wedding hall dilemma

ok so here's the deal, most of you know I was supposed to have my wedding at the Riviera on September 13th.. we couldnt afford to pay for the wedding ourselves so we cancelled our wedding (nothing was in contracts or anything) we then found out FMIL would pay for the reception and ceremony as long as we had a small wedding (60-75 people) so I figured the Riviera was out, so we looked at Fox Hollow. we absolutely love the Winter Garden Pavillion room.. but something in the back of mind was still Riviera..so I emailed my banquet manager Meghan who is fantastic by the way, and asked her what the minimum would be on a thursday night and she said its normally 90 people but if i were to have our wedding from next month until march, it would be 60.. the way they book it, is the closer the month to the wedding, the less of the minimum it is. so if I want my wedding in September, I have to wait until like May or so.

I'm about to book my photographers, and they said for me to book our hall first (because we did cancel last time) but if we have it at the Riviera, we can't sign a contract until May or so. what do I do?? my photographers are super popular and only book 2 weddings a week and they were being nice enough to hold my date for awhile. im so confused and stressed!!! i want the wedding of my dreams and thats at the riviera.. but if it came down to fox hollow, i wouldnt cry (that much) about it. i dont know if i should just wait, but what do i do about my photographers?? please help

I think the hall has to be the first thing for sure since it affects all of your vendors...

There's no way to get Riviera to let you book them now? Maybe tell them that you have to get the hall first and if they don't let you book it, you are going to have to go with another place.

I would say that if they don't let you, you would have to go with Fox Hollow if the photographer is super important to you.

You must book your reception site before booking any other vendor.

I don't know of any vendor that would book services when the location has not been selected.

It's just too risky.

I don't think you'll be able to book any vendors without a contract from the RH.

Remember, if the Riviera won't sign a contract with you not, they won't hold the date for you until May... so you could get to May and find out someone booked them for that date for a higher minimum...

ETA - if you really want the Riviera, explain that you will have to book with someone else if they cannot sign a contract now. Maybe they will give you the low minimum and still sign the contact now. If not, I think I'd book somewhere else so you can book your other vendors.

I would book Fox Hollow and SIB now. I understand how you feel about the Riveira but I also understand it from their viewpoint too, it's a business and they have to look out for their best interest. Same thing for SIB requesting that you have a RH booked first.

That being said, I've never been to Fox Hollow but I've only heard RAVE reviews both from brides and guests who've attended weddings there. I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about. Your pictures are one of the only things you're going to have after your wedding day is over, and being that I know you're super picky about photographers (which you should be bc you don't want to be disappointed) then I think you def need to book with SIB. You don't want to run the risk of waiting until May and fearing that SIB will be booked for your day. Of course this is JMO, you don't have to agree with me, but I thought you'd like to hear my reasoning.

Wedding planning is very stressful (as I'm sure you already know) , you don't want to add any unnecessary stress to this already hectic part of your life. Most importantly though remember that no matter where you hold your reception or who your photographer is, your wedding day is going to be magical bc of the person that you're marrying, keep that in mind throughout this process and believe me things will be so much easier and more enjoyable.

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Posted by babybug631

It's not really fair that she's making you wait. I would tell it's either now or never that you're going to book with her. Thursday is not an overly popular night, so she should really book with you. You have to play hard ball. Otherwise I would look somewhere else.

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ditto... thursday is not a night that people would be fighting over... play hardball!! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE MONEY!!!! GO OUT THERE AND SHOW THEM WHO'S BOSS!!

best of luck to you
keep us posted

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Posted by libby2595

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Posted by babybug631

It's not really fair that she's making you wait. I would tell it's either now or never that you're going to book with her. Thursday is not an overly popular night, so she should really book with you. You have to play hard ball. Otherwise I would look somewhere else.

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ditto... thursday is not a night that people would be fighting over... play hardball!! YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE MONEY!!!! GO OUT THERE AND SHOW THEM WHO'S BOSS!!

best of luck to you
keep us posted

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I agree, what kind of crap is that? You should be allowed to book as far in advance as you want. Tell her you book it now or you are taking your business elsewhere. If she still doesn't want your $$ then oh well for them. Don't let them hold you up like that because then you are going to have issues with all your other vendors (like photographer). I understand loving a hall, but waiting until may is going to cause you uneceesary stress.