Negotiate RH's?

Hi! I am very new to all this and was wondering how to negotiate with RH's. We are looking to get married in Jan/Feb 2013 (which is already on the less expensive side because of the months). Once we are quoted, how can we talk them down?

Any advice would be helpful!

Thanks!

You can absolutely negotiate for those months. You should not sign on your first visit and let them know you have appointments with other halls (and it is worth shopping around). Even on your first visit, you can ask if that is their most competitive price. When you have decided on a hall, call back and let them know that they are your preference but you need them to sharpen their pencil and come up with a lower quote. Often they will offer to throw in discounts on upgrades but decide if those are things you would want in the first place. If you are shy or uncomfortable with these kind of conversations, have a relative who is polite but firm speak with them. It is important to be respectful but business like. No one wants a rude customer at any price.

There are lots of lovely RHs on LI, so it is a competitive business. They will work to get your business.

Good luck!

Also, get specific with them and pin one place against the next... But you dont have to tell them what the other place is. So lets just say Swan Club vs Westbury Manor... They dont have to know who the competition is, you can say a similar place. Maybe Swan Club is giving you more cocktail hour dishes and 3 more selections on your main menu. You can ask Westbury Manor to throw in those extras to make it more comparable. Also, these places are ridiculous. Sure its a business but come on, the economy sucks, they can always bend a lot more then what they are originally willing to. You have flexibility with making them wait and going back and forth because its not like someone else is gonna come along and snatch your date. We went back and forth between two places and I really stressed that we liked this one place slightly better but the other is willing to give us a slightly better price. I was on the phone with the Banquet Manager and he said okay, this is what we can do to get it at that same price, 'Guarantee 5 more ppl, take away 2 chafing dishes at the cocktail our and take away 3 entree selections from dinner' (they give you an excess anyway) but when we got there and met again and were willing to sign the contract, THEN his tune changed. He wanted to make us happy, and I still was acting not delighted-A tough sell, so he gave us everything he was gonna take out, kept the additional 5ppl minumum (always tell them less ppl so you can use that as a bargaining chip) and he even offered us a free throw in, like a chocolate fountain, extra ice sculpture, special cheese station at the CH.

Hope this helps.