Manor House at Prophesy Creek - pricing? Negotiation tips?

Re: Manor House at Prophesy Creek - pricing? Negotiation tips?

• angelstar975 member

  

  February 2012

  If he said the package price is firm, I'm not sure if you'll get him to budge on that. I would see if they'll let you pay the current rental fee if you book now. I'm not very good at negotiating either, and my venue doesn't negotiate from what I've heard, so I don't have any experience to share with you, but I would at least ask about paying the lower rental fee, especially if they haven't increased it yet. Good luck!

  

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• onelastpost

  

  February 2012

  Thanks for the response!  I tried that, as well as removing stuff from the (already relatively slim) package, and choosing a Friday/Sunday in an off-month, but everything was firm. The issue w/ the rental fee, as she explained it, is that that money goes directly to the township (who owns the home) so I can only assume that the township is having budget issues and cannot flex on that.  Understandable in this economy, but it still sucks for me!  
  
  Luckily, I went to a couple of city venues that I thought would be WAY more expensive and equally inflexible and they wound up being neither.  I could get more for less AND not have a 45 minute drive for my guests (I thought going out into the 'burbs would help, price-wise) so I will likely just choose somewhere downtown.

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• angelstar975 member

  

  February 2012

  That's great! Which venues are you looking at in the city?

  

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• onelastpost

  

  February 2012

  Ballroom at the Ben and the Loews primarily.  I almost walked out before my appointment at the Ballroom at the Ben yesterday because, after walking through the ballroom, I was 100% sure they would never work for us financially. I am so glad I stayed bc Laura was very nice and flexible.  We haven't even been engaged for a week, so we will likely add some other venues to our list to check out as well.  Any suggestions?  We like the Crystal Tea Room (same caterer as Ballroom at the Ben) and the Cescaphe venues, but I doubt Cescaphe would ever come close to what we need for our budget. My friend's wedding in October 2013 at Cescaphe was $155/head inclusive, which is WAY over what we'd be able to spend.  It does include every last thing, but still, that is a super premium price.

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• angelstar975 member

  

  February 2012 edited February 2012

  I looked at the Ballroom at the Ben and their prices were awesome.. at least for the date we were looking at! Other dates were pricier. I also worked with Laura and she is really sweet! She also held our date longer than she had to becuase we hadn't made up our minds yet.
  
  From what I understand, Cescaphe does not negotiate price and the only thing they *may* work with you on is minimum head count. However, Friday and Sunday prices are less expensive at Cescaphe regardless and January and February are less expensive than other months. I actually have the pricing info for all 4 of their venues so if you want more detail, feel free to PM me.
  
  We also looked at Please Touch Museum which was amazing but with the site fee, it was pretty expensive and they don't give you as much food as other places, and The Down Town Club which was pricy and not my style. I was supposed to look at the Franklin Institute, but including everything, the prices were like $182 a head, PLUS the site free so we ruled that out without even looking.
  

  

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• lauren123455 member

  

  February 2012

  When are you hoping to get married?  If I remember correctly, certain packages at the Downtown Marriott and the Hyatt on the Waterfront are comparable to Ballroom at Ben.  Have you looked at the Loews yet?  I'm getting married there in April, so I can tell you a lot about the process there if you have any questions.

  

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• onelastpost

  

  February 2012

  @Lauren123455 We are hoping for July 2013, but we're still relatively open. I haven't looked at the Mariott or the Hyatt (although we've kinda ruled the Hyatt out after friends of ours had a really bad experience w/ their wedding held there) but I will call the Marriott for sure!  I actually have an appointment later the in the week at the Loews.  2 of my friends got married there last summer and their weddings were really really nice.  We're hoping we can create something comparable within our budget!!  I'll let you know if I have any questions - thanks so much and good luck w/ your planning!

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• lauren123455 member

  

  February 2012

  Oh good, I'm always glad to hear that people enjoy weddings there.  We're going to one exactly a month before ours, so I'm really excited to get to experience it all as a guest first!  Who are you meeting with?  We've had a great experience so far.  Not sure if you've discussed any packages with your consultant pre-appt, but as far as I know, they have a general wedding package (and lots of add ons).  Not sure if you're looking for Fri/Sun (and what they're prices are), but the Saturday package is def a bit more than Ballroom at Ben.

  

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• onelastpost

  

  February 2012

  @Lauren123455 sent you a PM!

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