Did you barter with caterers at your wedding?
Discussion
Everything is open for discussion. Tell them how much you want to spend. They can only say no.
What were you quoted per person and what were they offering (menu wise)?
If it's a fixed caterer, you may not have much of an option. It's cheaper, although obviously more hassle, to get shop around for as many individual providers as possible. Difficult with specialist wedding venues though.
What were you quoted per person and what were they offering (menu wise)?
If it's a fixed caterer, you may not have much of an option. It's cheaper, although obviously more hassle, to get shop around for as many individual providers as possible. Difficult with specialist wedding venues though.
Yep. We negotiated everything and were successful everywhere but the venue.
We weren't happy with the supplied caterers so bought in our own. They also gave us a discount after we'd negotiated as it was the chefs first ever wedding. Still the best meal I've ever had at a wedding!
The hardest task by far was finding a venue that allowed you to hire you're own caterer. Most either have their own or work with firms and won't let anyone else cater your wedding. Sucks
We weren't happy with the supplied caterers so bought in our own. They also gave us a discount after we'd negotiated as it was the chefs first ever wedding. Still the best meal I've ever had at a wedding!
The hardest task by far was finding a venue that allowed you to hire you're own caterer. Most either have their own or work with firms and won't let anyone else cater your wedding. Sucks
Edited by ashleyman on Tuesday 26th July 13:39
funkyrobot said:
supercommuter said:
Bartered everything.
Some of the prices are hilarious. We got our initial quote back for 60 day guests which included this beauty - "Arrival snacks (home made cheese straws) - £700."
That came straight off.
Your wedding lasted two months?Some of the prices are hilarious. We got our initial quote back for 60 day guests which included this beauty - "Arrival snacks (home made cheese straws) - £700."
That came straight off.
I'm getting married in September but we have a private venue, so were able to choose all the companies we needed. Anything with "wedding" incurs a tax I'm afraid. Biggest haggle was with the band. We told them we could only afford half the price they quoted for and accpeted - half the fee is better than no fee! I think we haggled the price down on pretty much everyting accept the church, which I didn't think was very christian spirited of them 
With the cateres, they had a set price for the number of people - so equipment hire, crockery, number of staff required etc. Then after that, it was just down to either what we wanted on the menu or they would design a menu based on our budget - so £20 per head or £60 per head or whatever.
With the cateres, they had a set price for the number of people - so equipment hire, crockery, number of staff required etc. Then after that, it was just down to either what we wanted on the menu or they would design a menu based on our budget - so £20 per head or £60 per head or whatever.
lukefreeman said:
The venue we've booked have access to one caterer only. The caterer has come back to us with a price......it's a lot.
Did you just suck it up, or go back with a different price?
If you have to ask...Did you just suck it up, or go back with a different price?
But here's a tip from someone who recently got married: wedding service providers take the absolute piss with their prices, because they know that their customer is usually the bride to be. And what she wants is what she gets.
If you ask the proposed caterer to see his unit prices for food etc and the profit margin your caterer has built in, then you'll be able to work from there. If he refuses to give you this, then you have your answer!
If the venue won't allow an external caterer over the one they're providing, then ask yourself this: is that venue taking a cut from the caterer? Is this really the right venue?
As someone else said further up: everything is negotiable. Don't be afraid to ask outrageous questions. The caterer is hoping that you'll just suck up the cost like every other sap.
My now wife and I looked at about 25 venues around Sussex/Surrey/Hampshire in total when we were doing the initial plans last year, and saw some of the hilarious pricing.
I see it from the caterers point of view as well - they have to supply what, 60-120 guests with a 3 course meal all prepared to be ready at the exact same time, so need enough staff on duty to cater for that plus the facilities for that to be stored, prepared and cleaned as well. This is where a lot of the cost goes.
The "approved supplier" list is a bit of a con because as well as you paying to hire the venue, the caterer will have to pay to be on that list as well and so the venue gets money from them as well.
