So, we're starting to visit venues, hoping to have one picked in the next 2 weeks for a June 2016 wedding. Most venues I've spoken with have been lovely, professional, and encouraging. With that said, I've just spent half an hour on the phone with our 'safety' venue (guaranteed availability, lowest price point, on-site accommodations for all guests), and I just feel slimy now.
I entered the conversation asking that they email over their basic information, and asking to book a tour in two weeks, when we'll be in town. This awful woman spent the next 30 minutes sizing me up, to see if I was worth her time. Not only in terms of how many guests would be staying there, but what our budget was like for various components, which neighborhood we live in, and whether any of our guests might be people 'she would know of' (?!?!?).
Also - while not quite as rude as all of that, her response to a question about catering bothered me more. The venue website clearly stated that outside caterers may be used, but when I asked whether any certification would be required for an out-of-state (very high-end) caterer, she balked, and said that only their preferred caterer would be permitted. Her reasoning was that guests would assume that dinner was provided by the venue, and, if not up to par, would lead to negative feedback. So, what - I'm capable of choosing a venue, but not a quality caterer? She also told me not to believe what I read on TK and other websites, but to get all venue info directly from the source. I told her where I'd read it on her own website said, and she said 'thank you for calling', then hung up.
Perhaps I'm jaded by the fact that other venues and vendors have been so over-the-top accommodating, and full of the excitement for our wedding - which, I get, is a sales pitch to brides who have drunk the wedding industry koolaid. But frankly, I'm not expecting to be treated like a princess. I just expect people to have manners - especially those who work in the hospitality industry.
Edited because I cannot spell for the life of me.