Reception Venue scheduled a conflicting reception!!!!

julski09

Please someone..tell me if I am overreacting. 

I booked my reception venue (which is also a hotel) and decided to have my ceremony at the same location.  The venue has 2 small rooms they book for smaller events and a huge ballroom which requires a mininum of 150 guests.  This is the room we booked almost a year in advance. The ballroom has a divider that seperates the main part and a smaller part for cocktail hour.

Here is my concern.

My outdoor ceremony space is scheduled from 5-6pm.They have one of the small rooms reserved incase of bad weather.  Cocktail hours is 6-7 and the main reception is 7-11. My contract states thats my vendors can start setting up at 5pm for the reception. The venue does all the set up for the ceremony.

I called the venue to see how many of my room blocks are taken, and the called me by the wrong name. It was a this point that I discovered they also have another reception scheduled in the SAME ROOM as mine, which is scheduled to end at 5pm! This leaves the venue less than an hour to have my cocktail hour set up, my vendors will be starting to set up at 5 while the other receptions guests will still be there...and to make matters works... the parking lot is not far from the ceremony site, so there will be at mininum 150 people milling around outside  right next to my ceremony! I

Am I overreacting to this?I feel this is very poor planning on the venues part, and they should have left at least an hour between the end of this other reception and the start of my ceremony.I have been trying to address this with the venue for over a week now, but they keep blowing me off.

Anyone have any advice for me? 

Butter Cookie

They're professionals. Don't tell them how to do their jobs and make crazy demands. If anything express your concerns like a big girl.

meima

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_reception-venue-scheduled-conflicting-reception?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:47Discussion:6532cd1f-fabe-4cc1-9410-bf8736b3afb0Post:22ad538f-c1af-4aaa-89f3-3ff9f31f20ca">Re: Reception Venue scheduled a conflicting reception!!!!</a>:
[QUOTE]They're professionals. Don't tell them how to do their jobs and make crazy demands. If anything express your concerns like a big girl.
Posted by Butter Cookie[/QUOTE]

This

Making demands could result in you winding up with no venue at all.

Im sure they have done this before, and it would probably help ease your mind to talk to someone face-to-face (if possible) and discuss how they organize everything in these situations.

julski09

I have tried several times to talk to them like a "big girl". The woman says she will talk to her manager and never gets back to me.  I have spoken to the venue several times via phone to see how they organize these types of situations and the woman keeps telling me she needs to speak with her manager and never gets back to me. 

 

Meima "Im sure they have done this before, and it would probably help ease your mind to talk to someone face-to-face (if possible) and discuss how they organize everything in these situations."..I think you are right, sometimes a face to face conversation is necissary since they seem to be having problems following back up with me each time I call. 

Butter Cookie... I feel that if you had a better understanding of they layout of my venue you would understand my concern with everyone being in the parking log while my ceremony is going on. 

sister2groom

Well you didn't book the parking lot so there's not really much you can do about that, as long as they have enough parking for both sets of guests.

Maybe you don't know the whole story, maybe the other couple needs to have the venue cleaned up and everyone out by 5, in which case the timing is absolutely perfect. Just talk to them, if calling doesn't work, try visitng for faxing, and then if that doesn't work, send a certified letter.