To think this is alot of money for an afternoon tea?

[Mummyof287]

A Hen do is being planned for next year for a close friend (I am one of the bridesmaids, but another whom I don't know is planning the hen party)
I'm very honoured to be her bridesmaid, and obviously i'm going to attend but can only go for the afternoon tea daytime part (Some are staying overnight, which the organiser said would be paying a higher price but not sure how she has worked it all out)

I am just abit shocked at the price of the afternoon tea, which she has said will be £40- then they are splitting the cost of the Bride (which I am MORE than happy to contribute towards) which brings the total p/p for day guests to £60.
Tbh i was expecting the cost to be about £25 max (then the contribution for the bride on top)
The going rate around here is £15-20/head for afternoon tea, or £25ish at the poshest venues I guess.
I mean its £45 p/p at The Ritz in central london! :-/

AIBU to be thinking of asking the organiser where the place is and ringing to confirm the cost is correct?
Money is tight, and whilst I want to be there for my lovely friend, pay my way and contribute to her having a wonderful hen do, I don't want to be paying towards everyone else.

I'd guess the £40 afternoon tea probs includes a glass of Prosecco?

I don’t really understand why you are each paying £20 for the bride. Are there only two of you going?

I don't think the Ritz is £45. I paid £60 at Browns earlier this year.

That's cheap for afternoon tea (at least in London). It's usually super expensive

I'd definitely want to check the prices out for myself.

Hmm, to be honest sounds about right to me. Only because afternoon tea is so popular and places know people will pay. There is a lovely little hotel/restaurant near me that is very pretty and very popular for afternoon tea. Their prices have risen from £16p/p when they first started doing them about five years ago and are now £55p/p! What you get for your money hasn't changed either! I haven't been for a while as I refuse to pay that price for some sandwiches and pastries but it's still very very popular.

So yeah, if it's a popular place for afternoon tea then the price sounds about right. Ridiculous though if you ask me.

As you state though you could always ring them up to double check the pricing if you are unsure.

The Ritz afternoon tea is more than 40 quid.....but I do agree that the price of £40 is steep.

Its one of those things that had crept up in price and it's basically unlimited tea/coffee, with cakes, sandwiches and scones.

You're paying for the presentation and the ambiance.

It’s £67 at the Ritz without alcohol.

Assuming you’re getting alcohol and paying for the bride it sounds about right.

I mean its £45 p/p at The Ritz in central london! :-/

I hate to say it….but it’s a lot more than that! Most Central London hotel places are £65+ these days. We went to a (swish, admittedly) patisserie place in Soho the other week and that was £32.50 pp and didn’t strike me as particularly special. So £40 for a hotel tea, somewhere nice, isn’t outrageous relatively (although I’m sure venues make a killing as it’s only a few sandwiches and little cakes!).

I think it’ll include alcohol - that’s about the price if they’re boozy ones.

How’s it £20 extra for the bride though?

Presumably because the bride is staying for the whole hen do unlike the OP, so not just afternoon tea, that includes her overnight stay, evening plans etc

Is it just and other BM splitting the Bride?

Is it some sort of Bottomless Prosecco Afternoon tea?

Yeah about right especially if a decent place and Prosecco (or other alcohol) is included. But unless there’s only the two of you (plus bride) going how does the brides afternoon tea mean an extra £20 each? I guess that must include several other activities/gifts etc?

Never been but Ritz is £67 no alcohol. Midland Hotel M/cr is £40 inc glass of Champagne. Celtic Manor £44 inc champagne at weekend - both are lovely.
I’d assume £40 includes alcohol and it’s not that high to be unusual.
Are there any offers or groupon?

Ritz is nearer £70 and Savoy is75

I assume the bridal contribution is for the whole weekend rather than just afternoon tea, otherwise I don't see how it can costing you £20?

£45 sounds (dare I say it) fairly cheap for an afternoon tea. I'm not a fan of them personally - for the money they cost I'd rather just have a proper plate of food.

Fortnum and mason do one at the royal exchange for £35 or £45 with a glass of champagne

www.fortnumandmason.com/the-bar-and-restaurant-at-the-royal-exchange-london

I’m up in Lancashire and never seen for £15/20. Midland in Morcambe (art deco) is also lovely and £30 ish I think.

Afternoon tea is a load of fluffing nonsense- so expensive. All for a posh cucumber sarnie, a cake, tea and a glass of Prosecco. It’s a sickening combination imo. Cream and alcohol. But the real bonus is being hank marvin afterwards and shelling out for a meal later!
Maybe this is just me 🤷🏼‍♀️😂

You must all be paying for the bride to stay overnight and maybe more Prosecco.

The price sounds about right to be honest.

I'd guess the £40 afternoon tea probs includes a glass of Prosecco?

Or "bottomless" Prosecco

No I totally agree with you, I got absolutely flamed on here a few years ago for suggesting £20 for a cup of tea, a scone and some stingy sandwiches costing the hotel at most £5 was (a) a rip off and (b) absolutely not a main meal or enough to line your stomach before a night out, I seem to remember the phrase 'lashings' was thrown around a lot, i.e. lashings of tea, lashings of cream etc and all the MN competitive under-eaters popped up to say there was no way they could ever finish a whole quarter of a cucumber sandwich AND a bite of scone, have to not eat for a week afterwards etc etc. I still can't quite reconcile myself to the idea people are now routinely paying £30-£40 for this rubbish, but evidence is overwhelmingly the other way. TBH I think you've gotten away quite lightly with paying £60 as that must also include costs for the bride's overnight stay, activities, decorations, costumes and all the other hen paraphernalia, I don't think I've gotten away with paying less than £200 all inc for a hen in this country for a while now once you take into account travel and incidentals (and of course so many people go abroad which makes it at least twice that if not more)...

I love an afternoon tea and a proper one you will be full and usually come away with spare cakes in a box. It’s sandwiches, often a savoury, two scones, several cakes with unlimited tea plus alcohol if you want. Takes a couple of hours. Obviously cakes and sandwiches not to everyone’s taste but I prefer to a meal out.
I do usually look for groupon offers though.

Is it just afternoon tea?

I recently organised a hen do and the cost pp was £35 but that included room hire, decorations, accessories for the bride (L plates type stuff). We hired a part of the venue so we could play games etc.

As in the hen do I organized was described as "afternoon tea" but it was much more than just that.

As PPs say, of course feel free to ask the bridesmaid where the venue is, that's a fair question but even if you find out it's 'hotel X' and their cost for a tea per person is in fact £25, I wouldn't just assume the bridesmaids are ripping you off, like PPs say the hotel may have insisted for a hen party (or any large group) you book a private room to avoid disturbing other guests which may have bumped the price up. They may have booked other activities (hopefully not a stripper but maybe some games or a craft activity or similar) to do before/after/during the tea. They may have opted for extra champagne/prosecco, wine or cocktails to be served. Any number of explanations basically. I think for the sake of £15-£20 I wouldn't risk upsetting them and by proxy the bride, it's a really thankless task organising these things and balancing multiple and precarious sensibilities and preferences and it's unlikely even if they are just ripping you off or allowing themselves to be ripped off they'll admit it so I think you'll either have to suck it up and pay or gracefully decline.

Like I say hens are so expensive these days, at least hopefully this really is all-inclusive rather than surprise costs being sprung on you on the day?