Negotiating the venue?

Those pics were Tannenbaum. Here's The Grove. ...

You're asking for huge discounts, 50% or more! That's probably not feasible. Venues will generally work with you, as far as throwing some things in or giving you 10% off for military....but asking for that huge of a discount probably won't fly. Venues are in the business to make money. I think you may need to find some other venues, closer to your ideal price range, or cut someplace else to make this doable for you.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to ask what they can help with, though.

Check out the post "Know the boundaries"

Well I understand The Grove is quite a bit more than my budget, even if I could squeeze it up to $3,000, but the Tannenbaum isn't a 50% discount. I'll look for that post. Thanks

$1000 is 50% of $2000.

Assuming it was $2500 instead of $2200.....my point is, yes, I'd like a discount. Yes, I understand they're in business to make money. I suppose my question would be if you can offer a venue for $1,000 for a 10-hour time period on a weekday, then would it be reasonable to ask for 5 hours on a Sunday, for $1200 instead of $2,000. We're not having an all-day event, and we'll be out of there by 2, which would allow them to book something else for later.

I'm sorry if you think I'm being unreasonable. I just wondered what to hope for so I CAN be reasonable before I get my heart set on a place.

The general answer is - yes, you can negotiate venue pricing... and that includes the rental, minimums and even F&B. however, as has already been touched on, what you are asking for is not realistic. i work for a hotel, and have many years in events / restaurants / f&b etc - i am not an expert, but i can tell you that asking for discounts of that amount is not going to happen. it seems like these venues are simply too much for your budget. and yes, places WILL turn away business, and WILL sit empty for a night rather than just take anything. it costs money to make money and there is a substantial amount of labor, and everything else involved in putting on an event, and sometimes it is just not worth it from the venue's perspective. i don't mean to be a downer - just sharing my experience.

i think you should find other venues that are not so far out of your budget, and then negotiate with them.... or re-visit your budget if the kind of venue you want is this far from your number

I don't think they will go for it. Think about it this way. It is a Sunday event, most people only do afternoon events on a Sunday. Plus, not only do they have to account for the time of your actual wedding, but set-up and take-down as well. If they book your wedding which will end at 2, they would need to spend another 2 hours cleaning and setting up. Most likely they will not be able to book someone for a nighttime event. So in effect, even though you see your wedding as a 5 hour time period, it takes up their entire business day.

You can always ask, maybe you will get lucky,and the worst they can say is no. But I wouldn't count on a positive response.

That's a big discount you're asking for. What you can get totally depends on the venue. If you're going to ask for a lower rate, then you need to be prepared for them to push you to a less desirable date. If you want them to be flexible, you need to be flexible too. You also need to face the reality of the cost of the wedding you want vs. the wedding you can afford. The figures don't always match.

If you're flexible on the date see if they have spring/summer dates coming up quick (in the next 3-4 months) that you could get cheaper or winter 2012 (Jan-March). Short term bookings are gold for venues so you might snag a deal and winter months are hard to book so they're usually cheaper as well.

Thank you, Ashlee. Yeah, my problem is these ARE the cheaper venues in Reno. I'd like to reconsider where we're having the wedding and do it in CA where it's cheaper, but it means a lot more travel for everyone. At The Grove, I think I could probably even get it to 60 people because I think I will save elsewhere- they're much more all-inclusive, but I just don't think I can get it to 75 people. I'll keep looking.

Oh, and I do understand needing to be flexible. I'm trying to figure out what's reasonable to ask for and see if I can adjust my budget/dates/etc. It's not like I would ever go into a place of business and say, "This is what I need. Take it or leave it." And I also understand I may have to adjust my budget or my needs. I'm already doing quite a bit of that....

For our venue they waved the $1,000 rental fee if you have another event there so we're having the rehersal dinner there. Then, the food was about $22-$28/plate depending on the entree. We talked her down to $17/plate. You may be able to get some discount, but don't get your expectations up too high. You still may not get in your budget.

I was successful in negotiating the price down. The venue was charging $4,500, plus a 24% gratuity, $500 facility fee, and 6% sales tax. I was able to get it for $4,200 all inclusive. No additional fees. It being an August wedding was definitely in our favor, due to not being in season.

It's hard to post everything here, but there are a couple other things. 1) The lady at The Tannenbaum was the one who told us if we had a morning wedding we needed to be out by 2 so they could book an afternoon event after us. So I guess I was hoping if we don't get the center for 10 hours and they're planning to book another one, asking for a discount was reasonable ($1200 instead of $2,000 in this case.)

2) Because Reno is a touristy place, you can't just get a permit. Everything is run by the regional parks, and it's $150 per hour. If you allow for set up and clean up, that's probably 8 hours or $1200, and it doesn't include tables, chairs, linens, dishes, glassware, silverware, etc.

My cousin just got a $2,000 venue fee completely waived because she agreed to have their in-house caterers do the catering, but that was in CA. I have a feeling Reno's wedding business is still hopping.

I'm looking at probably August or September.

It can't hurt to ask, like I said the worst thing thing they can say is no. If they have already mentioned the possibility of getting 2 events in that day, then just talk to the event manager there. It is a beautiful place.

The Grove emailed me back and said he'd be willing to meet my 40 person minimum any date between now and the end of the year providing he has availability for a daytime event. I'm shocked!! I figured with the 75-person minimum I'd have to ask to maybe lower it to 60 people but still only have 40 people in attendance to lower their food costs and build in a little more profit for them. So that's $59 per person with a 40-person maximum, and sales tax and gratuity are included. *happy dance*

See, it didn't hurt to ask.

Exactly. I felt bad though- I didn't want to seem unreasonable.

Considering you have a small guest list maybe you should consider a resturant rather than a banquet hall. That may be more in your budget.

You're going to have a difficult time negotiating prices with a venue. You may be able to get a special and get maybe 10% off- but anything more than that is actually kind of a slap in the face to them. If you live in a rather unpopulated city, and they don't book many weddings- it's different. But if this is a place that is booked every weekend with something, they won't come down in price for you when they can get full price from someone else.

But you can negotiate options- like upgrading linens for free (assuming they own them). Maybe extra time for the room (earlier, not later). Basically- if it's something the venue already owns and would sit in a closet otherwise- you can usually get it for next to nothing.

Sorry- I posted the update. The Grove lowered their minimums, so now they're in my budget!! I got the email this afternoon. He said because it was a morning event, they'd book one later in the afternoon and they could meet my 40 person guest list. So I'll be paying $59 per person for 40 people = $2360 including tax and gratuity!!