Venue Contract-What extras did you ask for?

Re: Venue Contract-What extras did you ask for?

• jenna8984 member

  

  March 2014

  Make sure you're aware of any minimums either dollar wise or guest count. Any time constraints- what if you're not cleared out at a certain time, will it cost per hour extra? Anything like additional cake cutting fees, or confetti clean up fees, are you even allowed to have confetti, are you allowed to have candles if you plan on it? (my candles have to be enclosed in glass)

  I would try to get a suite for the night, if that's not already included. Maybe if yours is included, try to get another for your parents or MOH. Mine said no outside food but I want to rent a popcorn machine and buy my favorite pies from a certain place so I made sure that would be possible (they said yes). Mine is at a ski lodge but there are no hotel rooms on site, so we asked for a few lift tickets to use next winter and she said yes.

                                                                   

  
  

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• csuave member

  

  March 2014

  We got a special salad and appetizer (not on the venue's typical menu) so we made sure to put those in the contract.  We specified no tip jar at the bar in the contract and also for the bar to have a sign with the hours it was open/closed (it closed for the first 30 minutes of dinner).  The package included 2 different bottled beers and we got a 3rd added at no extra cost.  We got permission to bring in outside food (cookies).

  We also negotiated for a lower minimum.

  There were no extra fees for things like cake cutting, placing menus and favors, or handing out hotel bags at the front desk.  We also had 3 free rooms in our package.  The kids meals were also either free (if under 5) or very cheap.  If these things weren't OK we would have negotiated them.

  You will want to make sure the bartender to guest ratio is not stretched too think and ask for an extra bartender if you think you will need it.

  They should have a room block that is flexible to your needs; ability to have a decent number of rooms available with no penalty if they are not booked by the release date and no committed number/spend.

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• AprilH81 member

  

  March 2014

  Just about anything is able to be negotiated into or out of a contract so without knowing what you WANT it is hard to make recommendations.

  The easiest things are to have them waive any extra fees (cake cutting, dance floor, etc.) and to decrease food and beverage minimums.

  If there is anything you have discussed with your coordinator that they have verbally agreed to make sure it is written into the contract.

  Make sure that the specific dates and amounts of payments due (not just "6 months prior 50% is due).

  

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• dolewhipper member

  

  March 2014

  csuave said:

  We got a special salad and appetizer (not on the venue's typical menu) so we made sure to put those in the contract.  We specified no tip jar at the bar in the contract and also for the bar to have a sign with the hours it was open/closed (it closed for the first 30 minutes of dinner).  The package included 2 different bottled beers and we got a 3rd added at no extra cost.  We got permission to bring in outside food (cookies).

  We also negotiated for a lower minimum.

  There were no extra fees for things like cake cutting, placing menus and favors, or handing out hotel bags at the front desk.  We also had 3 free rooms in our package.  The kids meals were also either free (if under 5) or very cheap.  If these things weren't OK we would have negotiated them.

  You will want to make sure the bartender to guest ratio is not stretched too think and ask for an extra bartender if you think you will need it.

  They should have a room block that is flexible to your needs; ability to have a decent number of rooms available with no penalty if they are not booked by the release date and no committed number/spend.

  The room block is a totally different contract and goes through a different dept unfortunately. So other than the bridal suite, I'm unable to negotiate that portion of the contract just yet.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• tammym1001 member

  

  March 2014

   - They added a free champagne toast for us. I then asked them if they could have waiters passing out the champagne to people when they walked in instead of pouring it at their tables later because we probably weren't going to have any toasts.

  
  

   - We rented out an entire villa at a discounted rate instead of just one room. They prefer to rent the whole building instead of just one room. We didn't really need it so we got them to discount it significantly.

   

   - We did a customized menu instead of what they normally offer at no additional charge.

  
  

   - Our event is at a private country club and we got them to let us use a golf cart so FI and I can go take pictures on the golf course during cocktail hour. 

  
  

   - When we lost our ceremony venue we asked them if we could do our ceremony at the reception venue which they don't normally do.

  
  

  They included almost everything that we could have wanted, but these were some extra touches that didn't really cost them anything and it made us happy. I think if you have a vision of what you want it would be ok to ask them almost anything. The worst they can do is say no.

  
  

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