Wedding 911

Perfect Venue Is Terrible At Communicating - Next Steps?

My fiance and I want to get married in Champaign, Illinois. Reception venues in our budget are limited and we found the perfect one (walking distance to hotel AND ceremony location, cabs consistently out front for easy access for our guests). We vibed REALLY well with the caterer upon meeting her and no where else compared (in our price range).

However, communication is abysmal and I don't know what to do from here. I received my first proposal from the caterer 7 days ago. I responded within the hour with some questions and concerns (mostly negotiating booze costs). I had still not heard anything back 3 days later so I sent an email checking in. No response. Day 6 without a response, I emailed the venue coordinator and called the caterer pretty much saying "Hey, we're now 11 months out from our ideal date. Can I get something here". Caterer never called back, Venue coordinator said she can't do anything until I settle food and booze with the caterer. 

The problem is, if I admit they're the venue I really want, I lose the leverage I have using competitor's pricing to get my wedding even cheaper. For that reason, I don't want to threaten to pursue other venues because that could leave a bad taste in their mouth (or they'll call my bluff). How do I get what I need without forming a bad relationship with the venue? When is too soon to reach out again?


Re: Perfect Venue Is Terrible At Communicating - Next Steps?

  • If a venue can't even get in touch with you when you're looking to spend hundreds/thousands of dollars on them...it doesn't sound too perfect to me.  I dismissed possible venues for the sole reason they couldn't be bothered to get back in touch with me, because it stressed me out enough a year out; I couldn't imagine trying to deal with their behavior a month out from a wedding.  
    Anniversary

    image
  • The problem is, no where else is half as nice at our price range or available on this date.

    My question is not IF I should go with the venue, it's how to handle them because we know we want them
  • The fact you keep calling even after they have blown you off multiple times means they already know that they are the venue you want. There is no way to make people do their jobs. If they ignore you when they should be trying to get your business, they are going to keep ignoring you once you are under contract. Unless the person you deal with gets fired, nothing will change.

    I went to school in Champaign and lived there for years. It is not like a big city where people may not own cars and parking is impossible to find. Walking distance to the hotel and ceremony location are not a big enough deal that they should factor into your decision. Plus, depending on when your ceremony is, the weather may preclude people from walking anyway due to heat, rain, cold, wind, etc. People don't want to walk a few blocks in heals and nice clothes, especially there where people are used to driving everywhere.

    I guarantee you don't want to have to deal with an unresponsive venue and caterer in the weeks before your wedding. I got married in Bloomington in August, and the fact my venue was so responsive took a huge weight off my shoulders, especially since we had to revamp all of our plans due to weather at the last minute.
  • We booked our venue without looking at any other places. We already had a relationship with our venue and we knew it was where we wanted to get married. I was freaking out because the coordinator took forever to get back to me about things. I would generally e-mail him and then wait 2 days and call him and leave a message. If I still didn't hear back I would e-mail him again. Usually all that communication would get his attention. It's not ideal, but we wanted that venue so I dealt with it. Once the wedding got closer he was much quicker at responding and working with me. At 11 months out you have to remember that they probably have 150 weddings that are happening before yours that they need to communicate with. 

    If you don't want to change venues then I would use every available communication method that you have to get in touch with them and let them know that you want to get everything settled.
    image
  • Have you tried calling or showing up in person? If it's an email issue perhaps their internet is down (hopeful?) or it accidentally went to spam (more likely). I would call and if no one answers or the wrong person answers, leave a short message with your name, planned date, and that you expect a call as soon as possible.
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards