How to Make a Deal With Your Wedding Venue on the Price of Their Food
Many brides on a budget have had the experience of finding the perfect venue, only to discover that the fees attached to the food would blow the venue out of their price range. Explain your budget to the manager and lament the fact that you just couldn't afford to hold your event there at the price he or she gave. With the price of reception food taking up the majority of a wedding's fees ($9,400 on average, according to The Wedding Report), you have some room to negotiate.
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Instructions
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Decide on the date and time of year that you want to hold your wedding. Planning your wedding for off-peak dates puts you in the strongest position to negotiate with your venue. In these cases, the venue might not have any customers at all that evening without your business. The off-peak wedding days are Monday to Thursday, and off-peak months range from October to March.
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Tell the venue's manager that the cost is very important to your decision. Even if they don't specifically decrease the price of your reception meal, they might throw something in for free, such as your wedding suite or the table linens. In this way, your overall wedding cost will go down even if the price of your food doesn't.
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Ask if the style of the meal can be changed from a sit-down meal to a buffet-style dinner. The format of the meal can often bring the price per person from $35 to around $12, which makes a huge difference regardless of the size of your guest list.
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Negotiate the price of the drinks at the venue. Drinks are a large expense, and requesting to bring in your own alcohol to your venue can save you the cost of paying the venue for their champagne and spirits. According the The Wedding Report, the average cost of a venue's open bar is over $2,000. You'll be able to supply your guests with an open bar without the top-shelf price. If your venue requires you to buy your drinks there, ask that the most expensive alcohol be removed from the reception site.
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Tell your venue's manager the budget you have set for the food and see if he or she can whittle it down any further. Show the manager that you are willing to walk away from the deal if your budget needs are not met. He or she may make a last-ditch effort to encourage you to stay.
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Tips & Warnings
Before you begin negotiating, call your wedding an "event." Throwing the word "wedding" into the mix can push managers to charge you more for the venue, so continue to refer to it as an event until you have been quoted a price.
If your venue is a very exclusive setting where couples book years in advance, do not attempt to haggle if you are marrying at a peak time. There will be many couples willing to pay the full price for your wedding date, so the venue will not feel the need to lower their cost for you.
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