Tent cost - are we getting ripped off?

[brightstone]

I think I made a mistake when I first approached my caterer by telling him the overall budget for the wedding, rather than just asking him for a per head cost on catering. He agreed to work with us within our budget (which was 30K) and drafted the following contract showing his costs and as a guideline for how much money we could put where. These costs/contract he came up with is for the rehearsal dinner for 35 people and the wedding which will have 80 people. My first question is whether the cost for the tent seems ridiculous (4K). He is using a company called Sperry Tents, which have nice looking tents, but 4K???? Are we getting ripped off and is the caterer making out like a bandit? Confused...

 

[brightstone]

Oops, here's his contract numbers and, also, the location in East Hampton, NY:

I. Catering: (see attached menu): $ 6,500.00
(wedding reception and rehearsal)

II. Staffing: (gratuity included): $4,000.00
(wedding reception and rehearsal)

III. Bar and set-up: $ 2,600.00
(alcohol, mixers, ice, bar fruit, etc.)

IV. Rentals: platters, stemware, linens etc. $ 3,750.00
(wedding reception and reheasal)

V. Wedding cake: $ 500.00

VI. Tenting: $ 4,000.00
(includes dance floor and cook tent)

VII. Flowers and decor:$ 1,000.00
VIII. Photography: $ 3,000.00

IX. MusicJ $ 2,000.00

X. Valet parking: $ 850.00

XI. Sanitation (portable toilets and dumpster): $ 800.00

XII. Event planning and co-ordination: $ zero


WEDDING PLANNING CONTRACT (CONTINUED)
1-15-09


XIII. Set up and gratuities on day of event: $ 500.00

XIV. Officiant’s fee: $ 500.00

XV. Total: $ 30,000.00

 

[House Cat]

Have you already signed with him? I''m wondering if you might call around for quotes.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 3/13/2009 10:25:53 PM
Author: brightstone
Oops, here''s his contract numbers and, also, the location in East Hampton, NY:

I. Catering: (see attached menu): $ 6,500.00
(wedding reception and rehearsal)

II. Staffing: (gratuity included): $4,000.00
(wedding reception and rehearsal)

III. Bar and set-up: $ 2,600.00
(alcohol, mixers, ice, bar fruit, etc.)

IV. Rentals: platters, stemware, linens etc. $ 3,750.00
(wedding reception and reheasal)

V. Wedding cake: $ 500.00

VI. Tenting: $ 4,000.00
(includes dance floor and cook tent)

VII. Flowers and decor:$ 1,000.00
VIII. Photography: $ 3,000.00

IX. MusicJ $ 2,000.00

X. Valet parking: $ 850.00

XI. Sanitation (portable toilets and dumpster): $ 800.00

XII. Event planning and co-ordination: $ zero


WEDDING PLANNING CONTRACT (CONTINUED)
1-15-09


XIII. Set up and gratuities on day of event: $ 500.00

XIV. Officiant’s fee: $ 500.00

XV. Total: $ 30,000.00

I think this is actually way better than a lot of the quotes that I got when we were looking out there. My fiance is from the Hamptons and we looked at almost every vineyard out there.

To answer your original question. The tent seems average. My question is...what are you doing for lighting? It the tent inside top covered? I forgot when your wedding is and if you needed heating or not.

 

[neatfreak]

Tents are expensive...much more so than you think, so I don''t think it''s unreasonable if it is a nice one.

 

[katamari]

Tents are very expensive. It is the second biggest cost of our reception, too (after food). With flooring and a separate tent for catering, this could be a fair estimate. However, what kind of tent are you getting? And for how many people? If it is just a frame tent, you could be getting ripped off (In my state it would be about half that, but cost of living here is far lower than in NY). This cost seems more fitting for 150 - 200 people with a high end tent.

My guess is, that since you just gave your planner an estimate, they got you the highest end tent. If you want to cut costs, you could go for another style, but definitely look at tents to see what you want. There is a lot more variety than you would think.

 

[Puppmom]

Brightstone...I can tell you that tents are scary expensive. I got married in my in-law''s backyard in September (in the suburbs of Philadelphia if that helps) and about 50 guests attended. Our tent was 30x45. By the time we added lighting and a sidewall we were at $2k. We opted for no flooring since we were just having dinner with background music but I do remember that flooring was SUPER expensive. $4k doesn''t sound crazy to me for 80 guests with flooring plus the small tent for cooking (we were lucky because they used the garage for cooking).

I do agree it''s kind of interesting that they got you right to $30k on the nose

Definitely ask where you can cut costs. All of our vendors were forthcoming when we asked.

 

[Inanna]

I just looked at Sperry Tents website, and their tents are really nice - $4k does seem about right, especially considering your wedding is in the Hamptons. If you're not absolutely set on having a tent, I'd imagine you might be able to rent an indoor venue for $4,800 (the cost of a tent plus the portable toilet & dumpster fees). However a venue will have its own conditions and restrictions, for example using their caterer.

One of the expenses you listed that really struck me is $4k for staffing! How many and what type of staff does this include? For my wedding in the Florida Keys, servers are included in my catering cost and each bartender is $250 additional (plus gratuity).

Your rentals quote of $3750 also seems high, however you're getting them for 2 nights, right? I'm paying $1000 for rentals (premium chairs, linens, tables, stemware, etc.) and setup for a ~50-60 guest wedding.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

We wanted an outdoor wedding, and the tent price for a "rainy day plan" was quoted at $3000 at one venue. I thought that was VERY ridiculous. It''s more expensive than renting the venue itself.

We decided to go with a venue that had a nice indoor "rainy day plan" so we wouldn''t have to consider a tent.

There''s NO WAY I''d pay that much for a tent, but if you''ve got the money for it, and it makes the difference between the best day of your life or the worse day, then I''d go for it. I''d call around and get quotes first, though.

 

[Amanda.Rx]

I also think your staffing fee of $4000, a rental fee for plates/stemware/linenes of $3750, and a DJ for $2000 is high. I am unfamiliar with how much a wedding costs in NY, but it sounds like a rip-off to me.

Can you tell the caterer that you have some "unforseen expenses" and you''ll need to scale down your wedding budget? Generally, I''ve heard most brides end up spending much more than they budgeted for.

Or, if you''re not 100% in love with that venue, I''d call around to other places and either tell them your budget is $20K or not disclose that info. at all.