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What do I ask the wedding manager? Checklist

 

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If you are getting married not a second (and more) time, you probably think that except for “How much is the menu for a person?” and “Is it possible with your alcohol?”, the restaurant’s banquet manager has no more questions. In fact, there are much more of them, and you will have to work hard to understand what a catering is and why the cork fee is so important, how not to eat the dog in the menu and why check the wires in the hall! Come on, don’t panic! We’re gonna tell you everything now. Catch a checklist of 18 questions to the banquet manager

Before you sign a contract, you’ll have to play Sherlock Holmes and scout all the pitfalls of this or that restaurant. You don’t think that every banquet hall has the same conditions, and the administration sleeps and sees how to provide all the best quality for newlyweds, and even free of charge? We don’t always play fair, but we will teach you how to dance on a minefield without falling into traps and asking the right questions!

1. Does the air conditioning/heating work in the room?

Depending on the season, I would like to be sure that the guests will not freeze/fry on your banquet. And even if you saw an air conditioner hanging on the front wall at the entrance to the restaurant, do not be lazy to ask if it works, if it works properly, if its power is enough to heat-cool the entire room? Bonus question: Does the restaurant administration have a generator in case the lights are switched off?

2. Does the hall have sound/light equipment, projector? Are they workers? Will you have to pay for them?

The technical equipment of the hall is a very ambiguous moment. Let’s start with the fact that you can’t evaluate its level on your own. And the end result is that on X day, you can just announce that the equipment has broken down, a new one had to be ordered from subcontractors and so you need to pay extra. Of course, this will happen only to those who will not add a clause about the technique to the contract with the institution with an exact indication of the number of sound speakers, air conditioners and even sockets for musical instruments, for example.

Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист
Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист

Photo: Andrey Nesterov, cover group “Fifth element”

3. Do I have to pay extra for the use of restaurant covers for chairs and tablecloths for tables?

Very often establishments offer textiles, furniture and wedding accessories as a gift. Make sure these are the right tablecloths, plates and tables for you. Clay vases for a snow-white wedding are not suitable, but you may be charged for the right shade of porcelain. Even the number of appliances that should be on the table is specified in the contract with restaurants by the knowledgeable organizers. Don’t think it’s the little things. When ten guests are left without basic forks, it won’t be very pleasant.

4. Will the decorators be allowed into the restaurant the day before the wedding for the installation? If so, is it paid?

Time allocated for installation works and decoration of the hall is one of the most important points in your contract with the site. Would you like a quality decor? Contractors need time for him. Situations when florists are opened the doors of the hall a few hours before the start of the banquet, alas, happen hundreds of times more often than never before, as it should be. You’ll probably have to pay for the technical hours. It is important to stipulate this amount “on the shore” so that the installation of the flower arch does not cost you more than this very arch. By the way, in addition to the editing hours, it will be useful for you to know how to make the correct timing of the wedding day.

Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист
Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист

5. How many bathrooms are there in the restaurant and will they be clean on the day of the wedding?

You just laughed, but you shouldn’t have. Imagining guests in a dirty bathroom is the least of the evils, though it’s also a pleasure! But to imagine yourself in a wedding dress, most likely magnificent or with a chic trail, in a not quite clean small room – that’s where the trouble is! Ask if the cleaning lady will be working on the day of the wedding or if she will clean up the restroom only before the holiday and her powers will end? By the way, not to check the performance of all the points of the contract with the restaurant on the day of the wedding, find out to whom it is better to delegate certain wedding tasks!

6. Does the restaurant have a cork charge?

Everything the newlyweds bring with them is taxed – the fee for each bottle that is not from the restaurant bar. It is common practice for a restaurant to charge a token fee for its drinks. That’s what they say most often in a contract. But the most resourceful restaurateurs don’t give the price of traffic jams. Many people work without a clear price list and announce figures at the last moment, focusing on their own mood, the financial situation of customers and their desire to go on vacation in the Maldives. discuss the issue of the cork fee and the price of the cork in advance, and learn more from a dozen tricks in preparing their wedding.

And in three clicks to count how much alcohol will be needed for the wedding banquet will help the service from Prosvadbu.ru – the calculator of alcohol for the wedding online

Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист
Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист

7. How many waiters will be working at the wedding? How much more will you have to pay for each additional one?

Normal level of service in the institution implies one waiter per ten guests. Tall, five o’clock. In reality, as you have to. It is necessary to specify and fix in the agreement not only the number of waiters, but also cleaning services both during the wedding and before (installation work) and even after, as well as payment for each additional waiter at the holiday. Speak separately about the appearance of the staff. A grandmother in a greasy robe, sweeping rose petals after the ceremony, will not decorate the holiday with all due respect for her work.

8. Will I have to pay for the rent of the surrounding area?

It is easy to avoid the situation when the cost of the adjoining veranda for the symbolic ceremony for 20 000 rubles was announced to you “in words”, and before the wedding the price list of 100 000 rubles was rolled out, it is easy – to fix in the contract changes in the conditions, if any occur. At the first meeting, specify the areas that are included in the restaurant rental price. Makeup rooms for artists, utility rooms for storage and installation of decorative structures and materials for decoration, wellness area, terrace, smoking rooms and even a balcony – for the use of any of its premises the institution can charge a fee. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise on your wedding day, of course. Control your spending and keep your wedding budget in check with the online cost calculator from Prosvadbu.ru.

Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист
Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист

9. Are there other rooms in the restaurant besides yours?

Why would you know that? In order to understand if your hall will be a passageway, through which other brides and guests will walk. Also, to find out if the noise level in the restaurant is sufficient, will the next wedding interfere with your wedding? It’s clear that it won’t work, and you’ll have to take the word for it to the restaurant’s banquet manager. Although, why not sneak in to one of the weddings and check the noise level?)

