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Email templates · Place of worship

Email template to rent a church hall for an event

You need a room for fifty to two hundred people for an afternoon or an evening: a baby shower, a memorial reception, a scout banquet, a neighborhood meeting, a quinceañera. Church and community halls are among the cheapest large rooms in any town, and many rent to the public, members or not. What varies is the rules: some do not allow alcohol, some require you to use their kitchen only with their staff, some close at ten.

Ask by email because the hall is usually managed by a part-time administrator who keeps the calendar in one place and answers requests in batches. You want the date, the price, the rules and the deposit in writing before you send invitations, and a written reply is the only thing that counts as a hold on the date.

Before you send

  • The date and the hours you need, counting setup and cleanup time, not just the event itself. Halls charge and schedule by the block.
  • Your headcount and the kind of event, described honestly. A quiet meeting and a dance party are priced and approved differently.
  • What you need from the room: tables and chairs, a kitchen, a sound system, parking. Ask about each instead of assuming.
  • Whether you plan to serve alcohol or hire a caterer. Both are common deal-breakers, so raise them first.
  • Whether you carry, or could get, one-day event insurance. Some congregations require it; it costs little and is easy to buy online.
Subject Hall rental on [event date] for [type of event] 
Hi [administrator or office name],

I'd like to ask about renting your hall on [event date] for [type of event, for example "a retirement party for my mother"]. We expect about [number] guests. We'd need the room from [start time] to [end time], which includes setting up and cleaning up.

A few things I'd like to know before we go further:

- Is the hall available that day, and what is the rental fee and deposit?
- Are tables and chairs included, and about how many?
- May we use the kitchen, and do you require your own staff for it?
- Do you allow [beer and wine / an outside caterer / recorded music]?
- Do you require event insurance, and is there a cleaning fee?

If it's available and the terms work, I'd like to hold the date as soon as possible. I'm hoping to confirm a location by [decision date].

Thank you,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • Expect a reply within a week with a rate sheet and a short list of rules, or a request that you come see the room. Go see it; the photos never show the ceiling height or where the outlets are.
  • The date is not held until you have paid a deposit and have written confirmation naming the date and hours. A friendly "we'll pencil you in" is not a hold.
  • Read the rules for the ones that affect your plans: no alcohol, out by a certain hour, no tape on the walls, no outside caterer. Decide now whether you can live with them.
  • If the hall is booked or the rules don't fit, ask the administrator to suggest another hall nearby. They usually know two or three and will say so.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Find me a hall to rent for an event 
Hi StandIn,

Please find out whether a hall is available for my event and get the price and rules in writing.

The event: [type of event and rough description].
Date and hours: [date, start and end times including setup and cleanup].
Headcount: [approximate number].
Needs: [tables and chairs, kitchen, sound system, parking, anything else].
Plans that might matter: [alcohol, outside caterer, music, decorations].
Halls to try: [congregation name, or "church and community halls within a few miles of ZIP code"].

Ask two or three places, find out fees, deposit, what's included and the rules, and bring me a comparison so I can pick one and put down a deposit.

Thanks,
[Your name]

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