Venue Changing Prices - Update page 2

Our venue said once you sign the contract and put the deposit down the price then is what you pay so we signed our conract in 2012 so we have that price even though our wedding is not until 2014 same with our photographer. x

My friend's venue put the price up by 1.5K 9 weeks before their wedding!!! In the small print of their contract it said 'prices subject to change' needless to say they are not very happy about the short notcie!

Once we paid our deposit, the prices were agreed and written in to the contract. Legally, I would have thought that they cannot take your deposit without you knowing the actual cost? Otherwise, they could tell you it's very cheap and then bump up the prices before the wedding?!

I'd check with other venues and see what they say!

I wouldn't sign that to be honest. I would either be requesting they hold this year's prices or that they put in writing a maximum they can raise prices by.

10% is a lot year on year! I would expect more like 3% year on year but ideally I'd be asking them to quote on a price and stick to it.

I wouldn't put a deposit down under these conditions.

As Kharv said, it means there's nothing to stop them putting prices up to whatever they like, in order to trap people into paying.

We signed a contract at the current prices and they stuck tot hat, even though the prices had risen by the time we got married. I think this is the way it should be.

The only supplier who couldn't guarantee our price was the registrar. However, she gave us a maximum figure that it could go to (I guess it was easier here because there would have been government/council price setting).

What you've all said is pretty much what I thought, but I specifically asked them this and they just said 'unfortunately we cannot hold prices for you'. I'm surprised as they're pretty much one of the best venues in the area I believe, I would have thought they get people questioning this all the time?

I know a few brides on here have had/are having their wedding at this venue so would be good to get experiences from them - it's Orton Hall in Peterborough.

Maybe I need to call up to speak to someone different. When we viewed we did say 'if we booked this year would we get this year's prices?' and the woman said yes she thought so - although she wasn't a wedding co-ordinator as none were available.

Glad I asked though - I was thinking it was probably normal and most places would do that. So thanks everyone

I've heard of some venues doing this, and I think it's so unfair. There's a venue near us who changed ownership, and put the prices up so dramatically some weddings were going to cost over £5k more than the original package.

If I was you I'd ask them to put in writing what the maximum percentage increase might be, that way you can at least budget for the worst case scenario, and they can't sting you with a bigger increase. If they won't put anything in writing I'd be tempted to walk away and look for a new venue.

Gibbigan, it is quite common but it doesn't make it right, IMO.

We have a lot of brides who come on here distraught that their venue has upped their prices more than they expected and, unfortunately, because they signed the contract there's nothing they can do.

I think it's appalling that venues can do this to be honest - they should at least be able to give current bookings a maximum percentage rise - otherwise what's to stop them sticking the venue hire up by 50% etc?!

Stick to your guns and say you understand about inflation but that you will not be signing a contract where the venue is in a position to charge whatever they like come two years time.

Once we paid our desposit our price was honoured ;-) which is a fab as they have now but the prices up by 1.5k so feel like i have got a bargain ;-)

Honestly we've not really seen much else that we like as much that is affordable, which is why I was really hoping there would be something I could do about it really. We've seen a couple of other places and either not liked them or they've been too expensive. The package deal we were looking at seemed really reasonable and to be honest even with the 10% year on year that they 'estimated' it would probably still be reasonable (especially for 2016) but like everyone's saying what if it's not 10%? I don't like that they would have control of that, but at the same time I'm struggling to find other suitable venues

I will try to give them a ring just to double check what I've been told is right I think, and go from there.

You can't budget on the 'what if's' Some venues in our area said their prices could changes so i avoided them (and then in the paper their having clearance booking sales for unfilled dates hmmmmmm)

sometimes you have to look at unusual or over looked options for venues for a good price.

Agree with everyone else I would never sign a contract under those terms.

I'm the same as others - once we signed the contract it was for those specific prices...

