not know which questions come up most.