to think ONE meal shouldn't cost £8,500 for 100 people? And a buffet £3,000?

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

DH and I are married but have been wanting to get our marriage blessed and also have some sort of reception as we had nothing when we got married. Just been looking into prices - our first choice charged £190 for most the 'package' per head based on 80 people (£15,200), another (council owned!) place charged £8,500 just for the main meal for 100, then more for a later buffet, more for drinks then even more to upgrade drinks and desserts. AIBU to think these places are exploiting people? THese meals were quite basic (so more to upgrade), the drinks were bucks fizz (more to upgrade!) I thought maybe these places were abit fancy but a local pub/hotel charges similar. Don't even get me started on paying £10-£30 per bottle to use your own drink!

That cannot be right. We rented a town hall, a beautiful old council owned building and brought in caterers - had £25 per head food (free range chicken).

Can you just hire the place and bring in your own caterers?

Totally exploitative.

We no-ed one place as they were trying to insist that:

1. We must have a buffet for at least 75% of numbers £1000 - we were not inviting any extras to the evening do and had dinner at 5.30pm so would def not have needed it.

2. WEe book all ten hotel rooms as the noise would have impacted on sound in there - so we had to 'pay the price'. Oh, and did I mention that you could only book the rooms on a two-night deal. £2500.

We didn't have our reception there.

YANBU.

wedding packages are extortionate. Hire a venue and separate caterers. Or do the catering yourselves.

The council place you might... I just cannot believe that people pay that amount just for the food/drink/place and then even more for flowers and all the extras

do it on Friday or Sunday, much cheaper

we paid off our wedding loan last november

we have been married for eleven years next month.

oops. 12 years next month.

I think we paid £18 per person - it was 13 years ago but still... £190? They are mad.

£190 a head but it included the drinks, the evening buffet etc. so was starting to look not too bad! I really wish I had a garden - a marquee and a BBq would do me fine!

Our wedding meal was £16 a head and we didn't have to pay extra for hire of the venue.

That was 10 years ago but even so....

It wasn't a crappy place either, it was a perfectly lovely hotel.

When we got married in 1999 we had our reception in a pub which included a free bar. We had approx 40-45 people, a three course meal and the bar all came to £700.

My line manager is getting married in July - she told me yesterday it is £70 per head for the day do and another £25 per head for the evening do

Is it any cheaper on Sunday's or during the week.

Our entire reception cost £2000 for 50 in the day and 60 in the evening. That also included the wedding suite for dh and I. This was a year and a half ago in June. We didn't do a free bar though.

those prices are shocking.

They can only 'exploit' people who are willing to be exploited. We also had a lovely town hall and brought a caterer in for approx £25 a head - and that included everyone having a choice on the day of what they wanted, rather than 'take it or leave it' which is the usual deal with wedding menus. £190 a head is a ridiculous price, but you don't have to pay it. It's much harder work to organise a wedding or a big party where you hire the venue and do it all yourself, but it's much cheaper and more fun. We spent our £££ on fun things that we really wanted (including a free bar, which wasn't silly money because the prices were reasonable and corkage for wine was only £3 a bottle including having it collected from our house, chilled, glasses and service plus jugs of water provided and replenished all day and eve then the unopened bottles brought back to us next day - god the people who worked at that place were GEMS, absolutely wonderful) rather than stupidly expensive menus etc - we still spent a lot, but didn't feel ripped off because frankly we GOT a lot for our money. Our venue was a very nice building, not ugly by any stretch, and it cost £500 to hire including tables and chairs, the best and most helpful staff in the world, lighting and what have you for the band and full kitchens for the caterers.

Those prices are shocking !

village hall (~£100) and caterers? Many village halls can accommodate 80 people, and have licenses and insurance for alcohol. Or cater it yourself (not necessarily much cheaper ime, but you will have more control over ingredients, and will get better value booze).

An alternative would be to have a marquee in a 'venue' garden. many places offer this as a cheaper alternative. A friend of mine did this, and it was lovely (and relatively cheap!).

They are taking the piss.

Corkage of £30 a bottle????? Eh?????

Gwan.

Name and shame the venue.

let's have a laugh at their expense, in stead of the other way round

Message withdrawn

Thats daylight robbery imo,no way. My dh and I wedding reception at the Marriot hotel for about 77 people, it was round about £3,000 including extras like table decorating some drinks package and menues. This was 5 years ago mind you, but that price just sounds totally way off the mark, where is it the Ritz

That's ridiculous

my sister is having her reception and evening bash at a really good hotel locally; they've got 60 to a sit-down and upping it to 150 for the disco for £5k all in (drinks, food etc)

That was brill dilema the looks on their faces and they cant do anything about it as it is a private party. Just goes to show the huge mark up for weddings, you say wedding and they have £ signs in their eyes.

oh yeah - Dsis's package includes their bridal suite thingymebob room

YANBU, that is far too much. When DH and I got married in 2008 we paid £2500 for a gorgeous buffet for 200 people, including drinks. The venue for the ceremony and reception was free