All Budget Conscious Brides – UPDATE issues been resolved

We went to pick our menu out last night and go over the little final details. What I was never fully aware of was that the Ceremony (since I’m getting married there) and the Vendors Meals are all Taxed and will also be applied the 18% Grat as well.

Now you may think I’m crazy for penny pinching this little amount, but my main beef was I had never been fully aware this was going to happen.

I could not understand how I get charged 18% grat for service when the Vendors aren’t going to get the same ‘service’ as my guests. Nor do I get the 18% grat for my wedding which I now find out will include TABLES at the back of the room!!!! I hope to god those don’t show up in the photos.

To say I was ‘upset’ is the understatement of the day. But I love James and he’s been really good to me and Jim. The contract which I poured over before I signed and had Jim review before we signed as well said nothing about 18% grat on the ceremony or vendor meals. I feel mislead. Poor James. I just have gone on and on for a good 20 minutes about how this was just plain wrong. I even RE-read the contract and so did James. It just isn’t there.

So we’ve now got to readjust my budget 30 days to the freaking wedding!! Had I realized this earlier it really would have been nice.

All night long I was upset. Even after we left and got home. You know frankly I still think they should have eaten that little cost difference. He offered to allow me to take it out of the tip we planned but I can’t do that. Even today, I am just not right with it.

So it’s not just what’s in the contract, it’s what is or is not explained fully.

ETA Update:
James the BM at SMCC has resolved this issue with me.

All is well.

It ate at me all night and day and I just couldnt take it anymore.

James is a very good man.

-V

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

hi, we have dealt w/james too and he is very sweet and accomadating. he told us that the vendors we feed would be about $40 a meal. should i double check w/him before we go any further? we still have over a year and a half, but i don't want to run into the same problem. sorry, x, that stinks. hope things work out for you. i'm sure james will do all he can to make it right.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

Sorry this happend to you. when i booked my hall i made sure that i did not 'have' to provide my vendors with a meal. i will of course negotiate with them i would rather give my vendors a bigger tip then pay for a meal. in my opinion. If you know you are going to be at work you should bring your own. knowone pays for my lunch when i am at work. i know this is frustrating so sorry......they should have eaten part of this fee since it is not technically in the contract. and eating in the same room i think i would flip out at that!!!
cant they eat where the cocktail hour is????

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

Sorry!! They sure do love to trick you in the end. I remember going to pay my final balance at the hall and my mom and I had figured it all out at home. Well, when we got in there, the guy just kept playing with the calculator and adding this and that here and there. Needless to say, his figure was a few thousand off from what my mom and I came up with and I just sat there with my jaw dropped when he explained all the extra charges that had to be added. It is absolutely ridiculous!!

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

James is got to be one of the BEST parts of my wedding planning!!

He didn’t write this contract he’s just the ‘messenger’ if you will. No, he’s been great about this. It was just a shock to me. The vendors are only $40 each, but you have to factor that into your TOTAL then the total is Tax and the 18% grat added.

I don’t think it was really the vendors that ticked me off as much as the ceremony. I mean the Vendors will be fed out in the cocktail area. They’ll get good food and a wait staff. But 18% grat?

If you’re with SMCC, allow me to break it down for you as it was not done for me (poor James). You have to take your Per Person value and get your ‘guest total’ and then you have to add your vendors and your ceremony then you take the whole thing and apply tax and grat. I never factored in tax & grat for my ceremony.

I repeat. James is a sweatheart and has been great. He was willing to ‘eat the difference’ in the tip we’d offer him that day, but I can’t imagine doing that, because you just KNOW James will go above and beyond for his brides (including shopping ventures!). How could I NOT tip them?

Thanks to my ranting last night (and mind you we joked about it before we left) I think James will be explaining the contract a little differently going forward.

It wasn’t as if they were trying to ‘hide’ this fact or unjustly charge me, but I was upset that I have to become aware of it 30days to my wedding. High stress time as it is, ya know?

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

I'm sorry- that's got to be annoying. I always sort of assume things are more expensive than they are, justto be on the safe, side, so I figiured the tax & service charge were on the whole amount.
But I know, they really should explain these things.


What do you mean about the tables?

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

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Posted by PrincessConsuela

Sorry this happend to you. when i booked my hall i made sure that i did not 'have' to provide my vendors with a meal. i will of course negotiate with them i would rather give my vendors a bigger tip then pay for a meal. in my opinion. If you know you are going to be at work you should bring your own.

