Food allergy

njtheaterchick

I am deathly allergic to shrimp, crab, and lobster to the point where if someone kisses me on the sheek, I will end up in the ER.  All of the wedding menus have shrimp and.or crab on the menu for the appitizers and some for the entres.  Since I can't have it on the menu, will the venues adjust the cost?

kaesha

The only people who can answer that are the people at the venues you've been contacting.

waltzingmatilda13

You'll definitely need to ask the venue. If they can't adjust the cost, perhaps they can substitute in some other items to make up the difference.

Tanq&Tonic

Just talk to them, but I would suggest making sure you had the shellfish / seafood taken out of everything served that day so you don't run the risk of incidental exposure then triggering your response.  Be specific on the severity so they recognize it affects how they handle the back room preparations too.

SSaltzman87

I definitely agree with kaesha, only your venue can answer that.

They should definitely be able to substitute.

NOLAbridealmost

OP, it would very likely be a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act for your venue to fail to accommodate an allergy as severe as yours.  Vendors provide public accommodations much like restaurants and hotels and, just like restaurants and hotels, are required by the ADA to make reasonable accommodations for anyone with a disability that is severe enough to impact any major life activity--in your case, eating. 

In my opinion, it would likely be reasonable for a host of a wedding to request that certain food items not be used in the food for their event. 

I would simply ask for something such as substituting the seafood items for a comparable item with no seafood.  They really should not charge extra for this "service" because it is something they are obligated to do.  I would seriously reconsider booking with anyone who would not be willing to work with you on this. 

LauraT25

For the caterers we looked at, we had options to pick from, at a set cost.  If we had chosen entrees and appetizers that didn't contain any shellfish, it would have been the same price.  So I'm unsure about the cost adjustment issue - is it a fixed menu that automatically includes some shellfish items?  If so, as PPs have stated, I would ask them to replace those menu items with something else.  I don't know that you would necessarily be able to request a price reduction, though.  It really depends on the complexity of the dishes, and the cost of the other ingredients.

Magdala

I have a violent allergy to nuts.  I let the venue know ahead of time that no nuts were to be used in any preparation because the bride did not want a trip to the ER on her wedding day.  They were happy to accommodate.

While reviewing the response cards, I found out that four relatives could not have lettuce (salad change), two more were lactose intolerant (no cream sauce or ice cream), and two others needed gluten free (no crust on the salmon wellington nor garlic mashed potatoes).  The venue wanted to know who and where they were sitting and they were able to accommodate all of these change. 

As PP have said....TALK TO YOUR VENUE.  Most venues want to make the bride happy...within reason

yoko2011

Definately talk to your venue. They should be able to accomodate your allergy and while they may not reduce cost, they should at least be able to swap out those menu items and add more of x, y or z to accomodate for appetizers.