Menu prices subject to change

ss265

So my fiancé and I are about to book our location and I’m a little concerned about menu prices changing from the time we sign the contract to when we have our wedding. We’re getting married in May 2011 and the venue can’t guarantee prices because fuel/food prices might go up etc. They have all-inclusive packages that provide linens/cake cutting etc. which is one of the reasons we want to go with them and I’m concerned that they might not have this package in the future or the price could go up extravagantly. Has anyone else had to deal with this before? Were you able to put any contingency clauses in the contract?

Donnaaries

That is strange.  Part of the incentive to signing a contract earlier (and the vendor getting your deposit earlier) is that you lock in the lower price of the year before (presumably as a wedding vendor gets more popular with time, their prices go up).

I booked my caterer 10 months before my wedding and the price she quoted then is the final price.  I've never heard of this adjustable price policy.

sparklingdiamond

Ours is also a set price.  I have not heard of the adjustable rates either.

Bobbysprncss

I did get a couple places that did that to me, our wedding is June 2011, but the caterer we are using has a set price for us and it does not state that prices could change in the contract. There really shouldn't be that big of a deal with locking in a price now since it's barely over a year away.

MsLaura31

Is this something you talked with them about or just read it in the contract? If you just read it in the contract, I'd ask them if you can finalize the prices. Say you aren't comfortable with that clause. They may or may not do it, but it's worth asking...

llc2011

I booked my venue in June 2009 for an April 2011 wedding and they weren't able to confirm the price per person for the package until 2010 since it was more then a year in advance.  When January rolled around I had them put it in writing and it was attached to our contract so we're now locked in.

ss265

We discussed it at the initial meeting and our contract doesn't list anything about price per person. She did say that their packages haven't changed in three years but I'd like to make sure we're protected. I'll probably bring it up with them and ask when we can lock in the prices.

bsn1752

My wedding is booked one year before the wedding date... and they set our menu prices!  We're locked in.

amber+richard05

Something doesn't sound right about that. I would tell them your concerns, obviously by your comments they are not a new venue. Anyways express your concerns, it should be a set rate based on when you booked, now if it was a couple years in advance I could possibly see it. I met with multiple vendors and was never told it would be pending.

Tiffany618

Well we booked our venue, not our catering when we put down our deposit and signed our contract.  Our contract simply stated that we had to meet the food/beverage minimum.  There is no charge for the venue.  It is a country club and is the sole provider of catering though.  I didn't really find it odd.  I guess if we had made our food choices and set up our banquet order a year ago then we would have been able to lock in and agree on amounts.  We did that about 3 months before the wedding though.

That being said, they did change some prices around since we booked, but it wasn't really a significant difference.

I don't think it is odd, but if your concerned I would ask to go ahead and choose your menu and get your agreement with prices ASAP rather than wait until closer to the event.

bridgetlb

we are locked in as well. the prices went up right after i paid the down payment and they honor the prices they sent me when i first paid.

fallbride1109

Unfortunately, this can happen.  I believe my packet stated this also.  We originally contracted for a beef carving station and weren't told until our tasting (6 months later) that "the chef had changed the menu" and we were now having beef and turkey.  Which is a nice option, however we were still paying for all beef.  So of course we negotiated for a reduced price (although the "reduction" was pretty much a joke).  Then we ended up with all beef anyway.

I agree with the PP--discuss your concerns and negotiate for a final price.  If they don't do it, you're probably still ok and if you like the venue I wouldn't let this stop you from booking.  However, if you have your heart set on shrimp and they change their policy and don't serve it any more, be aware that it is a possibility and you'll have to negotiate for a resolution.

ss265

Thanks for all the replies! Tiffany, my venue is a country club too so hearing about your experience made me feel a little better. We haven't decided what we'll be serving at the wedding so I'll probably ask them to guarantee an equivalent package.

Tiffany618

Glad I could help.  If you have any questions feel free to PM or email me anytime:  Tiffany618@aol.com.

Which country club are you looking at?

cherrrylll

My venue actually raised the prices the week we came in to sign our contract. We told them we would not sign unless we were guaranteed the price that we were originally given. They talked to the GM about it and added it to the contract. I would not sign without having them ammend that, as that can completely mess up your budget.

ss265

So I talked to the venue and they added a clause to the contract where they guaranteed that if the prices do increase that it would be within 5%. They were priced lower than most of the other venues we saw so we're comfortable with that increase (if it happens).