Wedding Negotiating with VENUE ???

[crystalheart1]

As I am in the midst of meeting with various venues, Hotels and Dining facilities... I have not found any one really that
open to negotiating... I don''t know if it is because I am having a smallish affair - about 50 -60...but even so this will be several thousands of dollars of revenue coming in for them.

My wedding is also during off peak November- Sunday and I am finding most places have all the Sundays in November available... has anyone really been able to get anything off, or upgrades added with no additional cost...??

It seems like with the economy more places would be eager to negoiate for business... One Large Hotel wasn''t even sure if they were giving discounts for Sunday afternoon..after she "checked" with the Food & Beverage Manager I was offered 5% off... not too much.

 

[bee*]

Our hotel wouldn''t give discounts at all as they''re pretty much booked up every day with a wedding. We did try though but to no avail

 

[SarahLovesJS]

One of the ultra fancy hotels we looked at did a discounted room rental on Sundays about 50% off, but the food and beverage minimum stayed the same.

So you might be able to get something, but maybe not.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

With a wedding that small you probably aren''t going to get much.
If you are set on negotiating, try getting them to add more for the same price rather than getting them to lower the price, you will usually have more luck that way.

 

[Gypsy]

How far out are you booking? The closer you get the more leverage you have.
What are you trying to get reduced? And by how much?

 

[crystalheart1]

We are just seeing various venues stating they are willing to offer discounts to book the remainder of 2008...

When we are meeting with them it does not seem like anything is being offered when we ask about further discounts or upgrades being included... Yes - I agree that the size of our party is not helping...but I thought getting a booking when November is so empty would be in their best interest.

I am curious if those who are hosting larger weddings have been able to get venues willing to offer something to get your business...

 

[Gypsy]

I pretty much based our qoutes on 60 to 70 people. And I didn't tell them how big my party was when I asked them for 'off season' or holiday or Sunday/Friday discounts. I just got the information, then went from there. I didn't give them dates either, just told them I was considering an event in September or October or November, that my dates were flexible and that it depended on the place and what they were offering.

 

[crystalheart1]

Gypsy,,, did they actually give you a discount ? I am also saying we are Flexible, Sunday , Off Peak season..

still the only discount was 5%... Anyone get something to get excited about ?

It seems like there should be some kind of perks when we are spending so much money...

 

[Gypsy]

They had special rates listed in their standard package so I didn't have to ask most of the time. Many discounted Sundays, holidays and off season.

I did a rough estimate for each venue based on the information they provided me. If I was still interested I asked for additional information on any other possible fees (cake cutting, etc).

Then I asked them for proposals... telling them exactly what I wanted to spend, and what I expected for the money... I also told them if I thought any of their fees or policies were problematic. They usually gave me spread sheets detailing ALL of my costs including tax and service and then a per head break down as well. That's just what I expected.

A few places, ones I didn't book, were willing to discount things further or throw in extras when I asked.

ETA: If anything looked wonky, I pushed back. If I thought something was overpriced, I pushed back. But with specifics. Like... your cake cutting fee is laughable. You want me to pay HOW MUCH for some mixed greens? No way, the price of that salad is coming DOWN.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Crystalheart - I''m just completed going through this process myself.

We are having approx 150 guests and I wanted a wedding in the summer and evening instead of afternoon, which is "peak" season and time so the venues noted that there is not much room for flexibility. They did suggest that if I chose to have a wedding "off-peak" that there would be A LOT more room for movement.

Although this may be the case, the venue that I decided to go with did negotiate some with me.

I''ll give you some background. Given our budget constraints we decided that it would be better for us to get married on a Sunday evening instead of the ever popular Saturday. The Sunday we selected falls on a long weekend as this will work best for many of our OOT guests. They initially quoted the Saturday food & beverage minimums due to this fact b/c it is "like" a Saturday etc.

Another venue I researched and did a tour with, was willing to charge a Sunday evening rate regardless of the Sunday it was... long weekend or not. I guess the venue we selected knew that the other venue was a serious contender so when I informed them of this, they backed down and gave us the Sunday food & beverage minimum instead of sticking to the Saturday rates. This saved us $2,000 right off the bat, but even more given 20% service chrg and 9.5% sales tax on the food & bev costs, right?

