Wedding venue contract help

rachandmat

I am getting married in May 2012 in Las Vegas (this will be a desitination wedding), we found a venue which has great reviews, we met with the coordinator and he sent through a contract to book the venue and pay the fees.

He has asked for a deposit of 50% of the amount today and the rest a month from now (so the full amount will need to be paid in one months time).

We have read over the contact and are a bit concerned because there is a clause that states that if we cancel at ANY stage we will lose the deposit (which in our case is the full amount)
My concern is that with the wedding being so far away what would happen if something beyond our control happens in the next 11 months...we would lose our whole payment.

Is this normal in venue contracts?
Any help would be great thanks!

direy25

Just curious what venue this is? That seems extremely unusual - are you sure it's not that final payment is due one month prior to the event? Our final payment wasn't due until 5 days before the event so this definitely sounds pretty extreme...

rachandmat

The venue is a private resort. I double checked the contract and yes the second (and final) payment is due June 2011. I did not think this was normal either, any advice on what to do?

stinkerbell6879

That does seem a little extreme. Have you talked to them about it? Maybe express your concern and see if they can explain it better and/or change the wording for you...

direy25

Ditto stinker, try talking to them. I would not be comfortable paying in full a year before the event.

amandajean36

that's a contract i would not sign.

rachandmat

Thank you for all the advice! I will contact the venue and see what I can do, good to know I am not the only one who thought this was strange.

Diamond1031

Very odd....money being asked for in prettying full before services rendered??? Yeah and it's a private venue, not my style (giving money so far in advance) and wouldn't give them payment in full a year out. I've never heard of any place asking for that and think it's super suspicious. Like PP talk to them.

LilMissScareAll

Our venue had a $2500 non-refundable deposit, with the remaining balance do 50% at 90 days out and the remaining balance due at 30 days before the wedding.

This is what I have in my contract about cancelation fees:
Cancellation notice                                            Cancellation Fee: 
0-30 days                                                               100%  
31-60 days                                                              75%    
61-90 days                                                               50%    

So I have up until 91 days out to cancel and only loose my $2500. After that I would be responisble for the amounts on my contract at stated above.

I would not want to pay the full amount a year out. A business can go bankrupt, close, etc in a years time and in that case you would be sh!t out of luck. I've been able to adjust a few things just by asking my vendors, so far. So if your not comfortable with something in the contract, don't sign it. Also, be prepared to walk away if they won't budge on an issue that you don't feel comfortable with. There's a million other vendors out there that will be happy to take your money instead.

smokeybailey

My full amount is due 30 days prior.  I would never pay a full year out.  I payed $2K back in Feb when we booked and the balance in July. 

Don't sign that contract. 

Gribbles

If you DO sign, look into wedding insurance which will cover you if the venue goes bust.

LaceyCharles

It seems fishy, private or not, you shouldnt be paying the full balance until 90 days before (at the earliest). Most venues are more like 30 days, or 1-2 weeks before event date. Lots of places are going bankrupt here in Vegas, so please be careful!! Or you could check the public records for businesses going bankrupt, its all public record, check on the clark county website. It just doesnt sound right!

aegrish

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_nevada-las-vegas_wedding-venue-contract?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:91Discussion:2093d323-65fe-41f8-8cf4-b736a7d6929cPost:e6996b08-6b8d-4976-a112-3f5cfb04b15e">Wedding venue contract help</a>:
[QUOTE]I am getting married in May 2012 in Las Vegas (this will be a desitination wedding), we found a venue which has great reviews, we met with the coordinator and he sent through a contract to book the venue and pay the fees. He has asked for a deposit of 50% of the amount today and the rest a month from now (so the full amount will need to be paid in one months time<strong>). We have read over the contact and are a bit concerned because there is a clause that states that if we cancel at ANY stage we will lose the deposit (which in our case is the full amount)</strong> My concern is that with the wedding being so far away what would happen if something beyond our control happens in the next 11 months...we would lose our whole payment. Is this normal in venue contracts? Any help would be great thanks!
Posted by rachandmat[/QUOTE]


The 50% deposit is probably not THAT unusual (ours was almost that much at Maggiano's) and the cancellation clause is also not unusual, but the Full amount being due so soon is IMO.  Have you read wedding wire reviews?  If there's not reviews on it and you can't find anyone else that's hosted an event at the location, I would ask for references from recent brides at least.  If they don't give you those that's shady.  I'd also check the BBB's website for "reviews" or complaints against the venue.  Do your research.  That's a huge deposit. 

rachandmat

Thank you for the advice everyone, I have contact the coordinator so we will see how it goes!