Rhode Island

Belle Mer

So I know I used to see some complaints about Belle Mer charging vendor fees.  They have told me they do not do that anymore.  Can you guys give me some reviews on the place or advice?  They claim to be full service event planning company.  Do they charge extra for this?  Please give me some feedback!

Re: Belle Mer

  • edited December 2011
    I'm getting married there this summer and singed my contract back in June, so I don't know if anything has changed with the contract.
     So far they had been very helpful with any questions and keeping me on track. When you book with them they give you an Event Minimum, like most places. Your  EM can be used for anything, food, drinks, photography, entertainment, etc. But in order to have it apply to anything other then food and drinks you have to have Belle Mer book that vendor, which they will add a mark up on. Some people say it's no more then 30%. I personally was marked up over 35% and over 50% on another. If you choose to book the vendor on your own, you pay $500 vendor fee. I've also heard people say that they don't have the vendor fee or were able to get it waived.  They don't charge for the planning as it's built into the mark up on the vendor they give you.
    From the meetings I've had with them and the communication, my Event Coordinator has been wonderful. And I've heard nothing but great reviews for the day of. 
  • edited December 2011
    To follow on to NewportBride's post.....the markup for us is 30% and is included in our contract because I asked for it to be included.  I had heard some concerning stories so I flat out asked about the markup and was told it would be 30% so now we have a fully open relationship about that.  I see the vendor quote and then they add 30% to that.  If a vendor offers Belle Mer an industry discount, you pay the 30% on top of the discounted price, not the retail price. 

    Our vendor fee is $250 and I got them to waive one vendor fee for me.  The standard vendor fee was $500 but it sounds like they are not doing that anymore? 

    Just to add one thing to NewportBride's post, the site rental fee and ceremony fee (if you have that there as well) will also count towards your minimum. 
  • edited December 2011
    I'm another Belle Mer bride. The other have basically answered your question about fees. I just wanted to emphasize that they'll answer any question you ask, and if you have any concerns, get them written into your contract. If you think they're marking you up more than 30%, ask. In my experience, they are fairly flexible and understanding of budget issues.
    image 208 Invited
    image 107 Are ready to party!
    image 102 Will be missing out
    image 0 Are MIA (RSVPs due 9.10)
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • Karen G.Karen G. member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I haven't heard about them decreasing/dropping the outside vendor fee. Maybe it's for new contracts? Our mark up ranges from 23-30%, but never higher than that. I think if you say you won't pay a markup higher than that, they'll drop it.

    Our event coordinator has really been excellent and I've heard nothing but great things about the day-of coordination. We're doing some different things for the wedding (Long, tuscan-style tables, family style dining, a lounge area, etc.) and they've been helpful every step of the way. We recently had our tasting with them and at the meeting, they brought in florists we were interested in working with and rented out everything we're using for the table to do a mock up just for us. It was great!

    It's definitely one of the pricier locations in Newport, but I really feel like we would have had to make too many compromises elsewhere to get what we're getting at Belle Mer. I'm really looking forward to the wedding.
  • JessiTessJessiTess member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I second what the other Belle Mer brides have been saying.  My advice would just be to ask a lot of questions.  By no means do I consider myself an expert negotiator, and we were able to get the majority of our outside vendor fees waived.

    Belle Mer has definitely heard the concerns their customers have and adjusted their approach accordingly. 
  • umasskdomeumasskdome member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am also a Belle Mer bride and agree with others have said - they were very open with me about the pricingg structure and all of the fees.  Also, if you are uncomfortable with any of the coordination/vendor fees, just ask - I was able to negotiate to have all of my vendor fee waived!
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards