Anyone get married at the JW/Ritz? Or inquired?

Spingchicken

If so would you be able to tell me anywhere you were a le to cut deals?? Ex the ceremony fee is a little high to me. Let me know what you think. Thanks.

ginam98

Hi there,I'm getting married at the Ritz this coming January... I'll be very honest: It's extremely difficult for them to budge on any prices. Their angle is they are a luxury hotel so you are supposedly paying for the "Ritz Carlton Experience" that they talk so much about (to be honest with you, my experience with them has been no better than I could have gotten with any other hotel so basically you are just paying for the name and the property). The ceremony fee is set in stone... The only thing they will let you do is use your own wedding coordinator which I did. Jennifer Sharpe took off a few hundred dollars so I could hire Ashlie Hampton. And, if you are having your reception with their catering department, they were willing to drop some of the extra fees, (for instance, they had a clause in my contract that said if you have under 50 people you needed to pay a $250 fee so I had them waive that fee) but other than that, their prices are set. I hope this helps, I know it wasnt what you wanted to hear but I've been working with them since April and thats been my experience with them.

Spingchicken

Thank you so much for your pov. Guess well see what I decide. It's been tough finding a place I like.

ginam98

No problem! It's definitely super expensive, but I think it's worth it because the property is GORGEOUS, and the hotel has a good reputation. I know the JW marriott is a bit cheaper...I am not sure about this but I think you can use the gazebo if you sign with the JW even though it's on Ritz property, I'd ask about it to save yourself a few bucks. 

jazzycazy

I'm just in the process of finalising things with the RC now and gina I've been checking your bio for ideas which has helped a lot so thanks for that.The Ritz-Carlton is the venue I fell in love with too (after 3 weeks of solid net searching). When I emailed them in June they had a choice of packages for intimate weddings but now they've got a speciality package which is a set price for just the ceremony and then you choose your extras which have to be over a certain value. Jennifer did say though that she'd honour both deals so it's not like we'll be missing out.Compared to the UK I'd say the RC was pretty much on par with what you'd pay here (I work for a wedding vendor in England and she actually thought it was a good deal!!) but it's interesting to hear Gina's experiences!