Eventually we chose the best venue which as it happened was a hotel chain, and the price they charged was just based on a minimum number of guests at £75 per head. No room hire fees etc. But we were close to making a deal with a couple of other venues and one of them was certainly happy to consider allowing us to choose a different supplier for a nominal extra charge.
But - if you are using an external supplier, go ahead and negotiate. Remember this - it is YOUR wedding day that should reflect what YOU want to be eating. Can they amend the menu choices to sort that.
Also - consider if they will let you tap into their ability to purchase drinks at trade prices and then sell them on to you at a much lower cost - how much booze can get get for £1000 or if you give them £15 per head etc - it will go a long way.
Its all up for discussion. My experience was definitely NOT that there was a "wedding tax" on everything that the cliche would suggest, but that it is VERY easy for certain people to get carried away.
Since we had been together and before we got married we had been to 16 different weddings in 3.5 years, which gave us a great indication of what did and didn't work. We had seen how much some of our (her) closest friends had spent on their wedding and it was ridiculous considering how we as the guests experienced the day. I don't know how many weddings you have been to recently but remember what you can - we went to one where the bride and groom and top table were being served their dessert whilst I was just getting my starter plate cleared away because the venue/caterers only brought 6 servers with them on the day for whatever reason, and this meant that the desserts were still getting served whilst we were trying to listen to speeches. Or one where the venue, a hotel chain, was so poorly managed that they booked the venue for the wedding, so we all turned up, but that they had also took a booking for a coach of German tourists to spend the night as well, who were unusually rude for Germans and didn't make use of the separate bar they should have been in etc.
I think that we did pretty well to provide a venue, canapes, reception drinks, a 3 course meal with the "half a bottle" per person followed by champagne, coffee and one further reception drink, for 130 people, and then an evening buffet for an additional 50 guests, for a shade under £11,000 earlier this year. The extra costs of dresses, suits, flowers and entertainment will vary depending on what you want.
Congratulations by the way
I see it from the caterers point of view as well - they have to supply what, 60-120 guests with a 3 course meal all prepared to be ready at the exact same time, so need enough staff on duty to cater for that plus the facilities for that to be stored, prepared and cleaned as well. This is where a lot of the cost goes.
The "approved supplier" list is a bit of a con because as well as you paying to hire the venue, the caterer will have to pay to be on that list as well and so the venue gets money from them as well.
Eventually we chose the best venue which as it happened was a hotel chain, and the price they charged was just based on a minimum number of guests at £75 per head. No room hire fees etc. But we were close to making a deal with a couple of other venues and one of them was certainly happy to consider allowing us to choose a different supplier for a nominal extra charge.
But - if you are using an external supplier, go ahead and negotiate. Remember this - it is YOUR wedding day that should reflect what YOU want to be eating. Can they amend the menu choices to sort that.
Also - consider if they will let you tap into their ability to purchase drinks at trade prices and then sell them on to you at a much lower cost - how much booze can get get for £1000 or if you give them £15 per head etc - it will go a long way.
Its all up for discussion. My experience was definitely NOT that there was a "wedding tax" on everything that the cliche would suggest, but that it is VERY easy for certain people to get carried away.
Since we had been together and before we got married we had been to 16 different weddings in 3.5 years, which gave us a great indication of what did and didn't work. We had seen how much some of our (her) closest friends had spent on their wedding and it was ridiculous considering how we as the guests experienced the day. I don't know how many weddings you have been to recently but remember what you can - we went to one where the bride and groom and top table were being served their dessert whilst I was just getting my starter plate cleared away because the venue/caterers only brought 6 servers with them on the day for whatever reason, and this meant that the desserts were still getting served whilst we were trying to listen to speeches. Or one where the venue, a hotel chain, was so poorly managed that they booked the venue for the wedding, so we all turned up, but that they had also took a booking for a coach of German tourists to spend the night as well, who were unusually rude for Germans and didn't make use of the separate bar they should have been in etc.