They may be too expensive now but if they held todays price for 2016 they could end up being cheeper that the other which looks cheep today

I also have the -book today for 2016 and you will get the 2013 price

A few venues we went to look around also had price lists for 2014/15/16 which is useful because at least you can compare others and see exactly what the price will be...

x

Update:

Called the venue at the weekend just to confirm on the phone as I know things can get misunderstood in emails. I asked what happens about signing contracts before the pricing is out for that year and then specifically said 'so would I be signing a contract this year without knowing how much I'm going to spend?' and was basically told yes, that they couldn't tell us pricing 'at this time'. They also said that on top of the yearly increase, it would also be written into the contract that they have the right to change prices at any time. I'm pretty disappointed. Although we hadn't ruled out anything else I think we both had our hearts set on this place. It ticks pretty much all the boxes, but obviously this whole pricing thing has really put a dampener on things.

Part of me thinks I shouldn't be worried - as far as I know it's a pretty successful wedding venue for this area, and is also part of a country-wide chain, so there's a part of me that says they wouldn't get away with messing people around with pricing.

Is it my fault for looking so far in the future? They say they won't have pricing for 2016 for another 2 years.

I'm not sure where to go from here. We have really struggled to find anything suitable in the area which is part of the reason we're looking so far ahead, to give us plenty of time to find somewhere that's what we can.

Not sure what my question is really. Just wanted to see if anybody had any ideas or had been in similar situations. Thanks for reading

Stick to your guns.

most honour their prices at booking some dont. those that dont I avoid like the plague. didn't even book a viewing with them. but there will be other venues about, or perhaps you can haggle with them. like book a number of rooms or service with them if they promise to honour their prices?

I understand it's a bit rubbish but I would stick to your guns. Just a thought, but have you actually said that you would like to book but you're unwilling to with the contract as it stands? Even if it is to cap the percentage increase in prices. They can only say no.

Are they saying they could increase everything including venue hire? Or is it only food and drink?

..and here may be the issue. The cost of living has gone up by more than 10% in the last year. Venues who charge a premium may be more able to hold their prices than another in the same bracket whose intial costs were be less. However, if the 10% pa at Orton Hall is more than you are prepared to pay, can we help you look elsewhere? I've attended weddings at Orton Hall, Holmewood Hall, The Bell at Stilton and at the Haycock at Wansford in the last couple of years and they have all been lovely weddings. What are your crietria and where have you considered?

Our Venue will put prices up before we get Married , we Marry in 2015 so it should go up twice by then and they estimate it will increase by 5-7% per year so 10% does seem quite abit ,

I don't know how many venues do this but it was the only venue we looked at which does , all the other we went to hold the price at the time of booking which personally think is the fairest way but I did manage to negotiate with ours and they are allowing us to have the prices set for 2014 rather than 2015 so I would def try to negotiate with them, so we will know this September what the final prices will be for definite then.

xxx

Most venues I have looked at have either got their prices up for 2014 or have said they will be increasing them when I have contacted them and told me what they will be. I'd be pretty pissed if they hiked it up by a huge amount to be honest. Whether it's in the contract or not, surely there's a reasonable amount limit that something can be raised by?!?

I don't think I said exactly that but I made it clear that we were looking to make a booking this year, and then at the end of the phone call just kind of said 'thanks anyway'. I think I'd be more comfortable if, like you say, they would confirm that they'll only increase by a maximum of a certain percentage each year. I have a feeling they will say no since I was told it will be in the contract that they can up the pricing at any time. But like you said, it can't hurt to ask I guess.

It's a package so the hire/food/drink are all included as one cost. They do also have an individual pricing list so it might be worth seeing if the same rules apply to that, and then working out the difference between the two. Thanks for pointing that out, hadn't thought to look into that

You make a good point, I agree. I think part of the issue as well is that I've only got one other proper quote - and it was for a venue that was coming in about 4k more than Orton Hall even with all the 10%'s added. I like the look of the ones you've mentioned especially Holmewood Hall, I will definitely have a look and see if I can get a quote from them, and see what their policies are on pricing.

Thanks very much

Good to at least know I'm not the only one it's happened to! It could be that it won't be as much as 10%, they said 'we predict prices are possibly will increase 10% each year.' so nothing is certain either way really. It might be worth waiting until next year so that we can see how much they went up from ****, and go from there. I just don't want to wait that long haha!

Sorry I don't know how to quote more than one person, but thank you to everyone for your comments. It's definitely given me something to think about!