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October 2012 Weddings
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Venue Woes

thale0924thale0924 member
100 Comments
in October 2012 Weddings
I originally fell in love with my venue because of it's location (Chicago loop, kiddy corner from the sears tower!) how beautiful the space is and the price!  Cheaper than most places we looked in the burbs.  I knew it didn't come with the "extras" like passed hors d'oeuvres and champagne toast, but even with adding those prices in it was comparable to most places I was looking at in the burbs. 

When we went for our tasting...the hors d'oeuvres left something to be desired.  I went with my gma, FMIL, FI and myself.  We all chose two hors d'oeuvre that were passable, but we didn't really like the ones we chose.  Would it be weird to have a cocktail hour with out hors d'oeuvre?  Just drinks! haha  I don't want to pay to serve my guest something barely passable.  FMIL wants a dessert table, but we're worried it will be as bad as the hors d'oeurves!  Is it also rude to ask for a tasting of the dessert table?

When I emailed the coordinator she said, "we have never had a wedding where hor d'oeuvres were not served...blah blah blha"  I feel like she thinks we're just cheap and trying to skim things off, which obviously we want the most cost effective wedding...but FMIL is also trying to MAJORLY show off.  So she wants everything to be top notch for the guests as well.
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Re: Venue Woes

  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    Fourth Anniversary 100 Love Its 100 Comments Name Dropper
    I would let the coordinator know that you were not pleased with the taste and quality of the hor d'oeuvres and would like to know about other options.  I would find it strange if there was not some type of passed h'or d'oeuvres at the reception.
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  • SyAmayaSyAmaya
    100 Comments
    You may want to talk to the venue and let them know your concerns. I was open with mine about everything and they asked me if there was something else on or off the menu that they could make for me to try. I found a couple recipes for them to try, we had another tasting and it still didn't work out. At that time, they gave me the option of having someone else cater :) It was actually cheaper too.
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  • schnugglebugschnugglebug
    500 Comments
    we aren't serving hor d'oeurves at our cocktail.. then again it is only 45 min.. but NOPE! no hor d'oeurves
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  • ericaandtom2012ericaandtom2012 member
    500 Comments Second Anniversary
    I think it would be weird to not have hor d'oeurves at a cocktail hour; I'm always starving and if there aren't any hor d'oeurves I am usually drunk before dinner.  Also, not having hor d'oeurves would not be helpful to your FMIL's desire to show off.  Talk to your venue and let them know your concerns.  Hopefully they will work with you to find a solution.  

    Just out of curiosity, are you having your reception at Pazzo's?  I've never been, but I work nearby and have heard good things.
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  • nitecheesenitecheese
    100 Comments
    I agree with PPs. You should communicate your displeasure. My caterer knew that my FI and I weren't happy with the hor d'oeuvres an came up with an alternate menu AND scheduled a second tasting. He really went the extra mile to make sure we were pleased with the menu. I think it is worth mentioning, so you can figure out an alternative or give them the chance to present something you like.  Was it the quality or the selection that was less than desirable? If it was both, you may want to see if you can rework the catering contract.
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  • jlk13jlk13
    100 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2012-weddings_venue-woes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:56b9bcef-1e34-456e-81f5-cfaa107456b2Discussion:a46f6c1f-b62f-4626-8562-9e0c87b9eaaePost:75fd2c03-01f2-4627-905c-e575825391bc">Re: Venue Woes</a>:
    [QUOTE]I would let the coordinator know that you were not pleased with the taste and quality of the hor d'oeuvres and would like to know about other options.  I would find it strange if there was not some type of passed h'or d'oeuvres at the reception.
    Posted by cajitasazules[/QUOTE]

    I absolutely agree with this. Well said!

    Just remember, YOU are paying them. They are WORKING for you. I've had to remind myself a few times of this b/c I didn't want to step on anyone's toes or make them work hard.

    They need to may YOU happy! That doesn't mean us brides can get crazy; it means that the venue needs to do their job and meet expectations. If the h'or d'oeuvres were crap, then tell the coordinator that the tasting didn't meet the standards and you'd like to see and taste the other options they have available.

    Also, tell her that you want to include h'or d'oeuvres but that you're not will to serve your guests something that you and FI, Gma and FMIl didn't enjoy, much less spend money on the options provided. Regardless if you're spending $5,000 or $30,000 on your food and beverage, it should taste good and the coordinator should not be giving you a hard time about it. That isn't her place. Does she realize she is the professional but that she is in the CUSTOMER SERVICE industry? You are the customer. She needs to act like it.

    Sorry for a bit of a rant. I just hate people that clearly shouldn't be in the customer service industry that are. You're spending hard earned money with a company, therefore they need to delivery.
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  • lyradimerlyradimer member
    100 Comments
    I would just add that if you are serving alcohol during your cocktail hour you need to serve some food. You do not want people drunk before dinner. I don't think the caterer is being unreasonable on this one.
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  • thale0924thale0924 member
    100 Comments
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_october-2012-weddings_venue-woes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:56b9bcef-1e34-456e-81f5-cfaa107456b2Discussion:a46f6c1f-b62f-4626-8562-9e0c87b9eaaePost:047292dc-7626-4d72-b180-c15fe842bb1e">Re: Venue Woes</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think it would be weird to not have hor d'oeurves at a cocktail hour; I'm always starving and if there aren't any hor d'oeurves I am usually drunk before dinner.  Also, not having hor d'oeurves would not be helpful to your FMIL's desire to show off.  Talk to your venue and let them know your concerns.  Hopefully they will work with you to find a solution.   Just out of curiosity, are you having your reception at Pazzo's?  I've never been, but I work nearby and have heard good things.
    Posted by ericaandtom2012[/QUOTE]

    Yes I'm having my wedding at Pazzo's.  The chicken dish we tasted was AMAZING, as was the veggies/potato/the salad and risotto before hand.  The fish/steak options were pretty horrible...and the hors d'oeurves were just not good.  How do you mess up hummus and pita?  That's something FI and I are still trying to figure out!

    I will be honest!  I guess I just felt bad, I just kind of thought it would be stupid to bring it up way before the date.  I'll email her (with the final guest list) asking if we could do another mini tasting with the dessert table and more hors d'oeurves.

    Thanks for your opinions!
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