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.

That’s not expensive, nor is it the cost of the Ritz.

I’d question why you’re being asked to pay an extra £20 though as that doesn’t seem right, are they expecting you to contribute to towards the bride’s costs for the whole weekend even though you can’t make it?

I just don't get why hens have to do anything like this - I mean, it's better than going abroad, true.. I just went to pubs & a nightclub with my pals!
Same with 'baby showers' - presumably imported from the States? Meh. All an excuse to spend money we don't have, as far as I can see!

Afternoon Tea at the Ritz is not 45 quid for adults. I checked because that sounds way too cheap.

Traditional Afternoon Tea is priced at £67 for adults and £45 for children (including Value Added Tax at the prevailing rate at the time of payment).
From 1st January 2023, Traditional Afternoon Tea will be priced from £70 for adults and £48 for children.

The Ritz is just under £70 pp, rising slightly in January.
The £45 price is for the child's afternoon tea.

£40 is the norm for a 'posher' afternoon tea outside of London, though may include a glass of fizz, or for a chain bar with perhaps bottomless brunch.

I’d question why you’re being asked to pay an extra £20 though as that doesn’t seem right, are they expecting you to contribute to towards the bride’s costs for the whole weekend even though you can’t make it?

This would be my assumption. Seems fair to me.

A celebration afternoon tea with a cake and a glass of champagne at the Ritz is £100 plus.

I think you are looking at the price of the children's afternoon tea at the Ritz, OP.

£40 very much the going rate in my experience, more with alcohol.

I didn’t have a hen do at all but if I was invited to one I’d love an afternoon tea hate a pub/nightclub. Afternoon tea perhaps means hen is inviting older female relatives too as it’s suitable for all ages.

According to their website the Ritz- Priced from £67 for adults and £45 for Children’s Afternoon Tea. So with a glass of bubbles you are well over £80, I also agree with other posters there may be extras involved for room decoration or if hotel accommodating a big group, I helped arranged an afternoon tea for a friends fathers 75th birthday recently in Brighton, and as they were over 15 people there was an extra 10-% surcharge as tables had to be moved and room layout changed.

What is the extra £20 for? And how many people are paying the £20?

Is that to cover the bride's whole day, rather than just her afternoon tea?

But pubs and nightclubs cost money too?
Just depends what people prefer to do, I suppose. I'd much prefer the afternoon tea personally.

To be fair to the Ritz I didn’t eat for the rest of the day after their afternoon tea. And it was just lovely.

Depends on what it covers.

Some little cucumber sandwiches, a scone and two little mini cakes with a pot of tea in a nice tea room? Then yes, that's expensive. I'd love that, but I wouldn't expect to pay £40. More like £20-25.

But the quantity and quality of afternoon teas varies loads and if yours is in a posh venue and includes a lot of food then I think it's probably a fairly normal price. For example, I took my mum for one as a birthday treat a few years ago and the sandwiches (think speciality artisan breads, freshly-cut rare roast beef, fresh poached wild salmon etc) and the cakes were absolutely gorgeous ... and also plentiful. As soon as we'd finished anything they offered us more and made it clear that we could have as much as we liked. I think we also had a glass of something sparkling with it, but I can't remember if that was part of the price or extra. We were definitely full afterwards, and trust me, we are very much NOT light eaters. It was pricey but I didn't feel it was poor value, if you see what I mean.

The Ritz is £67 with no booze. If you want a glass of champagne it’s £94.

As it’s a hen do, she’s probably organised for Prosecco and a few surprises thrown in. I don’t think it sounds that expensive. Don’t go back and query the cost, organising these things and getting money off girls you don’t know is always awkward. Just be grateful you don’t have to organise it all.

How many people is the bride's cost being divided amongst?

Claridge's used to be £85 with a glass of Champagne. We had a small family group there before my wedding back in 2017.

Probably £100+ now

Its unbelievable how much prices have increased at restaurants.

It’s more than I’d want to pay but not shockingly expensive, it’s in line with afternoon tea at other places

I think it sounds reasonable tbh. Nice afternoon tea with a glass of fizz will be £40.
£20 towards all the costs for the bride isn't huge either.

Afternoon tea is one of those things that seems to have gone up enormously since Covid. If it's the now ubiquitous Prosecco version, I think £40 is about normal now.

DS took my mum for one at a fairly ordinary regional hotel and it was £28 each without booze

I’d feel embarrassed to ask my friends to fuss around me so much and to spend so much money in current climate especially. But then I suppose it could be worse, it’s not abroad for a start. I think it’s ok to decline the invite if it’s too much though as there is also the cost of the wedding to consider

You're not going to get an evening of pubs and nightclubs for £40?

Our boss treated us to afternoon tea at the Wolesley last year and I think it was about £48, inc one glass of champagne.

It was nice but I'm not a fan of sweet things, I'd love a savoury afternoon tea, sausage rolls etc.

It's expensive for where I live. Just had a quick look and Brown's(Leeds) is £22, Betty's(Ilkley) is £25 and The Ivy (Leeds) is £27.

Afternoon tea isn't generally any more complicated or expensive than going clubbing though, really.

I think one of the reasons people end up doing overnight stays for hen dos is because these days, most people have friends scattered all over the place. If all my friends lived in my home town I'd just have a night out too, but in reality if I had a hen do with my best friends I'd be inviting people from locations all over the country.

Can you not just check on the venue's website for the cost? do you think it's expensive for where it is or do you think what you are being asked to pay is not in line with the cost and there are some financial shenanigans going on?

Re prices, Northcote near whalley is £30 but that's oop north - that doesn't include booze so a glass of champagne would make it £45 ish. Done right it's a meal isn't it.