I think that we did pretty well to provide a venue, canapes, reception drinks, a 3 course meal with the "half a bottle" per person followed by champagne, coffee and one further reception drink, for 130 people, and then an evening buffet for an additional 50 guests, for a shade under £11,000 earlier this year. The extra costs of dresses, suits, flowers and entertainment will vary depending on what you want.
Congratulations by the way
We ruled out dedicated wedding venues for this very reason. They either had limited choice if any of caterers - so captured market and can charge want they want - like motorway services. Or they ran the bar but also set the prices - like £4 for a pint. I'm not charging my guests for booze, so the price would have been absurb. Or they said we can provide the drink but wanted to charge £20 a bottle corkage(!)
So we found our own venue and arranged everyting ourselves. Not just to save money but so that we could have exactly what we wanted. We went to a wedding the other week in a stately home neara Sheffield. Nice enough venue but I'd love to know what the caterers were charge. Tomato soup followed by "Chicken on a bed of fondat potato", which was in fact an overcooked chicken breast on, what could only be desribed as a large potato, that had been boiled and then cut into a two inch thick slice. With some cold carrots. I'm be amazed if it cost even £3 per head. Maybe out friends were just tight
So we found our own venue and arranged everyting ourselves. Not just to save money but so that we could have exactly what we wanted. We went to a wedding the other week in a stately home neara Sheffield. Nice enough venue but I'd love to know what the caterers were charge. Tomato soup followed by "Chicken on a bed of fondat potato", which was in fact an overcooked chicken breast on, what could only be desribed as a large potato, that had been boiled and then cut into a two inch thick slice. With some cold carrots. I'm be amazed if it cost even £3 per head. Maybe out friends were just tight
Shakermaker said:
Its all up for discussion. My experience was definitely NOT that there was a "wedding tax" on everything that the cliche would suggest, but that it is VERY easy for certain people to get carried away.
There is definitely a wedding tax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gimiDBAK2wAOr maybe it should be called an idiot tax or naive tax?
As you say, people bump up prices and hope to take advantage, as most people don't have experience of paying for a wedding or they get carried away. Everything is negotiable.
NordicCrankShaft said:
£700 for f
king cheese twirls????
I've never understood the money some of these wedding caterers charge. Being a former chef I know how the formula for costing a dish works add to the fact they'll be paying wholesale prices for ingredients it's absolutely absurd.
Yeh - It was impressive how she kept a straight face when telling me. Even my experience as a consumer of cheese twists and working in IT tells me I was getting pumped.king cheese twirls????I've never understood the money some of these wedding caterers charge. Being a former chef I know how the formula for costing a dish works add to the fact they'll be paying wholesale prices for ingredients it's absolutely absurd.
TEKNOPUG said:
Shakermaker said:
Its all up for discussion. My experience was definitely NOT that there was a "wedding tax" on everything that the cliche would suggest, but that it is VERY easy for certain people to get carried away.
There is definitely a wedding tax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gimiDBAK2wAOr maybe it should be called an idiot tax or naive tax?
As you say, people bump up prices and hope to take advantage, as most people don't have experience of paying for a wedding or they get carried away. Everything is negotiable.
Shakermaker said:
TEKNOPUG said:
Shakermaker said:
Its all up for discussion. My experience was definitely NOT that there was a "wedding tax" on everything that the cliche would suggest, but that it is VERY easy for certain people to get carried away.
There is definitely a wedding tax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gimiDBAK2wAOr maybe it should be called an idiot tax or naive tax?
As you say, people bump up prices and hope to take advantage, as most people don't have experience of paying for a wedding or they get carried away. Everything is negotiable.
Shakermaker said:
TEKNOPUG said:
Shakermaker said:
Its all up for discussion. My experience was definitely NOT that there was a "wedding tax" on everything that the cliche would suggest, but that it is VERY easy for certain people to get carried away.
There is definitely a wedding tax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gimiDBAK2wAOr maybe it should be called an idiot tax or naive tax?
As you say, people bump up prices and hope to take advantage, as most people don't have experience of paying for a wedding or they get carried away. Everything is negotiable.
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