Connecticut

Ceremony Fee?

I am in the midst of changing my venue and I have emailed back and forth with the woman from where we want to do everything. I asked for a pricing guide so she sends me one. Not to bad in price I was amazed I thought totally doable. Then I happen to send her an email about how they handle the ceremony site if we are in the middle of a rain storm can we move it inside. She sends me and email back that says you can do a ceremony here as well and we will move it in if need be it is an additional $500 for a half hour. I have never heard of  a ceremony fee I thought it was in the pricing given to me. Has anyone ever heard of an added fee for the ceremony. Also with the ceremony she said they only set out chairs for 30 people and I have to have a 75 person minimum so does that mean I have to have 45 people stand?
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Re: Ceremony Fee?

  • kate212kate212 member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    The venue I'm getting married at has a little chapel that we could use for our ceremony for $500 also. I was able to get her to throw it in for free, but I think paying for the indoor ceremony is pretty standard. Other places I looked at charged between $300-$500 for the ceremony, but that may be a good thing to try and negotiate. Of all the venues I looked at, 3 of them negotiated the ceremony fee- it seems that's where they don't mind cutting you a break. I did also look at 2 places that would only provide seating for a certain number of people. I don't think that's too bad because the ceremony is only 1/2 hour. Hope it works out for you!
  • edited December 2011
    There were ceremony fees at both my original venue and ultimate venue.  $500 and $600 respectively. I think that it's pretty standard.
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  • cmmosley81cmmosley81 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Sorry I messed up it is $500 for the site if it is indoors or out. I thought that if i decided to do something indoors that we wouldnt really wouldnt have to move anything around. So I didnt see what the $500 was for exactly. Also on a side note they told me that if I dont meet the 75 person min. that I would have to pay for the extra plates regardless.

    My other choice for a venue says that they have a 100 person minimum but are willing to bend a little on it is rule for that.
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  • kate212kate212 member
    First Comment First Anniversary
    edited December 2011
    I would talk to them and tell you really want to book them but these are your two major concerns. See if they can give you a better price for the ceremony and lower the minimum number of guests. Good luck!
  • SuMmErKuTiESuMmErKuTiE member
    5 Love Its First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We paid $500 to have our ceremony at our venue, so it seems to be pretty standard. As far as the seating, I would definitely speak with your coordinator about that. There should be seating for everyone. 
  • cmmosley81cmmosley81 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Sum I just dont know how I am supposed to say oh you 30 can sit and the rest of you have to stand. I have a lot of people with health concerns I dont think I can say that to anyone. I mean I would think I can probably "rent" more from them but the lsat palce i looked at that said they have x amount of chairs and you can rent the rest it was like 75 dollars for set up and take down of them and 4 bucks each chair. Some days I feel like I would rather do it in my backyard then deal with all these litle stipulations people have.
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  • julieandjojojulieandjojo member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I don't know what to tell you about the chair situation but as far as the ceremony fee our venue also charges one it's $250
  • edited December 2011
    Our venue is charging us $750 for a ceremony fee. Including chairs and setup.
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  • edited December 2011
    You absolutely have to rent chairs for every one. It is part of being a hostess to make sure everyone is comfortable and has a place.

    I would say that maybe this is not the right venue for you, but everything mentioned here is very standard. If you love the venue, you may not find things much different elsewhere.
  • edited December 2011
    Agree with PP, most of this is standard. They charge a ceremony fee because you are going to be using their space for an additional 30 minutes, the ceremony doesn't happen during the hours you set your reception for typically. We also had to contract for the revenue that would have been generated by a minimum # of guests. When we didn't meet the amount, we were still responsible for the same amount and our venue through in extra apps and desserts so we weren't paying for nothing.
  • edited December 2011
    As for guests standing, do NOT do this unless it is an intimate beach ceremony.  That is the only time that standing is appropriate, IMO.  Otherwise, there should be a chair for every butt.
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  • edited December 2011
    agree with pps about not having chairs.  However, ceremony fees are pretty standard.  Out of the 6 venues we viewed before choosing, all had ceremony fees ranging from $200-700.  Ours is $500 which includes set up.  Maybe this venue isn't the right venue for you...good luck!!
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