A good friend of mine booked the Bourne Mansion, but is now having all kinds of problems with them. Before booking they told her they have california wine, now they went back and found out the salesperson lied to them- it is cheap stuff from Chile. After booking about a month ago, they went in, and found out that Bourne is now charging them a site fee, a service charge, and a gratuity, plus they are supposed to tip the maitre 'd. All this they found out AFTER booking.
I was wondering if any Bourne brides out there had experienced the same thing, or if these charges are actually included, before/after tax, or if the BM told my friend the wrong thing bc it sounds kinda fishy.....TIA!
ElizA608
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
no i didnt have ANY problems w/ them at all....ben is my banquet manager and he told us EVERYTHING up front, never lied about anything....and i've had the best expereice so far. any questions i have they answer quickly and truthfully-
and yes those charges are part of it-- the site fee, gratuity and all that...
The guy your friend sat w/ obvioulsy didnt know what he was talking about. im sorry she met w/ that person bc ben is amazing!
BbyJenny
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
We didn't book, but came pretty close. We dealt with Ben as well and he was pretty clear on the site we. We even had a discussion about whether it would be tax deductable, which was important since it was $4000!
Still, can't imagine how awful it would be to feel like your were mislead by your RH. For what it's worth, Chiliean wine is actually quite good. Honestly, better than a lot of California wines.
JACK808
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
I can't understand how your friend could have been misled into believing there was no site fee,etc. I never went to look at the Bourne Mansion, bc I knew I could not afford it just based on my own basic research. Those fees are clearly stated on the website and any literature printed about it and I am positive it must be in her contract.
BNBride60
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
I almost booked and they straight up told me about all of those fees. And, on top of that, I have NEVER seen any place that doesn't charge tax, gratuity and expect you to tip the maitre d. That is all standard everywhere you go. As far as the site fee, it was in the paperwork given to me by Ben and Ben also verbally discussed it with me.
Sorry your friend had such a bad experience!
snowcat
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
I think she is just confused because she was told that there is a service charge, gratuity, and tax, and she was told to tip on top of all that- if they're already charging a gratuity, do they still ask you to tip?
Thanks for your information- I know she loves the place so much and doesn't want it anywhere else, she's just dissapointed that she feels they weren't up front with her
MrsDrinkh20
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
Yes youre supposed to tip in addition to the gratuity...just one of those things I suppose.
We wanted to look into the Bourne Mansion also but saw the site fee on the website and decided it was a bit too much for our budget. There were a lot of fees with the mansion weddings. So we had to go for a reception hall style...
hb123
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
I am also booked at the Bourne Mansion and Ben laid everything out before we signed the paperwork. In addition, all fees were clearly stated on the contract.
My wedding is not until next September, but I heard that they are very flexible with the menu etc. and assume that they would be reasonable with wine choices as well. Obviously they are not going to serve Opus One without an additional fee.
I would find out what the cost per bottle is in their current offering and try to find a similarly priced selection and ask them to serve that instead. There are so many wine regions around the world that it is not difficult to find good wines at good prices!
snapp29
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
Hey!
I am getting married at the Bourne on September 1st... and I met with Ben. My FH and I have had nothing but positive experiences with Lessings!
As far as the site fee, gratuity, and tax-all of that info was clearly stated in the general folder they give you when you show interest in the site.
However, I was surprised that we had to pay the maitre'd a tip of $3-5 per person after the reception, but my dad said that was pretty standard with all weddings.....
As far as the wine goes, they are VERY flexible with changing wines, bringing your own, etc. But, we are having a bottle of red and white on each table and it is the Walnut Crest that they have-and it is PHENOMENAL! Yes, I researched it because I was concerned and Yes, it is cost effective at $5/bottle, but it is a great wine!!
But def. have your friend speak to Ben, I am sure he can change the wine selection for her!!
Best of luck to everyone!
BNBride60
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
Posted by snowcat
I think she is just confused because she was told that there is a service charge, gratuity, and tax, and she was told to tip on top of all that- if they're already charging a gratuity, do they still ask you to tip?
Thanks for your information- I know she loves the place so much and doesn't want it anywhere else, she's just dissapointed that she feels they weren't up front with her
Yes, you can straight out ask the hall who gets that gratuity. Most of the time, it is people like bartenders, valet parkers, waiters, coat check etc. The bridal attendant and maitre d still need to be tipped. It's usually $2-$3 per head for the maitre d. And around $100-$150 for the bridal attendant. I've even heard of places that tell you the coat check and valet need to be tipped on top of the gratuity. In the end, you just have to ask your hall who is being covered by the gratuity.
As far as the 'service charge' goes, I think you are talking about the site fee. Lessings does not own the Bourne Mansion - St. John's University owns it and you are paying them, not Lessings, that $4,500 (assuming it is a Saturday, I believe that's the fee). It was not right for their BM not to tell them about it.
wo0shply
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
Posted by Jess125483
Posted by snowcat
As far as the 'service charge' goes, I think you are talking about the site fee. Lessings does not own the Bourne Mansion - St. John's University owns it and you are paying them, not Lessings, that $4,500 (assuming it is a Saturday, I believe that's the fee). It was not right for their BM not to tell them about it.
The $4500 is separate from the Lessings fee. It is a site fee that St. Johns deals with. If your friend is an alum or knows someone who is an alum, maybe they can ask St. Johns to lower the site fee.
sorry your friend was misinformed
BNBride60
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
Posted by wo0shply
Posted by Jess125483
Posted by snowcat
As far as the 'service charge' goes, I think you are talking about the site fee. Lessings does not own the Bourne Mansion - St. John's University owns it and you are paying them, not Lessings, that $4,500 (assuming it is a Saturday, I believe that's the fee). It was not right for their BM not to tell them about it.
The $4500 is separate from the Lessings fee. It is a site fee that St. Johns deals with. If your friend is an alum or knows someone who is an alum, maybe they can ask St. Johns to lower the site fee.
sorry your friend was misinformed
Unfortunately, knowing an alum won't help. I am a present Law Student at St. John's, and they didn't care at all - I called and asked when I originally was thinking of the Bourne.
wo0shply
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
man that bites!
I was going to ask Dowling if we could do that... maybe dowling would be nicer.
JACK808
Posted:
Member since
Re: ???? for Bourne Mansion Brides
Posted by wo0shply
man that bites!
I was going to ask Dowling if we could do that... maybe dowling would be nicer.
Dowling does offer an alumni discount, not sure how much it is though.
