With a passion.
The wedding industry has made me not want to have a wedding.
Ever.
Call me a cheapskate, a pessimist, difficult, or unromantic or whatever, but screw the entire wedding industry. (except the photographers, they’re the only vendors to call me back).
Our wedding venue of choice has a handful of approved caterers, only two of which are reasonably priced. After the one would not return my calls or e-mails, my fiancé and I decided to explore other caterers because our two-week hold on the date at our venue was running out. The caterer, which is a local BBQ restaurant, had a catering menu that ranged from $15-20 per person. Perfect.
Well, after calling them three times and e-mailing them once, they finally got back to me with a very brief and vague e-mail.
$70 per person. For BBQ? Really? Not to mention the fact that he didn’t respond to any of my other questions (like providing photos of their catering, if they can provide bartenders if we bring our own beer and wine, etc.). When I finally reached him by phone, he was so flippant and wouldn’t give me straight answers to any of my questions.
Me: “So you said you require a minimum of $30 per person for food, plus an additional $40 per person for service and equipment. How exactly does that $40 per person break down and how many hours does it include?”
Caterer: “Oh, we don’t really know the specific breakdown of service and equipment costs. We just know that it’ll be at least $70 per person total.”
Me: “Well, what about the prices listed on your website that say $15-$20 per person?”
Caterer: “OH! Well those are for corporate events, not weddings.”
Me: “Well, the reason I want the cost breakdown is because we might be able to get rentals cheaper through other companies.”
Caterer: “No, we don’t do that. We have to provide all rentals.”
Me: Well, that’s why I want the cost breakdown, to make sure I’m not getting ripped off.”
Caterer: We don’t know what the cost breakdown will be, we just not that it’ll be $70 per person, at least, and that’s a below-market price.
Me: “No thanks, I’m not giving you my business.”
And why won’t the other reasonable caterer call me back? And don’t give me that “we’re busy with Christmas parties” shit. This has been going on since October.
So, after a lot of discussion today, my fiancé and I are going to ditch our preferred venue and go with one of our original picks. It’s not quite as unique, but it won’t break the bank either, and we’ll have much more flexibility. More on that later!
Why is the wedding industry so infuriating for those of us that don’t want to spend a ton of money?
