venue problem...more of a vent, advice welcome

Heathc123

so back in march, DH and i met with venues and decided on one....when we met, we asked the place to hold our date, they said they would...i followed up with a call to be sure they had it on the books. the owner said he had it and would call if there were any inquires on the date so we could sign a contract and pay the deposit. (my wedding is in sept 10 of 2011) so here we are a year out and i fugured they would be wanting to get the ball rolling and have something in writing so i tried to call them several times over the last 3 days and am getting no answers!

I talked to the guy we actually met with and he did remember meeting with us but couldnt give me an answer on if we have the date on their books. he had the owner call me the next day who left me a message to call the office (they apperently hired someone since our first meeting) and have the coordinator check the books ...so ive been calling and left a couple of messages to call me back explaining the situation...No response so far.

I am really getting worried that we dont have a venue...most places are booked for next year now. any advise. i did set up another appt somewhere else but they are booked from may through october.

any one know of places that arent booked up.

CoCo'sMommy

It just kind of depends on the venue especially since you have a specific date you will have to call around. There are lots of venue with open dates for next year. Im getting mariied Agust 13 2011 and I know I talked to several places that were still available. Dont worry too much. I thought I had this particular photographer booked and she said she would call me if she got an inquiry and she ended up booking someone else a week after she told me this.

christieep

I think it would help to know how many guests and a budget to help pick a venue.  I am sure with the number of country clubs and hotels around town one of them has an open space.

Heathc123

prolly up to 200 eople. we also wanted a place with an outdoor ceramony site

bsharp3

I would drive there and speak to someone in person. They will be forced to pull out the calendar and give you a straight answer - so you will no for sure. Im kind of a "doer" in that sense (maybe its bc of my job) but after so many unreturned phone calls... id just go over there to know for sure. Good Luck!

Merin

I agree with bsharp, I'd go there to talk to them in person if you're not getting answers via other methods.   9/10/11 is a very popular date, and a lot of places are already booked (I have 2 friends getting married that day!).   I wouldn't wait any longer to make decisions or you may not end up with the venue (or vendors) that you really want!

Good luck!

Castillo2B

What was your first venue you decided on?  I would go there and talk to them too.

Heathc123

ok so by thursday i should know for sure.

I started calling around and set up another appt. with links at lake erie as a back up.
 
the girl from the origional place finally called me back at lunch today and said she did not have us in her book and they dont save dated without a deposit. i explained to her that i met with someone earlier in the year and they said they would hold my date.but she said she has had calls about the same day and i better hurry up if i want it. my mom ended up calling and talking her into holding it til sat when we can go in and have a final decision. 

planning4neice

I don't know if I would have my wedding at a place that is already dropping the ball, hard to get in contact with, etc. 

soontobemrs2

So, I am confused. And crabby

Isn't it the place you  originally wanted to book and were upset because you thought they may have booked it with someone else? 
Now you found out it is still available and you are making them hold it again until you can make a "final decision".  
Didn't you already make a "final decision" 6  months ago?
You got lucky the first time around, it didn't book for 6 months. You may not be that lucky this time around .

JMHO

Heathc123

 I agree planning4neice. with all the confusion when things were up in the air, i started making calls to other venues preparing for the worst. do i really want to deal with someplace that its hard to get answers from. plus the woman i spoke with came off as rude to me, like it was my fault. they told me it not to worry about it and they had my day reserved and we can sign papers later. she was not there when this was origionally talked about with the owner...but no info was passed along to her when she came on board. I do realize its not her fault either...but i am spending thousands of dollars i would have at least expected a call back. even if she just said she needed to check into it and see what she could do.

planning4neice

I wouldn't give them thousands for your wedding.  Look at it this way...what if something goes wrong on your big day?  You would only have yourself to blame because you have had problems from the get go.  Venues should bend over backwards, especially since there's so many places to choose from! 
And RUDENESS?  Give me a break, I would tell them to shove it, you'll take your hard earned $ elsewhere, somewhere it's truly appreciated!

SarahNTyler

My friend is also getting married on that day!  We went to a bridal show and soo many vendors were already booked.  If you really want that place you need to book it, but beware of the the problems that you have already had.  That is a popular date so I would be booking when I found something I loved and that was STILL availble!!! Good Luck!!!