I would keep at it and find some venues that you are really interested in ... do some site tours and I can''t recommend it enough ... only deal with the Catering/Wedding Sales Manager for any negotiations ... assistants etc will not have the same authority levels or discretion to accomodate your requests. Once you have researched and compared the venues against each other, use this information to "work" the venues and get them to give you what you want. There is nothing like a little good old competition, right?

Good luck ... I hope you find your perfect venue and are able to negotiate some sweet perks. Since you are being so flexible and choosing a date off-season ... I have no doubt that you will be able to!

 

[miraclesrule]

Our venue had a 30K food and beverage minimum for a Saturday night, but a 14K min on a Friday or Sunday. HELLO!?!?!?!? That was a no brainer. Same place, same food, same service....Friday it is. We were also able to negotiate parking fees, complimentary champagne, and upgraded linens. Everything is negotiable. It depends on your confidence and experience with catering. It''s a bit like negotiating on new car prices. Good luck!!

 

[crystalheart1]

We recently met with the Catering Sales Manager of a Nice Hotel we are seriously probably going to go with.
She told us a 10% discount would be given for Sundays,,, also we took some things off the menu that cut the cost about $12.00 a head.

The only thing I think I would address with her was to see if they can cut back on the ceremony fee since we are only having 50 people.

I have a feeling it is a "set" price for the room... but I will give it a try.

We are getting a really nice venue for a fair price.. It is about a $35.00 savings per person

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/29/2008 12:16:52 PM
Author: crystalheart1
We recently met with the Catering Sales Manager of a Nice Hotel we are seriously probably going to go with.
She told us a 10% discount would be given for Sundays,,, also we took some things off the menu that cut the cost about $12.00 a head.

The only thing I think I would address with her was to see if they can cut back on the ceremony fee since we are only having 50 people.

I have a feeling it is a ''set'' price for the room... but I will give it a try.

We are getting a really nice venue for a fair price.. It is about a $35.00 savings per person

That''s what''s important. I just set out to get a deal I was happy with, that I felt was fair. I would have liked to get a steal... but the minute you mention the word "wedding" that goes flying out the door.
Be sure you ask them about EVERYTHING that occurs to you. I''m very happy you''ve found a place you like! Best of luck!

 

[crystalheart1]

Thanks Gypsy, I also want to add, I really enjoy reading your posts.. Your colorful personality shines through..
You seem like a fun person with a good head on her shoulders. Also with a good heart.

I think we covered just about everything. We were there for over two hours. Her husband use to work for the same company I work for now..

The three of us hit it off well, I think we "bonded"

She even said Wow - I can''t believe we have been talking this long.. I think she tried to work out a nice package... She can probably only do so much.

You know how it is working for corporate America (especially at this time).

Does anyone know of a "check list" around when booking your venue

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/29/2008 1:01:59 PM
Author: crystalheart1
Thanks Gypsy, I also want to add, I really enjoy reading your posts.. Your colorful personality shines through..
You seem like a fun person with a good head on her shoulders. Also with a good heart.

I think we covered just about everything. We were there for over two hours. Her husband use to work for the same company I work for now..

The three of us hit it off well, I think we ''bonded''

She even said Wow - I can''t believe we have been talking this long.. I think she tried to work out a nice package... She can probably only do so much.

You know how it is working for corporate America (especially at this time).

Does anyone know of a ''check list'' around when booking your venue

Oh wow. Thank you. What a wonderful compliment and so unexpected!! Thank you. I''m looking forward to more posts from you as well, it''s so lovely to ''meet'' new people and I think you are a great addition to PS from your posts!

I''m glad you really spent time with the venue and bonded with them. Make sure to ask what happens if your ''handler'' leaves unexpectedly. My only advice is ask to speak to more than one person there and make sure everyone there is on the same page. And when you get your contract read it with a stranger''s eye. As in, make sure that anyone NOT party to any of your conversations can understand exactly what you agreed to. So that if something happens to her, you are covered.

I''m glad she worked out a nice package for you. And yes, there is only so much they can do, but you want to feel they are giving it all they CAN. And it sounds like you''ve found that! Congrats! HOW EXCITING! I can''t wait to see how your planning comes along!