10. How many parking spaces does the restaurant provide?

It’s important to know if all your guests’ iron horses will fit in free parking or if someone will have to scold you and the restaurant you choose! If there aren’t enough spaces, ask the receptionist of the banquet hall, where there are parking spaces nearby and if they are paid? As a rule, restaurants form profitable tandems a la hotel restaurant: for a banquet in the N-th restaurant is given free accommodation for the wedding night in the N-th hotel. Well, maybe your guests’ cars can park at this hotel for free!

11. Will they charge you for the electricity you burned?

Mounting clocks, wedding banquet, dismantling clocks – this seems absurd, but many restaurants after the holiday bill the newlyweds for additional services and expenses of the banquet hall, which includes the price for the spent electricity. In order not to leave an unpleasant residue from the celebration after the wedding, say all the moments with the manager. Ask on the forehead: “Will there be any additional sums and expenses for the wedding that we don’t know about now and you haven’t told us about them, but they will come out later?”

Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист
Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист

12. Is there a dressing room for artists?

Of course, you haven’t thought about it at all, but still: where do the artists put their things, change clothes, place props and just relax between the rooms? If there is no special dressing room for them, ask the banquet manager where the artists can do all this? Perhaps they will be allocated adjacent rooms or an administrator’s office.

13. Is there a cake cart, a knife and a shoulder blade Are they free?

In the chaos of the wedding the most unobvious things are forgotten, such as the presence of a trolley for cake in a restaurant. Of course, the banquet manager should warn you about its absence, but that’s why we make this checklist for you, so that you are fully equipped when meeting with the manager of the hall and did not miss anything!


Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист

14. Can I change the arrangement of the furniture?

Sometimes it is forbidden even to change the style of table layout and arrangement of napkins on plates! Alas, it happens so! Therefore, thinking about how to arrange the arrangement of randomly around the hall of round tables to make the desired seating, for example, hemisphere, do not be lazy to ask the manager if you can change the arrangement to your liking? After all, sometimes a static table on the presidium cannot be moved, because there is a hole in the floor under it or a huge scuffle that will spoil the entire commercial look of the place!

15. Are there any restrictions on decoration and actions?

Is it possible to break glasses on the porch of a restaurant for good luck? Is it okay to flush petals and blow up clappers in and around a restaurant? Can I have a fireworks party on the playground in front of the restaurant? Is it possible to use fire indoors – decor with candles? How do you fix the decorations so you don’t ruin the restaurant’s finish? To avoid problems with your subsequent payment for the damage to the banquet hall, discuss these issues in advance and, of course, write in the contract!

Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист
Что спросить у свадебного банкет-менеджера? Чек-лист

16. How do you pay for food for children and wedding contractors?

The kids’ menu is the same in appearance, but not the same in weight! Their portions are half the size of adults, so it makes sense that they will be cheaper! The menu for contractors also differs from the banquet dishes of the guests, so here it is necessary to recalculate the amount for their meals. Clarify the numbers for the children’s and specialists’ banquet. And remember the golden rule: write everything in the contract to refresh the manager’s memory of the agreed amounts!

17. Is there enough room in the fridge to hold the cake?

What if you have a tall, high-tiered cake for your wedding? Will it fit in the fridge of the restaurant you chose or do you want to choose for your wedding? Even if there is no clear understanding of whether the cake will be big or small, and you book the restaurant now, take care of the future dessert and find out what the manager will be able to come up with to keep a high cake in the cold?

18. Can I extend the banquet time and how much will it cost?

Some restaurants walk until the victory, while others record the exact time of the end of the banquet. Most often, there are two reasons to set the time frame: 1) the location of the banquet hall; 2) a certain working time of the staff. If the institution is located in a residential area, the festivities after 23:00 should not disturb the mode and exceed the noise level. And for a wedding, it’s not the right thing to do! What’s to be done? If the time of the celebration still depends on the payment to the staff, then make an appointment in advance about the exact amount for each extra hour

 

Ksenia Shinkarenko
, manager of the Sweet Wedding agency, St. Petersburg

Talking to
a Sanctuary Manager is a dangerous thing to do! Not everyone calling themselves a wedding organizer
knows all the subtleties of such a meeting, what to say
young couples!

I can add the following to all of this:

  • Find out
    if there is a system of fines and extra payments? For example, for fixing
    decor
    elements
    to walls, floors, ceilings, curtains.

    For the use of additional
    furniture (tables, chairs).

  • What is the cancellation policy? Does the deposit come back? Cases are different. Even the worst of them you have to think about beforehand!
  • Find out what kind of advance payment is required to book a room? When is the menu made up? When can I make the last adjustments? When is the banquet fully paid for? All this is very important to discuss and add to the contract to save yourself from trouble and unnecessary stress before and after the wedding
  • Feel free to ask if there are bonuses for newlyweds? If so, which ones? Hotel room for wedding night as a gift, discount on banquet menu or alcohol from the bar will not hurt you!
  • Speaking of the benefits and opportunities to bring
    your drinks, fruit, candy and other products. Many people lose sight of the fact
    that it is necessary to bring drinks beforehand, so that they have time to cool down by serving
    them on the tables.

    Talk to the restaurant manager about it.

Material author / Elena Yushina

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Alexander Graham Bell
Hello, I'm Alex. A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, Me and my wife Rachel live in central Florida. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan, i'm into wedding inspiraton. I share my ideas with brides

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