Belle Mer brides - off peak or not?!

Jennamccarthy1

Hi everyone! I am going to visit Belle Mer in Newport soon for our wedding and I am absolutely in *love* with the venue. We were originally thinking about a September wedding, but are flexible with our dates. We have a good budget, but considering Belle Mer is pretty pricey we are thinking about an off-peak date (say beginning of November). Although we might be able to manage the September pricing, we are concerned that there will be no room for any fun extras (especially with the 20% admin fee). I'm wondering if any Belle Mer brides who have had or are having a wedding there during the off-peak season can give some insight as to just how much cheaper the prices are and any suggestions on questions to ask or ways to negotiate. Thanks!

LOMLBOAT

I am having my wedding at Belle Mer's Island House, which is less than the Salon, but smaller.  I am having a Friday wedding which is saving money as well.  My wedding is technically during 'peak season', but since it's May 4th, they gave me the Friday night off-peak pricing which brought it down almost 1/2.  I worked with Nichole Wardle and she was INCREDIBLE speaking to us and emailing us at 10 pm just to answer questions we had about how to reduce our rate so we could afford it.

I would go and see it then sit down with someone with a realistic budget (include the 20% admin fee to get an idea of how much it'll be) along with how many people you will have for the wedding.  I would round up too, as the invite list always seems to grow, not shrink.  With those figures, you'll be able to see just how much a wedding there will cost.  They were wonderful about working with me and told me all the costs up front, so as we are planning the wedding, there were no surprises.  I have nothing but good things to say about how helpful and wonderful Nichole and Emily (my coordinator) have been at Belle Mer!

Jennamccarthy1

Thank you so much for this great advice! Definitely sounds like its worth looking into off-peak pricing. And it's also nice to hear someone have nice things to say about BM as I've been reading a lot of negativity. Thanks again!

SummerBoston10

I don't really have any input on the peak vs. off-peak pricing since we only looked at peak dates, but I have nothing but good things to say about our experience with Belle Mer!

Jennamccarthy1

That is really relieving and encouraging! I just absolutely love it and was getting nervous after reading all the negative comments. Thank you

LOMLBOAT

Where did you see negative comments?  I've never heard anything but good reviews on here and my experience has been amazing.

Jennamccarthy1

Here believe it or not. There was a whole chain about getting scammed by Belle Mer and it's fees. There's a lot of complaints about marking up vendor prices if you book through BM, etc. I've also read a lot about not being able to get a hold of your planner once you book. BM *is* expensive, but I feel like they are up front with their fees. Even though I'm in the beginning phases, I've had a great experience with the people there so far!

SummerBoston10

I don't believe any of the negative posts about Belle Mer scamming people by charging undisclosed fees.  All of the fees, charges, etc. were clearly described when we first looked at the location.  I felt everything was fully disclosed and there were no surprises on our bill at all. 

Jsias824

We are getting married on Sunday May 6, and they have been very easy to work with and it was also negotiable on price as it is right before peak season kicks in. Sunday was cheaper then a Friday and we got the Salon too, Good luck!

Jennamccarthy1

Thanks so much for the info!

delpadrek09

Hello, ladies!

I'm so glad I found this thread since I'm also looking for a reasonably priced Belle Mer wedding.  Right now I am in contact with Lyndsay and her e-mail says that their peak season begins in the middle of April.  Have any of you found it difficult to negotiate getting cheaper May dates or were they willing and ready to work things out? 

LOLMBOAT - Would you mind giving me any contact information you have for Nichole since you mentioned she was very helpful?

Thank you so much!

LOMLBOAT

Hi Delpadrek!  Nichole said that May 1st was the start of the peak season, but because I am getting married May 4th, they gave me the off-peak Friday pricing.

Nichole Wardle
617-854-5056 - she is wonderful!!!  I truly mean it, she was emailing us quotes at 10 at night letting us know exactly what type of things we could include to still stay within our budget even before we booked.  The customer service here is unparrelleled IMHO.  Just be honest and upfront about what you can afford, have them include the 20% admin fee and you'll know what you can do there.  We loved Belle Mer, but had to compromise with a Friday wedding to stay within budget.

GL and let me know how it all turns out!

jenniferdavid7385

Don't do it...just don't. If you do, def. Off season.