i have started to book things but should i be haggling?

binkyboo_2

i had a quick look on their website it is £2500 in the venue nearest to me. i am going to email my venue i think and try and get the champagne breakfast thrown in and then try and get some dj quotes and then compare costs to the package deal my venue offers. to me it would be paying nearly £1500 extra and all i can see i would get as an extra is chair covers a dj a champagne breakfast and a bigger evening buffet. Don't think it's worth that much money to me

floss2

binkyboo wrote: »

....to me it would be paying nearly £1500 extra and all i can see i would get as an extra is chair covers a dj a champagne breakfast and a bigger evening buffet. Don't think it's worth that much money to me

As I said, we've cut £200 off by not using the DJ in the package if that helps...

Alyssa_C_2

Just say that other places are offering lots of other 'bits and pieces' and are they willing to add the extras you want. They want you to be happy and give good reviews etc so they should be willing to give you what you want. Generally best to make them sweat before you book so they promise you the moon, but I am very lucky as I wouldn't have known this if not for my lovely sister! Good luck!

Gleeful

binkyboo wrote: »

they have given me a bespoke quote so its difficult it is a privately owned hotel not a chain. we have got the bridal suite for the night included but not sure about a champagne breakfast and this is something i would really like so will have to check this. They are providing us is the room free of charge for the ceremony, then when we have drinks they will move the room around for a meal which is £20 a head for a soup starter served to the table, a carvery main course which is a buffet and desert served to the table. canapes are 3.50 a head for 6 each i think. an evening supper of sausage and bacon sandwiches is 5.50 a head. we are providing our own wine and they charge 7.50 for wine and 9.50 for champagne. My parents are buying the wine and we are paying the corkage so for 40 adults and 15 children with 3 glasses of wine and 1 glass of champagne and soft drinks for kids it comes to just over £2100. We will then have to provide our own dj decor etc.
Not sure if this is a good deal or not because everywhere else we looked was about 3 times the price and it was compulsory to have a lot more people or food!

I have just had a £45 a head quote for starter, main buffet and dessert at table, from an outside caterer. I am shocked at it! I've obviously politely declined their offer.

Gleeful

Aha! So this is haggling. They have now offered a free evening menu of bacon sandwiches in for free.

Horace

binkyboo wrote: »

i wasn't thinking i could haggle the registrar fees, although i am annoyed they don't deduct the provisional booking fee from the final balance! I was thinking more about venue prices but from having seen your prices for registrars i am now feeling that if i tell you my quotes for other things you may say i am getting a bargain, which would make me feel bad about wanting to get the price down even more!
For example the venue would charge £5.50 a head for chair covers whereas i have found an outside company that will do it for 2.50 a head so is it worth me trying to haggle the venues price down or do i just use the cheaper company?

Haggling registrar's fees is a no no - they are fixed.

Be careful as your venue may not allow outside caterers or venue dressers in so you may be stuck with using 'their' suppliers, however, you should always haggle with the venue e.g. on cost of room, cost of food.

binkyboo_2

Thanks for the advice horace. I will email them i think to ask about bringing in the venue dressers for the chair covers. They have already said that supplying own wine and champagne is fine and because their pinot grigiot is on the menu at about £15 a bottle and i can supply my own for about 9.50 with corkage and champagne is about £30 a bottle for the cheapest and i can probably do that for around 18 including corkage so i'm sure i'm saving there rather than having a drinks package.
i am also happy with the food prices the only things i'm thinking about haggling to try and include or get at a good price would be a dj, and the champagne breakfast in bed along with the room i am already getting. The hotels package deal which is £3500 also includes red carpet for arrival and a toastmaster and i can't decide whether these 2 things are necessary or not? any idvice on how to proceed would be much appreciated!

floss2

binkyboo wrote: »

... The hotels package deal which is £3500 also includes red carpet for arrival and a toastmaster and i can't decide whether these 2 things are necessary or not? any idvice on how to proceed would be much appreciated!

We get both of those too - not sure about the red carpet thing, but our best man is an ex-RAF Wing Commander so I think he'll be able to handle controlling the rabble!!

hayleythedaisy

I worked out exactly what everything would cost, totalled it then deducted 17% rounded that to the nearest £100 and told them that was my budget, they came back at a figure that was about a 14% discount excluding wine, I rounded that up to the nearest 100 and said we'll supply the wine if you do everthing else for that price.
(Chose 17% cos they give 10% late availability within 6 months and 5% for a friday plus 2% for a bit more haggling room!)

Horace

Re wine and champers - look at tesco clubcard deals, majestic wine warehouse etc. Instead of having real champagne try a sparkling wine instead (its not as dry and can be more flavoursome than champagne).

A toastmaster annouces the guests and the bridal couple - you don't have to have one if you don't want to although he can be useful in making sure that things run to time and he will be good at shepherding folks around. It depends on whether they are offering this service free - if its free then consider it, if not then don't (or is this a service offered by the Barcelo hotel and not your venue?). Its not really necessary to have one and they do usually cost.

A tip with the DJ too - listen to his music and make sure he plays a choice from old stuff to new stuff so that there is something for everybody, expect to pay from about £250 upwards for a decent dj.