Anyone challenged corkage fees?!

numberwang

I'm just getting started on this wedding planning lark, but I'm quite frankly shocked to see some corkage fees quoted!!

I've seen prices around the £8 mark per bottle :eek: for a do our size (30-50) it's going to take someone 1-2 hrs max to open a few bottles & plonk them on the tables & the waitress doing it is probably on not much more than minimum wage.....real cost £14, yet they want £120-200 for the privilege!

Has anyone tried to get this waived / negotiated down & how did it go?!

NW

Horace

Corkage is normally for bottles that you provide yourself, if the wine is provided by the venue then they usually don't charge.

It always pays to negotiate.

Emms

The only reason they charge so much is because you wont be buying their booze so they make their money this way instead. I doubt you would be able to get it waived completley.

Emma

FatJock

Hi,

I've challenged corkage prices. We're stuck on 2 venues to hold the reception. One wants to charge £5 a bottle (not to bad) the other wants to charge £9 a bottle (no chance). I've challenged venue 2 to drop the corkage charge to £5 and we will book them. Just waiting on a response from the manager to see if this is possible.

They may say £9 no reduction but if you dont ask you dont get. I've also managed to get the cost of the 'room' reduced from £800 to £500 in both venues and then buffet reduced from £18 to £15 a head. A pound saved is a pound I can spend on something else.

Good Luck
FatJock

Missus_LDP

I challenged just about everything when planning our wedding last year, corkage was quoted as £15 per bottle and i negotiated it down to £5 per bottle - i was happy to pay this as i totally understood that every bottle we provided was a bottle not sold over the bar, and also we had exclusive use of our venue so there was no other trade on that day. Nevertheless i still negotiated hard and saved a considerable amount.

FatJock

Numberwang - hope you dont mind me asking Missus_LDP a question?

what did you haggle on?

So far I've haggled on engagement ring, wedding bands, venue hire and ££ per head for finger buffet in the evening (saved about a grand so far). Any other tips?

Numberwang - again apologies if I'm highjacking the thread somewhat.

Regards
FatJock

6angels

I have just emailed my venue to try and get the corkage charge down from £9 - not sure what the outcome will be but thanks for the idea!

Krystaltips

We haven't got corkage to pay... We're paying extortionate hotel drinks package prices... Which really galls me... It's MIL's fault, she wanted it, she insisted we book it.... She screwed us over on it...

Hmm... think I'm still amgry about that whole business....

Lemon_Tree

our caterer told us she doesn't charge corkage, but she would have had an arguement with me over it if she had tried as she's not licence to sell it. There is a bar in the evening which has been dictated by the barn but they charge normal prices and the barn gets no income from them, they just trust him to lock up

sunshinejoclaire

The venue I have chosen is charging £2 per bottle, which I am over the moon with

You will never get corkage waived as you are paying for more than just someone opening the bottles. You are alos paying for clean glasses set up on the tables, breakages of glasses, glasses to be washed again afterwards, staff wages for doing all of the above...

(I used to be a resturant supervisor and costed stuff like for quite a while )

However £9 a bottle is extortinate! I would never say that more than about £4.50 - £5 is necssary!

princess1974

We haggled on everything, well i did, OH sat there nodding (mmm i wonder who wears the trousers in our relationship!!!)
Anyway... I asked our caterer about our own wine and corkage and he said because i'm a nurse he would waiver it...( i am really a nurse)
What an absolute gent.. I gave him the biggest kiss in the world...

He is super
x