To expect redress from wedding venue?

Our wedding venue had scaffolding put up a few weeks before our wedding. I think they knocked off about 2k without much effort. I think I was just lucky to ask first as it was then in a paper with lots of sad face brides and grooms saying their day had been ruined and no discount forthcoming.

Good luck. Hope you get a good resolution. Maybe you can go back at a later date for some more photos.

There's always one 🤣

What a bizarre take.

Most people want to have nice wedding photos!

So?

The chapel has no requirement that people renting it have religious affiliations.

Why are you speaking pejoratively of the OP and deeming her desire for nice photography to be nothing more than "bragging Instagram photos?" Many people choose venues in attractive settings for this momentous occasion in their lives, it doesn't make them shallow. Not everyone wants to live to the lowest common denominator.

So you wanted the chapel for purely Instagram style bragging photos, although you have no connection with the college or chapel or even religious connections? And you’re getting litigious because other people also want to film ther?

YABU

You're doing it entirely for prestige reasons.

We need to see the T&Cs to be accurate
OP is quoting what she believed
And it does specify "some areas" which could be that you have non-exclusive access to some areas and no access to others (detailed in a different bit of the T&Cs)

Im guessing it’s somewhere similar to university of Greenwich, I would ask for a walk around again, for confirmation of areas to use, ask if you want a specific spot/area for a photo and see if they can allow specific time for you? For said photo. What they are probably trying to achieve is to stop guests wandering into filming areas. I’m not sticking up for them, you have my sympathy

Not really. OP wasn't assuming anything, she said what she'd read in the T&Cs so obviously I was going by that

Regardless of what is spelled out in the contract, any halfway competent events coordinator should have realized that using the grounds was a primary motivator for selecting that venue, and contacted you urgently when the filming was scheduled.

This is a longshot but how about trying to contact the production company? They must have a media or PR person who might be able to slip you inside the 'prohibited area' for an hour of photos. I'd try. Is the wedding on a weekend? Do film shoots typically take place on weekends?

Maybe they'd even see it as an opportunity for positive public relations, and have some cast members join you in a few group shots, or who knows what? I do marketing and comms, and would bite at that.

If they turn you down I'd tag them in a few sad-face social media posts. "We had been looking forward to our dream wedding at XXX but thanks to Harry Potter (or whatever) we had the rug pulled out from under us. So sad and disappointed!"

There's a lot of speculation going on about exactly what the contract says and how it can be interpreted etc but the reality is, the production company will be paying more, the venue aren't going to cancel that so OP can get photos.

The most you can hope for is that they ask the production company what their schedule is and if you can have some photos there.

If OP tries to enforce the contract according to her interpretation they may just offer to refund the cost of the venue and let her cancel it. They know they have all the power in the situation. They aren't going to cover the cost of the whole wedding (including providers) so it's realistically not an option.

@Coffeeandgranola I work at a place where something similar happened. A group of people were visiting my department, and travelling from quite far. It was all arranged well in advance. Then I was told that a film crew was booking the entire venue for the whole day, exclusively, so I'd have to tell my prior booked group that they couldn't come. Well, they kicked up a fuss and in the end a compromise had to be found as I pointed out it would be a reputational risk to not honour the first booking, and that just because the film crew were paying a lot more it didn't justify alienating our core audiences.

Presumably weddings bring in more money collectively than one or two film contracts?

In the end it was agreed with the film crew that my group would be in a certain part of the venue for the two hours they needed, and they would work their filming around it.

What time of day is your wedding? Film crews usually take ages to get set up, and they won't be continuously filming in the same space all day.

It sounds like it's money over integrity tbh. Sorry this is happening to you.

It's a tough one. Our wedding venue had a very standout external feature which was one of the reasons we chose to get married there. 6 weeks before we were told it would be covered in scaffold and sheeting. I tried not to let it bother me tbh because the wedding was indoors but it did impact the photos.

I felt between a rock and a hard place really because they had all the bargaining power - I obviously wasn't going to cancel the wedding at such short notice! I didn't ask for anything but they offered some things out of good will (gave us some of the overnight accommodation for free etc). I think we saved about £2,000 because of it in the end (overall wedding cost about £40,000) but on the day I didn't give it a second thought!

The amount of people who haven't read the contract confidently stating what the contract says isn't helping OP.

It sounds as if the contract at no point specifically includes access to the disputed area for photography, but that the OP assumed it. This is typical of how venues word contracts.

OP has my full sympathies but venues take great care to avoid specifics in contracts and it seems OP has fallen foul of this.

Please let's not advise OP on what her contract is for when we only have one paraphrased bit of text from what is likely to be a 12 to 17 page document.

They do not "guarantee 'exclusive' use of any area of the university grounds" Does it just say this? I can totally understand why you have interpreted this is "we guarantee 'non- exclusive' use of any area of the university grounds". I totally see why you have done that and I think it's a very very cheeky way of phrasing it. I would definately tell them you are very disappointed in the situation, and hopefully, if they value their customers, they will give you some compensation or make it possible for you to have a photo or two in the location you want. That being said, it is YOUR interpretation, "we don't guarantee exclusive use" certainly doesn't MEAN "we guarantee exclusive use". If they value your custom they will try to help, if not, then your mistake, not theirs, live and learn to clarify everything!

Nope. It says they might not have exclusive use of some areas of the grounds. Which means they should have access to all areas, just not exclusively

Good advice from @DoYouReally .

Good luck, OP! And congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!
I hope it will all work out.

Any famous stars in whatever‘s being filmed? Can you appeal to them? Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz (for example) ruined my wedding day isn’t the best of headlines!

St Andrews and kilts?

Yanbu. I totally see your point about this. I wish the filming people could move out the way for an hour so you could use the area. Their time and money is important but so is your wedding. I think the location people should have notified you when you booked. Surely the filming company didn't book it last minute!

If the wording is about exclusive access rather than denial of access to certain areas then I would go back to them and push this, especially if it's a selling point that they advertise heavily etc.

What about shooting the photos early? Would that be possible?

Yes they have non exclusive use which means they can occupy the same space, not that they be prevented from using the space.

if this is the only term on this issue then you 100% have access to the space as a part of your contract. You have booked the venue which covers every part of the venue they routinely hire out. If there is a term saying ‘we reserve the right to close of certain areas but will offer a comparable area’ then you have no right to complain but non exclusive right to use an area means exactly as the term says. I can’t see how it can be read any other way. I would personally cause merry hell on this. I would ask them to show the term which says they had the right to restrict areas that you have paid for.

It’s Bridgerton isn’t it 😄

It said they might not have exclusive use, not no use at all. I think they have a good case for a partial refund. They could always speak to a solicitor if they offer a free first consultation.