To be annoyed at wedding venue?

[LolaDo]

I’m getting married in 3 weeks at an English country house hotel type venue.

They have called me today to advise that there will be roof works going on on my wedding day complete with the usual scaffolding etc. Fine. However, this goes round the perimeter of the whole venue so will be at the entrance. This means no pictures outside or under the beautiful archway. There’s a huge path leading up to the entrance with gardens either side so I won’t be able to have pictures here either as the scaffolding will be in the background.

They have also “advised” that the main bar and sitting lounge (it’s like a cigar lounge type thing where guests would have waited when they arrived) will be boarded off for refurbishment and they will be putting a temporary bar/ lounge round the back of the hotel.

I have guests coming from all over and the first thing they are going to see it bloody great scaffolding/ tarpaulin and builders.

I am so upset. What would you do?

We have spent a huge amount of money on this venue because it was “perfect” and now I just feel like the whole day will not be as I imagined. Am I being over dramatic?

Photos etc I think are not a problem but you want assurances that your wedding will not look or feel like a building site. I would ask for a meeting and ask them to show you, on a map or site drawings, or walking through the venue, where the works will be, how it will affect your day.

Then decide whether that is acceptable to you. They are being apologetic, yes?

I would not be happy with this at all. I would kick up a big fuss.

I would demand all my money back and try find a suitable last minute arrangement if possible. Even if you still get married inside but have somewhere else host reception/photos if complete change is not possible. If its a big job they knew about to begin with then they have missold it to you.

I totally get what you mean about it being your wedding day and not wanting any negativity and awkwardness, I felt the same about my wedding. Buy you are business to them. They are in the business of weddings they know that the look of the place is important (it's what allows them to charge the prices they do).

You presumably have a contract signed? Mine specified which areas we'd have access to on the day so they are potentially in breach of contract. Regardless it's not what you paid for. The fact that they haven't come to you themselves with an apology and an offer of compensation is terrible but do not let this go. You don't need this stress right now but out of however many hundreds of venues you chose them so don't let them get away with this.

Ask them what they are going to do to compensate your losses (both financially and practically), be specific and list them, e.g:

loss of photo opportunity
loss of ambience
Your overall enjoyment of the day
The additional stress they have caused, etc

And don't let them tell you these are intangible things, it's a wedding it's supposed to be about how you FEEL. You are paying for an experience here.

It may be that there's a lovely private area they can give you access to for photos or as a bar area. On top of that they need to give you a BIG discount.

They need to work to make you feel satisfied and if they don't tell them you'll be taking it further.

Good luck and don't forget you're in the right.

Oh shit, it's not good. We pay huge amounts for weddings because we expect everything to be top notch, and perfect.
You need a meeting asap, to go though what it will look like, where the scaffold is, if it can be removed, will any work be taking place on the day etc, and in the interim I'd be looking around for another venue.
At this time of year that will be possible.
Perhaps if you gave the area you are in someone on here can help.

Have they started the work?

I would go down and have a look.

It isn't just the scaff and the tarp all round the building, which runs the look it's the mud, the lorries, the noise, the skips , the bucket-chute things...

I would be looking at your contract with a fine tooth comb and your wedding insurance - and if none, look at your current house contents insurance: sometimes you might have ticked the 'legal' box which entitles you to legal advice on SOME issues, Usually health, house and employment, though.

I'm an Events Manager and I worked in a venue such as you've described.

They've chosen to schedule the building work now because it's technically off-peak season, peak wedding season is May-Sept BUT they would have known this work was planned for some time and you should have been told about before now. Even if you booked the venue months or even a year or two ago someone either from the sales or events team should have let you know about this several months ago.

You should DEFINITELY complain and you should DEFINITELY ask compensation e.g. partial refund as this will impact on the enjoyment and experience of your day. I'm presuming when you had a show round they highlighted the rooms they recommended you use e.g. the main bar/cigar lounge and where photos could be taken outside to show the building at it's best etc ? You should stress the building work will now spoil your guests arrival, external photos (obviously you don't want the building in the background) and the main bar/lounge being boarded up is absolutely inexcusable! I'm disgusted they've tried to casually tell you about this just three weeks before your wedding and putting a temporary lounge/bar at the back does not compensate as the venue you've booked for your wedding and the 'spaces' you're meant to be using has changed significantly!

Gosh this is winding me up, I wish you were my friend because I would call them on your behalf!

They're trying to gloss over it in the hope you just accept it because it's now so close to your wedding they know you can't cancel and you won't want to get stressed about it and spoil the run up to your day. In reality they will be waiting to see if you complain and ask for compensation!

Don't let it ruin your day but don't let them get away with offering you no compensation either!

Good luck x

I would be expecting a full refund of your deposit, you didn’t know about the work when booking. I would tell them you want to cancel and you want your money back or you will be seeking legal advice. No one wants to get married in a building site.

