Catering:Saying it''s for a "family gathering" vs. wedding"

[glitterysparkle]

Hi Everyone,
I''m currently looking at catering for my wedding and have heard of this, but has anyone tried it?

"Saying it''s for a "family gathering" vs. wedding"

I''m curious if anyone has done this when talking to vendors...I''ve read tips (including from the Bridal Bargains book) that you should try doing this to avoid the wedding markup.

But at some point the vendors are probably going to find out that you''re really holding a wedding (like when you mention that you''ll also be needing a tiered cake)....so how does one actually pull this off? Do you just mention that it''s a family gathering when you ask for their initial quotes? At what point/how do you spill that it''s really for a wedding?

TIA!

 

[havernell]

I've heard that the best way to do this (since you can't really lie about what kind of event it is when signing a contract) is to do what you mentioned at the end of your post- get two different quotes from them.

You call and ask them about pricing for a wedding. Then you get someone else to call to ask how much an anniversary party or a retirement party would cost for the same number of people. Then, if the prices differ, you take both quotes into your meeting with the caterer and ask them point blank why the wedding cost is higher than the other party cost. Some caterers may just say "that's how it is, take it or leave it", but other may be willing to negotiate with you once you've "found them out".

I haven't tried this myself yet, but I will soon!! So, if you do this, let us know how it goes. Good luck!

 

[labbielove]

our caterer doesn''t specify wedding vs. non-wedding- they have banquet menus,

although their prices can vary slightly depending on the venue- i would imagine because of travel time,etc.

maybe it''s just me, but unless you are asking them to do some over the top extra ''wedding'' related thing why should there be any difference what type of event it is.
if i caught a vendor quoting me 2 different prices for wedding vs. gathering, i would be curious for an explanation as to why that is the case,
if they couldn''t come up with a good one i would have to question whether i would want to give them my business.

 

[neatfreak]

Well, we're having it at a restaurant so it was slightly different BUT, I just called and asked the price to "rent out" their private party room without telling them what it was for. Once I got a general quote and was ready to book I then told them it was for a wedding reception. Since I never told them what type of event it was in the first place, I never lied about it.

But I also don't think my vendor would have tried to charge me more, but I wanted to avoid it in the first place.

I would either call at two separate times and get 2 quotes or I would try to get a quote without having to tell them what kind of event it is exactly. I would never lie to them about the type of event it is though, instead, just try to catch them in the act if you think they might be overcharging you for a wedding.

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 5/17/2007 1:20:54 PM
Author: havernell
I''ve heard that the best way to do this (since you can''t really lie about what kind of event it is when signing a contract) is to do what you mentioned at the end of your post- get two different quotes from them.

You call and ask them about pricing for a wedding. Then you get someone else to call to ask how much an anniversary party or a retirement party would cost for the same number of people. Then, if the prices differ, you take both quotes into your meeting with the caterer and ask them point blank why the wedding cost is higher than the other party cost. Some caterers may just say ''that''s how it is, take it or leave it'', but other may be willing to negotiate with you once you''ve ''found them out''.

I haven''t tried this myself yet, but I will soon!! So, if you do this, let us know how it goes. Good luck!

Ditto. I''ve done it. With various different results. Some sputtering and indignation and poor excuses resulted as well as some compromises.

It''s important to make sure you are comparing 30 count white shrimp from the gulf of mexico to the EXACT same shrimp. Tiger prawns won''t due.

 

[surfgirl]

I have a friend in the coffee bar business and she tells me that yes, she automatically charges an extra x% (I cant remember) for weddings. When I asked why she laughed and said that its a PITA to deal with brides and their mothers. They call all the time over little niggly things and it takes alot of face time and phone time to make them happy. With a corp. event, the company books her and that''s it until she shows up for the event. I dont know if the "extra attention" is why alot of F&B folks charge more for weddings, but they do.