And the Oscar Goes to…

And the Oscar Goes to…

April 16th, 2010 @ 9:48 am by Mrs. Lobster
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Stage 6! Brooklyn in the houuuuuse!

Brooklyn Bridge - Bonnie Tsang Photography

After much debating and pro / con lists, Mr. Lovster and I ultimately couldn’t resist Stage 6 and all it had to offer. In addition to the elegant and modern setting, there was this:

The Yellow “Red Carpet” - not a fan of the yellow but I like the fancy entrance

And the Oscar Goes to… : wedding brooklyn venues Slide1 Slide1

Bonnie Tsang Photography

And more importantly (for my stomach):

And the Oscar Goes to… : wedding brooklyn venues Akfood ak+food

YUM-O!

It didn’t all happen overnight. In fact it took over a month to set up appointments, gauge our guest list, and budget. We still had to negotiate with the venue to agree on a contract that met our requirements.

Here are my tips for venue negotiating:

1) Know the venue’s competitors. Brides who look at one venue generally look at the same ones, and the venues know that. You should do your research and email for rate sheets so you can compare prices and amenities.

2) Be flexible. With what we wanted, we couldn’t afford a Saturday night wedding in June in New York City because the per person cost is higher and guest minimum is higher - a double whammy. We made concessions including going for a Friday v. Saturday night and for low season month of August.

3) Book very early OR book closer to the date. We booked our venue 11 months in advance though we were open to dates that were only 9 months away. I have also heard that if you wait longer, you might be able to get a better deal on an open spot since it’s harder for them to fill dates as they near 6 months. (Of course if there is a venue you absolutely must have, don’t wait).

4) Don’t be afraid to ASK. Everything is negotiable. Be honest with them. If you really want to book with them but only one thing is holding you back, say it. But don’t just ask for something to shop it elsewhere. When working with our venue contact, I told her we really wanted to work with them, but only if the guest minimum could be reduced and she was able to do it for us!

What were your venue priorities? Were you able to negotiate with your venue in this economy?

Tags: brooklyn, Venues |

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12 Responses to “And the Oscar Goes to…”

Member

lilmissxmas (message) 62 posts, Worker bee

Fantastic! This looks like a great venue. We hit some similar bumps in the road. The guest minimum for the month we wanted (October) was too big, and we ended up changing out wedding month completely. We also had to work out something in the contract about the guest number yet again because I was scared we wouldn’t get even that minimum to attend. Our venue was super flexible, which made our choice an easy one!

4/16/10 @ 9:59 am (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Pug (message) 3,753 posts, Honey bee

hooray! so excited for you. i’m with you on the “just ask” for things. you absolutely never know. and sometimes, it’s worth asking twice, even if the answer is no the first time (worked for us on a couple of things).

4/16/10 @ 10:03 am (reply)

Member

SabrinaR424 (message) 266 posts, Helper bee

Congrats! Looks like a wonderful place.

4/16/10 @ 10:05 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Trail Mix (message) 6,328 posts, Bee Keeper

These are great tips, and I think your venue is going to be amaaaaazing (esp the food!!!)

4/16/10 @ 10:19 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Hamster (message) 4,046 posts, Honey bee

Yay! Great choice! You’re wedding’s going to be awesome!

4/16/10 @ 10:36 am (reply)

Bee

Ms Potato Chips (message) 1,193 posts, Bumble bee

Great tips! What an awesome venue. Whatever that food is, it needs to get in my belly! Yum.

4/16/10 @ 10:51 am (reply)

Member

Miss Reggae (message) 26 posts, Newbee

Wow! Your venue looks so cool! Can you send some leftovers over Cali way?

4/16/10 @ 10:57 am (reply)

Member

Lady B (message) 19 posts, Newbee

Woo! I am an Abigail Kirsch bride too (New York Botanical Garden), and my wedding is in two weeks! I’m so excited about the food. Good choice!

4/16/10 @ 12:46 pm (reply)

Member

krissybee (message) 3,921 posts, Honey bee

hey congrats!

4/16/10 @ 8:19 pm (reply)

10.

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

Awesome choice!

4/18/10 @ 11:20 pm (reply)

11.

Member

alivoo01 (message) 2,622 posts, Sugar bee

I need to negotiate our dinner prices with my caterer/reception site as nearby restaurants are much cheaper! Unforuntately, I already put down a deposit so hopefully negotiations are still possible!

4/19/10 @ 3:13 pm (reply)

12.