Although for me the scaffolding wouldn’t be a huge issue, in your case it sounds like you chose this venue because it ticked the boxes aesthetically and that was a big part of choosing the venue and the temporary bar too is not the way you had planned it. I would be asking for a refund and/or inquiring what might be available elsewhere just in case. They are not deliver Yong the product you were promised. It’s like ordering a 4 tier cake and getting 2 and missing the decoration. You’d want a discount at very least!

I'd try and find an alternate venue and when I had found one i'd demand all the money back. A partial refund doesn't help in this situation as as you say the building will look awful for you and guests and you can't have pics with it. No amount of money off will change that.

Drive over there, get hold of the manager, do not take any shit. This is just not ok. They need to do this work at a time when there are no weddings, or if it’s emergency they need to refund you a huge amount.

it is possible to change location - it happened to those booked in when the National Trust property Clandon Park burned down. However this is different as the venue is still functional.

I'm also relaxed about weddings but there's no point booking a pretty venue that then becomes a building site! That's not what you paid for. Take no prisoners and good luck.

Oh no :-(. Def ask about compensation as it's not what you were sold as you were originally shown round

The owners of this venue are banking on the fact that you will be too upset or too embarrassed to complain. you will be all "british" about it and just suck it up and make do. So, don't.

arrange a meeting with them asap. before you go in have a very clear idea of what you are willing to accept. this might be scaffolding removal, money off, reschedule or whatever it is that you feel that they need to do. but write it down and stick to your guns.

they knew months ago that they had to do work to the venue and by not offering you exactly what you saw when you booked it they are breaching their contract with you.

don't name and shame them until after your wedding but make it very clear to them that other brides will feel exactly the same.

Just read some of the other replies.

I wouldn't recommend you cancel this late, I'm sure you have spent months planning this wedding.

I wouldn't worry about awkwardness on the day., waiting staff will be unaware of any discussions/complaints that have taken place. The Event Manager and General Manager who work the event will be aware but they will be going all out to make sure your day runs smoothly and you're happy.

As for awkwardness, there is a way to complain and be assertive about your rights and what you have paid for that does not involve shouting at people, abuse etc:

It is a contract. You have a right to demand that they stick to it, and act professionally and you can demand that in a professional manner. And will probably be more successful than some of the suggestions made on this thread.

Ask for a FULL REFUND, go in GUNS BLAZING AS THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFE TIME EVENT and give them by the end of this week to let you know what they are prepared to offer you as compensation or else threaten to go public.

In any case, let your local paper know now.

This way you have time to reorganise if they don't help.

This is inexcusable and you have every right to demand a full refund.

Don't let them get away with it because if you do the stress of it all will ruin what should be the happiest day of your life so be firm!!!!

If it is an emergency repair they won't have know in advance
You don't just get in, find your roof is leaking and the next day stick up a full scaffolding around the building. It doesn't work like that. Scaffolding design, especially for this type of building would take time to do. No way they have scoped, procured and appointed these works in three weeks - even for an emergency repair. If it were an emergency, they would have used a cherry picker to put a temporary tarp on the roof to stop water. Unless there was a great gaping obvious hole in the roof, it is really difficult to actually tell where a roof leak is coming from. Finding that takes time too. And finding a builder and scaffolder who can do it.

Please don't go in guns blazing! You'll get much further, much faster if you're calm, business like and rational. And do take your partner or your most credible friend with you for support.

I haven't rtft.

Can the company just remove it for your wedding and reinstate it the next day?

I know there will be a cost to them for getting the company to do it, but they'll just have to lose that money.

Disclaimer: I know nothing about scaffolding.

Wow, really feeling for you thats awful.

Stay calm, gather your thoughts and there is some brilliant advice on here already.

I would second the local paper option if they try and play hard ball. x

That is absolutely disgraceful. They should be named and shamed all over the internet. How dare they do this and spoil your day. They are banking on you making no fuss. Make the biggest fuss you can make and tell them they need to put of the work till another time and not let people book weddings on a building site.

Regardless of when they knew, or when they will admit they knew, the works had to be done, there is no excuse for just writing to the OP and letting her know as if it were chicken off the menu!

Where's the apology? Where's the offer of compensation? At the least they should have invited her and DF in to explain in person and ask what they would like to happen given the circumstances.

THAT would have been the professional approach.

OP, if the work takes time, you may find there are a few bridal parties upset at this work taking place. If you have any thoughts of going for another venue, GET RINGING NOW as others will be doing so.

I'm fairly laid back but there's is no way I would accept this whatsoever (as long as the contract was such that I had legs to stand on).

I don't care whether it is "just one day, it will still be special"; people spend thousands and thousands on weddings and they deliberately make very special choices. It's not like spending £40 on a kettle and then changing your mind. If you've spent huge sums of money you're damn well entitled to get exactly what you expected to get.

I would be demanding an urgent meeting with your contact/manager at the hotel, and demanding full explanation, precisely what they propose to do about it, precisely what the "temporary" replacement bar is like and from there decide what you want to do. Personally, I think this is worth a very, very significant reduction if you even want to go ahead. Personally, I would actually consider trying to find somewhere else as it's off season and it was feasible.