Interesting Article-- why weddings cost more?

Found this while doing some research at work.. A lot of these things make sense as to why an event at the same venue would be a little more..

Why Weddings Cost More



So how do you determine a price for a wedding reception? We've heard one venue manager joke that he bases the figure on the size of the rock in a bride's engagement ring. While the truth might be a little less catty, weddings often cost more than corporate events for a variety of reasons:

GUESTS EXPECT MORE
"At weddings people eat more, drink more and want more," says a manager at a large Manhattan hotel, which books more staff for a wedding than a corporate event. Michael Warren, director of catering for Pier Sixty, notes that wedding receptions are often longer than corporate events. Weddings also usually serve a four-course meal instead of a smaller dinner and offer a choice of entrées, plus champagne and an elaborate cake. Those elements can add 20 to 25 percent to the cost.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Wedding prices are usually scheduled for the most popular times—summertime and Saturday nights—which can raise the prices by 20 percent. And corporate planners generally book closer to the event date, when venues are more open to negotiating.

BRIDES TAKE HAND-HOLDING
Pricing can also be determined by what is required of vendors in the planning process. "With weddings, the bride and groom have never done it before so planning is harder because you don't know exactly what they want," says Judith Chavarria of Abella Events.

CORPORATE PLANNERS ARE SAVVIER
"There is a lot of low-balling [in weddings], selling people the space at one price and then adding elements and cost later," says Ken Ruby, president of the Altman Building—not that he says he does such things himself. "Corporate people are savvier so you don't want to mess with them because you want them to come back, whereas brides are a one-time thing." The possibility of repeat business can help professional planners negotiate savings of 10 percent or more.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR
"There is absolutely no reason a bride and groom should have to pay more [given all the same criteria]," says Harriette Rose Katz, president of Gourmet Advisory Services. But couples usually want more extravagant set-ups with lots of flowers and other add-ons. "Even if it is a high-end corporate event, they often don't spend as much on decorations because if the guests are clients, the company doesn't want them to think it is spending money frivolously," says Judy Paulen, president of Paulen Cleary Productions. As Waldman says, "People would have to lower their standards to have a wedding for corporate event prices."

Re: Interesting Article-- why weddings cost more?

Yup, this is why I got married on a Monday, July 4th at 11 am. Our entire reception for 100 people, hall, dj, flowers, etc. was less than $9K. I paid less than half of what the Saturday night bride paid 48 hours before me.

Re: Interesting Article-- why weddings cost more?

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Posted by David'sbride

Yup, this is why I got married on a Monday, July 4th at 11 am. Our entire reception for 100 people, hall, dj, flowers, etc. was less than $9K. I paid less than half of what the Saturday night bride paid 48 hours before me.

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Re: Interesting Article-- why weddings cost more?

interesting.

I beg to differ regarding repeat business however.

The best advertising is word of mouth. If a hall continuously screws people over, it will hurt them. Especially in this day an age with the internet!

Re: Interesting Article-- why weddings cost more?

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Posted by dleeny

interesting.

I beg to differ regarding repeat business however.

The best advertising is word of mouth. If a hall continuously screws people over, it will hurt them. Especially in this day an age with the internet!

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