An Interlude for Thought
With wedding package plans ranging in price any-W 1/ where from $25.00 to $125.00 per person, it is very easy to understand why a bride-to-be would question the value of what she is paying for.
It is relatively simple to make sure that the plan price you are being quoted is fair. It just takes some patience and a little homework on your part. The following easy steps tell, you how, and the sample at the end of this post shows you how to add it all up.
1. Make a complete list of all the items on your package plan that you know the facility has to contract "outside" for (for example, band, photographer, limousine, cake, centerpieces, linen, guest book and pen, cake knife, and wine toast glasses).
2. Call at least two companies that offer the same services and get a price quote on exactly what the plan is offering you. For example, don't get a band quote on three pieces for two hours when the plan is providing you with five pieces for four hours. On the other hand, don't ask the bakery about a torte cake when the one the plan gives you is a three-tiered vanilla. Be sure to ask if items are subject to tax and delivery fees. Delivery fees would most likely involve cake, flowers, and linen.
And when getting your linen quotes:
* For napkins: Add 50 to your total guest count. And don't forget to include the bridal party! You'll need napkins, too!
* For tablecloths: Divide your total guest count by ten. This is how many "round cloths" you should ask for.
* Add in 15 8-foot cloths to cover the head table, gift table, guest book table, etc.
3. For every item you are able to get two quotes on, take the average cost.
4. Accept your meal cost as it stands. You will have gotten this figure by asking your sales rep what it would cost to feed the musicians and the photographer. But if you do not have this figure, take your regular dinner menu and add $1.00 per person to the current entree price if your wedding is at least one year away.
5. For the toast, estimate $1.00 per person for wine, and $2.50 for champagne if you do not have readily available figures for this service.
6. Add applicable taxes and gratuities to all food and beverage services.
7. If the reception coordinator is someone who is hired from the outside, estimate $120.00 for this service.
8. If an overnight room is provided, call that hotel anonymously and ask for the rate of a room similar to the one you would be offered. Now, the Rooms Division rarely charges the Food and Beverage Department full price for the overnight room, so take the price you were quoted and divide it in half.
9. You might be charged a room rental for the picture room if you don't select the Package Plan. Figure in $50.00 for this.
10. Add in all applicable fees, such as bar setup, cake-cutting, etc. But keep in mind that if these charges are above and beyond the package plan price, they will have to be added as well, as the following graph shows:
Wedding Plan Cost Breakdown
A La Carte Wedding Plata
Band:
5-piece/4 hours: $1,800.00
Photography:
Comparable plan: $850.00
Limousine:
Black stretch Cadillac:
Cake:
$295.00
Three-tiered vanilla with top. Serves 200. $395.00 5% tax:
Delivery: $20.00
Total: $434.75
Centerpieces:
Head table and 19 guest tables: $587.50
5% tax: $29.37
Delivery: $20.00
Total: $636.37
Linen:
250 napkins. 19 round guest tables
and 15 8-foot cloths: $325.00
5% tax: $16.25
Delivery: $150o
Total: $356.25
Guest Book & Peu, Cake Knife, and Wine Toast Glasses:
$72.85
5% tax: S3-64
Total: $76.49
Boneless Breast of Chicken Meals:
200 meals @ $18.95 $3,790.00
5% tax: 1189.50
22% gratuity (food only): $833.80
Total: $4,813.30
White Wine Toasts:
200 toasts @ $1.00 1200.00
5% tax: 110-00
22% gratuity: $44.00
Total: $254.00
Reception Coordinator: $120.00
Overnight Room: $62.50
Picture Room: $50.00
Bar Setup: $4500
Cake-Cutting: $35.00
Assuming 200 guests, the per person total is:
$49.14
All-Inclusive Package Plan
$49.95 per person
Includes all services listed in the a la carte wedding, with the exception of: Bar set-up $45.00 Cake-cutting: $35.00
Total additional fees: $80.00
$80.00 200 guests = $ .40 per person
$49.95 + $.40 = $50.35 per person
Compare this to the Package Plan which includes $.40 extra per person for fees. This represents an additional $1.21 per person, or a total of $10,070.00 when costed out for 200 guests, a difference of $242.00 more.
If you are dealing with a package plan that includes open bar for one hour, you should estimate your bar total as follows:
1. Take your estimated number of guests and multiply that figure by 2.5 which represents 2V2 drinks per person.
2. Then multiply that figure by the cost of an average drink as this example shows:
200 guests x 2.5 drinks = 500 500 drinks @ $2.75 = $1,375.00
Add in applicable tax (if not already included) and gratuity for your total. How does this compare? You just might find that the plan is padding a few extra hundred dollars into the cost to cover themselves for your open bar!
Now if hors d'oeuvres are also included in that cocktail hour, just take the applicable totals off your regular hors d'oeuvres menu, remembering to add in tax and gratuity.
Now That You've Done Your Homework
If the totals rest within a few hundred dollars of each other, you will want to consider what this means to you, your budget, and your time. Is it worth the extra money to have the function facility take total responsibility for all of the package plan services provided? Or are you able to devote the time to making numerous phone calls and separate contracts and deposits, etc.? Are you willing to deal with any last-minute problems that may occur with the band, the cake, or the photographer? It's entirely up to you.
But if your carefully calculated homework shows a vast difference between what things cost and what the plan is charging you, definite action should be taken. Call your sales rep and have a heart-to-heart talk. If you can't get a satisfactory explanation of what all the extra money is for, you're probably better off considering another facility, or arranging for the service aspects yourself.
Whatever you do, be informed, be happy, be in charge. After all, this is your wedding!
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