Wedding venue cancelling my menu choices with three weeks to go - devastated

[Ilikegherkins]

I have just received an email from my wedding venue saying there has been a mid communication with my menu choices for my upcoming wedding. I have chosen a three course meal - with the help of the events planner at the venue, printed menus for 44 guests to choose and RSVP, spent hours with a spreadsheet to be able to get my pre order in - which was confirmed by the head chef in February (all choices with costings)

We have a three course set menu for 44 guests - we have also pro ordered lots of wine / beer and will be getting evening food for approx 60 people

I am in complete disbelief. The new set menu they have sent me bears no resemblance to my menu and is £20 per head more expensive

They have offered me a bottle of champagne to say sorry

Does anyone have any constructive advice - I'm a bit heartbroken

Post this in legal, as my first thought

Good idea - will try now. Thankyou

Have they said why? Is it because of rising costs?

what’s in your contract?

I'd say I'm not paying the extra 20 quid ph. Cheeky bastards.

That’s not acceptable.

tell them you have a contract to provide the pre arranged items and that their proposed alternative is not acceptable.

Will the email trail count as a 'contract' I don't have anything in writing.

Oh god - that is a bloody nightmare.

Have you got your contract handy?

I don't have a contract - only email communication

Cannot believe that with changes such as this, they haven’t phoned you direct. I definitely wouldn’t be paying more, than what was agreed, it’s their choice to change the order. Have you signed a Contract, if so, read the small print.

Do you have a contract at all for the venue? Rather than specifically a contract for the food?

I’d be inclined to say you’ll accept the altered menu but you won’t be paying more for it, as you have a contract.

This is what they have sent

I wasn't given an 'old menu' I was given the current menu at the time of booking

They may not be able to honour the dishes if the ingredients aren't available, but they should honour the cost or offer at least a much better 'sorry' than one bottle of champagne - a bottle for every few guests would be a start.

I don't have a contract. It was all arranged face to face and email. I have the e mail trail with confirmation from the head chef that the choices and pricing are all ok

Agree with this. If they literally can’t get ingredients there’s not much to say however yes, they should be honouring the cost!

Agree with this, I would accept the menu change but absolutely not the cost change.

Unless you're after uniquely sourced ingredients shipped from Africa there's no way they couldnt fulfil your original menu. They just dont want to pay for it.

I wouldnt be sympathetic at all. Good luck in legal!

A bit of a difficult one with no contract. Normally wedding venues will write into their contract that prices / food may change up to a certain time before the date of the wedding (eg 2 months). I think 3 weeks to go is really harsh, but even more so the additional £20 per head. No way would I be paying that.

I'd write a nice reply back saying you are very disappointed to see the menu change as it bares no resemblance to what you had chosen, and in light of it being agreed all the way back in Feb and costs incurred to have menus printed by yourself etc you could like to find a medium ground to what they are suggesting.

I'd be asking them to provide food more similar to your first choices and also be asking to pay £10 per head instead. If that.

An email is ‘in writing’

If they’ve provided the wrong menu then that’s their look-out. Ingredients don’t just become unavailable. They may become more costly.

A bottle of champagne isn’t sufficient compensation for the inconvenience.

What contract do you have?

Absolutely not. They may need to change some of the menu but they need to honour the same cost. I’m surprised you don’t have a contract though, is a usual wedding venue or something else?

Have they said you have to pay the extra cost? The email doesn't say that. While the attachment presumably has today's cost on, that doesn't mean they aren't honoring the original cost.

Even if you haven’t signed a contract, you may have defaulted to the venue’s standard terms& Conditions.

You do (legally) have a contract, even if it isn’t neatly written oin one document. Problem is, what are the terms of that contract when it isn’t neatly in one place, and is this a breach of those terms?

I would insist on the original price & as close as poss to the original menu, or they provide a new menu at original price, or suck up the cost of the new menu themselves.

But forcing them to do that could be hard, and you’ve only got 3 weeks to go.

sorry OP but there’s no easy solution

I wouldn't be agreeing to an additional any £ per head. They agreed a price in February and they are bound by that. If you have 100 guests an extra £10 is a thousand pounds!

What were the choices OP, were they particularly seasonal or unusual ingredients?

And this is a good question actually. Can you ring them up and follow up in writing?