Reception Venue Priced Per Person

good2Bqueen13

Is any one familiar with this type of payment structure?  The venue we are set on charges that way and I want to be at least somewhat informed of how that usually works before I contact them to make arrangements.

The price is $260 per person.  It includes the venue; 4-Hour Open Bar; 1-Hour Butler Passed Hors d'oeuvres; all linens, chaircovers, etc.; centerpieces; Four-Course Plated Meal; Tableside Wine Service; the wedding cake; and the B&G hotel room for the night of.

At first I thought this was pretty spendy, but after more consideration I realized it isn't really unreasonable given that it is a place of historical significance.  Additionally, I am planning this wedding from across the country so having nearly everything included will be worth the extra cost.

But I'm curious, who is included in that $260 charge?  I mean, I am OK with paying that for my adult guests, but what about children under 12 who won't be drinking the alcohol or likely even eating the "fancy" food?  We have at least two dozen children in this category.  And what about the photographer, DJ, videographer, etc.?  I don't want them to starve but I definitely don't want to pay $260 for them!

And the wedding cake?  Will there be a large range of options and flavors or is it a standard cake?  FI and I would like to forego the liquor for a few choice microbrews.  Can I expect that to be an option?  I guess I just don't understand how a per person cost works when a generic wedding cake may cost a few hundered dollars whereas an elaborate one could cost $1000.

Any one have any experience with this type of venue?  Anything I should be aware of?  Questions I should ask I might not think of opposed to an "a la carte" venue?

QueerFemme

Most of these are questions you'll have to ask the venue.  Everything is usually open to negotiation.  Want beer and wine only instead of a full bar?  See if they will reduce the per person price. 

Kids are often priced lower, and you can usually pay a lower price for "Vendor meals", since they shouldn't be drinking while they are working.

As far as the cake goes, you'll have to talk to them about that as well.  Many "all inclusive" spots will get their cakes from a local bakery, so they may have a full range of choices. It really depends on the venue.

TheVirginians

We went with an all inclusive although the included items were different than yours. For the florist and cake, we were given three vendors each to choose from. We could upgrade with the vendor if we were not satisfied with the contract level selections. It was similar for the dj and the decor vendors, although there was no vendor choice. In each case, there was a basic package from our venue contract that we could upgrade. Just ask the venue. Flowers were really important to me so I wanted to make sure we weren't getting the venue's tired old artificial centerpieces.

jessicabessica

Ask the venue exactly what is included--wine list, beer list, champagne toast, what kind of booze, food choices, colors of linens.  Ask them what kids pricing is and what vendor pricing is.  You will probably also have to pay gratuity, tax, and maybe an additional service charge.  I would definitely want to taste the food (and the cake) before signing.

You might want to post on your local board to see if that's an appropriate price for your area.  To me, it sounds very high.  

livnsamsmama

My venue charges a flat per person rate. The cost is much lower than yours, but so is what's included. All rental (building, chairs, linens, glassware, etc) as well as food and service is included. Children are about half, and vendors I only pay meal cost for. I bring my own alcohol and cake. They serve it.

good2Bqueen13

Yeah, I knew I would have to discuss all of this with the venue, but I'm glad I got some feedback here before I made arrangements.  It gives me a good idea of what to ask about. 
Is this a fairly common fee structure these days?  In all of my years of party planning (granted it's been nearly 10 years since I've been in the business) I've never heard of this.  I'm wondering if it is more economical or if it's the venue's way of squeezing more money out of their patrons.

jessicabessica

The venues we looked at typically charged per person or had a minimum cost you had to spend, and certain things would count toward that minimum.  We weren't planning from across the country, we were only 2 hours away, but it was so convenient to have the food and flowers included in the venue.  Our venue had an event coordinator, and that was another thing that made it so much easier to plan from a distance.  I also think our food was more decadent than if we had done a place that charged for each item.  The chef kept telling us to add more options as part of our package, so even though our cocktail hour was 2 stations and 5 passed, the stations ended up having multiple things each (I think one station was crackers and cheese, bruschetta, and veggies with lentil hummus), and I think an a la carte venue might have separated those things out.

loca4pook

WOW,

That seems REALLY pricy to me and I live in Chicago.
Most places have a special price for DJ/photographer, and kids, but you need to ask your vendor specifically. NEVER assume you know based on something you read here

My advice is ask your vendor every question and get it ALL (every last detail) put into the contract.......get the price locked in, as well.


Check the going rate for prices in your area, though.......That seems REALLY high...

alithebride

most of the venues in my area price it this way. they have different prices for kids and different prices for vendor meals.

but you need to ask your venue.