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See I don't HAVE to feed my vendors either. But as I am getting married there and so forth, my vendors will be NON-stop from the word go. I just can’t imagine working 9 hours with no break. SMCC is in a residential area. Vendors can’t just hop off for a bit and get food either. I couldn’t imagine not feeding my vendors. I don’t have a lot of Vendors to begin with and I want my Photographer & Video folks to be fed and content when taking photos not starving and hurried to just get the hell out of there. So feeding the vendors makes sense to me. I’d rather not have to say “here’s your tip and we added $30 for your meal we didn’t provide you”. Nah, I’m feeding the Vendors.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

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Posted by tourist

What do you mean about the tables?

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Just found out last night that my ceremony will include all the table in the back of the room. I was not aware of this either. They set up the tables but sorta push them out of the way (there’s a sorta alcove in the room) and put the chairs out for the wedding.

Yes, I am beginning to think I may want to move my wedding outdoors. I didn’t realize those tables would be set up in the room. I had assumed the room would be empty. Then again, it’s a small enough wedding the tables shouldn’t pose a big problem.

But, it’s something I didn’t ‘know’ about.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

Xeli, thanks for the heads up! When I did my calculations, I did add tax and tip per person, even for the vendors. BUT it never occured to me that they would charge tax and gratuity for the Chapel!

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

thanks for the info, xel. we are not having the ceremony at the hall, but i will def bring up the tax & grat for the vendors. its seems like such a rip-off but i agree with you, i don't want my vendors hungry and in a rush to leave. sorry again and i hope that all goes well.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

I agree with you, tax and gratuity on the ceremony is a bit much. We also met with James and he was great, he was even very nice when I told him we chose another hall. I also agree that it is nice to know exactly what you are paying up front. I am getting married in a church, so I wasn't looking into ceremony info at halls, but that would have shocked me too.

Don't worry- my brother's reception was at the SMCC and it was beautiful- your wedding will be spectacular and afterwards, this will seem like a minor inconvenience. I think if the weather is nice- definitely have it outside. The place is so pretty and the neighborhood so nice that I think it would be great outside- JMO.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

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Posted by Xelindrya

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Posted by tourist

What do you mean about the tables?

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Just found out last night that my ceremony will include all the table in the back of the room. I was not aware of this either. They set up the tables but sorta push them out of the way (there’s a sorta alcove in the room) and put the chairs out for the wedding.

Yes, I am beginning to think I may want to move my wedding outdoors. I didn’t realize those tables would be set up in the room. I had assumed the room would be empty. Then again, it’s a small enough wedding the tables shouldn’t pose a big problem.

But, it’s something I didn’t ‘know’ about.

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ahh,ok,so it all in one room. I get it. It sounds like they won't be in the pictures.

can you change it to outside , weather permitting?
My coctail hour is outside & its up to the staff to decide if it needs to be moved outside.

Forme, that is a big relief, I don't want to worry about weather & I won't since they have an alternative.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

I think you should completely consider getting married outside! Their gazebo is so beautiful!!!! I think it would be lovely!!!! Could you plan it so at the last minute if it rains you can do it inside?

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

I didn’t originally want to do it outside because there’s no “Wow” for the bride. I mean I didn’t think walking around a flag pole fit into my image of my wedding. Those skylights in the main hall are so pretty.

Then again, I now hate my dress and don’t think I’m ‘Wow’ for that anyway, so I guess I could talk about doing it outside. (weather permitting)

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

I'm surprised it wasn't stipulated in the contract.

But in terms of the 18% grat on your vendor's meals - it doesn't matter how much the meals are or the type of 'service' they are getting - tax is tax. For example you can buy a very nice fur at Saks where you're given over the top service and be charged the same tax on it as buying a raincoat at Macy's.

However, isn't the tax on the total of the entire price? Not each individual meal?

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

You have included tax on the overall price in your budget, right? A lot of people figure out the total before gratuity, then add tax, then figure out the gratuity on the pre tax amount, and add that. Most halls charge tax on the food/drinks AND the gratuity. I'm pretty sure you've figured it the correct way, but just letting you know just incase you haven't.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

My hall takes the price per person and then adds tax and grat. to the price and then multiplies it by the amount of people.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!!

18% on the CEREMONY is just ridiculous.

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – BEWARE!! - UPDATE

Updated

Re: All Budget Conscious Brides – UPDATE issues been resolved

Thanks ladies. I had the vendors meals along with tax and grat included in my budget. I never thought to add anything on for the ceremony other than the flat fee. Looks like I have a phone call to make tomorrow!