Weddingbee

Hrmm, maybe here’s an idea. If you just call for a QUOTE and say that its for a large and very elaborate family reunion (chaircovers, and 3 tiered cake, anyone?) and then call back a few days later to get a quote for a WEDDING, and compare the 2 (very different) costs. Then maybe contact the venue again and ask WHY they are charging such a high costs for similar services. Maybe they will cut something down for you? who knows… I just know that it would be a BAD idea to actually BOOK the venue under false pretenses!!!

I don’t see how it would matter as you wouldn’t be able to *keep* those prices. If you were truly not holding a reunion there, but were holding a wedding, then you’ve changed your portion of the deal. As D said, they could then change the contract based on that.

I’d rather just know up front what the true costs are.

The only way I’ve heard this actually being pulled off is on cake, you could say it’s for a family reunion or corporate event, and have someone pick it up. A knottie did this and her cake was ver simple-individual round cakes set on tiered pedestal thing, and decorated with fresh flowers (by her florist, I assume).

what I did was check the online prices first on the venues since sometime they will give you a different price over the phone. Same thing with hotels. My friend is getting married in December where she wrote down the rate of $129 on her save the date info but when I actually went online, I saw that they had rooms for $99 at the same hotel.

I would say if you and your FI decided to form an LLC say to flip houses then you could technically call your even the corporate launch event. This however is a stetch but the fee to form an LLC of about $300 or so may actually save you money if you really wanted to do this!

I think it makes sense to have lower rates for corporate events - they give you a deal, you’re likely to come back for other corporate events. People don’t plan to bring return business form weddings, as they (should?) happen only once.

I imagine the increase in costs is not simply because they can (though surely that’s a chunk of it) but there are also heightened expectations for a wedding — the level of service leading up to and on the day of the event. I also bet they’re a lot more planning aggravation on the venue/vendor’s part when it’s a wedding. They don’t have a TV show called “Family Reunion-zilla” out there for a reason, y’know? They take some grief as well…

That said, I think it’s legit to say it’s an “event” and you’ve got your bases covered. If the contract says “event” it can’t be voided bc it’s not the type of event they’d imagined, unless you’ve specifically gone out of your way to mislead them.

Or, if you want to be totally straightfoward, ask if they have different prices for a regular event and a wedding, and ask why. Then explain why your wedding would still be mre like the generic event - and try to negotiate down the price.

I’ve asked about “Event” pricing. And after I get my quote, and they ask about the type of event, I tell them Wedding. To the bakers, I ask about how much this size cake, plain white icing costs (I’m just doing a few sugar decorations, which can be ordered on-line).