How to choose a salaš for your wedding: 12 questions to ask before you pay a deposit

A salaš for a wedding is usually chosen from photographs, and the problems only show up on the day of the celebration — when it rains, when it turns out that the hall will not hold all the guests at once, or when the bill arrives for a number of people who never came. None of it is hidden; these are simply the questions nobody asks in time.

Below are twelve questions worth putting to every venue you look at, not only to us. Beside each one we have written our own answer, so that you can see what it looks like when the cards are on the table.

Space and capacity

1. How many guests fit — and how many sit comfortably?

Those are two different numbers, and almost nowhere are they the same. Ask for the second one.

With us: we offer 80 seats in the indoor area. That is not the physical limit of the space but the number up to which people sit comfortably, and it is the number we base our offer on. With the outdoor area we take 120 guests in total.

2. What does the indoor area consist of?

“A hall for 100 people” and “three halls that together hold 100 people” are not the same thing. Ask how the space is divided, because that decides whether your celebration falls apart into three separate parties.

With us: four rooms — a hall with 40 seats, two halls with 30 each, and a small fourth one usually used by the musicians and the photographers. We agree the layout separately for each celebration. It is described in detail on the Capacity of the salaš page.

3. What happens if it rains in the middle of the celebration?

This is a question that has to have its answer ready in advance. If you are told “we’ll manage somehow”, it means there is no plan.

With us: the guests move inside. At a pinch the three halls take up to 100 people — we keep that reserve for exactly this reason, and not so that we can sell 100 seats. We will also say the part that usually goes unmentioned: there is a covered area outdoors, but it is cramped and not particularly comfortable, so do not count on it as the answer for a whole celebration. If the celebration is close to 120 guests and the weather turns, the halls will not hold everyone at once — for a number like that, a marquee is something to think about in advance rather than on the day.

4. Can a marquee be hired, and is it charged separately?

With us: it can, and it is charged separately. Let us know the date and the number of guests in good time, and we will see whether you need one at all.

Food and drink

5. Who prepares the food, and where?

The difference between a kitchen on the spot and catering that arrives in a van can be tasted in the temperature of the food.

With us: everything is cooked at the salaš. Bringing your own caterer is not possible. All the food is prepared immediately before the guests arrive, which is why we insist on agreeing the number of guests and the menu in advance. You can see what we cook on the Food page — roast suckling pig from the brick oven, a traditional Srem lunch, mezetluk, dishes cooked under the sač, the farmstead grill and paprikaš, and for dessert baklava, štrudla, krofne and knedle sa šljivama (plum dumplings).

6. What if one of the guests has an allergy or a special diet?

With us: tell us in advance how many meals are needed and of what type, and we will confirm what we can prepare before you confirm the date. We do not promise every variation in advance.

Music, equipment and suppliers

7. May I bring my own band or DJ?

Some venues make their own music a condition. That can be an unpleasant surprise when you have already booked a band.

With us: you may. Your own music is allowed, and the raised platform for the music and the dancing is here at the salaš. We have a projector as well.

8. Where do the musicians and the photographer go?

With us: in the small fourth room of the indoor area — it is mostly theirs.

Getting there, parking and staying the night

9. What is the approach like, and how many vehicles can park?

Ask about it specifically, and ask about the last couple of hundred metres. Wedding clothes and mud do not go together.

With us: the road is partly asphalt, and the last stretch is macadam of crushed stone — the asphalt does not run all the way to the gate, and it is better that you know it now. The parking in front of the salaš is free: it holds two coaches at the same time or thirty to forty cars — it is one and the same space, so it is one or the other — and in front of each of the three rooms there is a separate space of its own.

10. Is there anywhere to stay the night — for the couple and for guests from out of town?

With us: three rooms, each with two beds, a private bathroom, air conditioning, a TV, free Wi-Fi and a seating set on the terrace. There is a cot for a baby as well. The Booking.com rating is 9.4. The details are on the Accommodation page.

11. How many toilets are there?

A banal question that only comes to mind in the queue just before midnight.

With us: four — two men’s and two women’s, free of charge.

Money and terms

12. By when is the final number of guests confirmed, and what is charged if fewer people come?

This is the question fewest people ask, and the one that surprises most of them afterwards. Ask for the answer in writing, in the offer.

With us: you confirm the final number no later than seven days before arrival. The confirmed number of guests is charged — including when fewer people come than were confirmed. The full cancellation terms are set out in the offer we send. Payment is in cash, with a receipt; cashless payment goes through the Turistička organizacija grada Sremska Mitrovica, and for guests from abroad we issue documents in euros.

Two more things worth checking

Whether you are the only guests that day. Salaš “Isailovi” does not work as a walk-in restaurant and takes guests by prior arrangement only, so it never happens that a party of strangers sits down at the next table in the middle of your celebration.

How far in advance to book. For an ordinary visit one day is enough, but for a wedding get in touch a good deal earlier — the dates in season go first. The price is set according to the date and the number of guests, so it is given on request.

What we do not do

To keep the list honest to the end, here is what you will not find with us:

• outside catering — the food is prepared at the salaš and nowhere else;
• asphalt up to the gate — the last stretch of the approach is crushed stone;
• a comfortable covered area outdoors — there is one, but it is tight;
• published prices — the offer is made according to the date and the number of guests.

We write this here because it is better that you walk away now than be disappointed on your wedding day. And if everything above suits you — come and see the place for yourself. The photographs are on the Gallery page, what we offer for weddings on the Weddings page, and the remaining questions on the Frequently Asked Questions page.

And one figure that appears in no table at all: of all the couples who have married here, not one has divorced so far. It is a small statistic, but we are holding on to it. 🙂