Thought I’d canvass some opinion on this one. Any caterers out there, or folk with experience in this industry? Would appreciate some inside info or just opinion on how I should play this.

We cancelled our wedding with 3 weeks and 1 day notice. Cost of catering was going to be £4500. Large established, well known caterer. Do lots of big corporate do’s. Caterer asked that we pay £2100 cancellation fee. They say their normal cancellation policy would have been 75%, but they forgot to include this on their quote, and have got it got it down to less than 50% for us. Still seems a bit much. Willing to pay reasonable amount to cover their costs, but also trying to minimise our costs. Understand they may not get another booking and will have lost revenue. Asked for details on their costs, and it is mostly staff costs. Does this mean they will still pay their staff for not working, or will they just pay them and put them on another funtion? Does £2100 seem reasonable or should I try and get it down further? If so, how and on what basis?

Any thoughts either way appreciated.

Ta

I’m no expert but, in true STW tradition will still offer an opinion, if the cancellation clause is not in the contract i would have said that they won’t have a leg to stand on, offer them £1k take it or leave it and point out thats being generious as there is no clause in the contract.
As for whether they will have to pay their staff or not i would have thought this would depend on if they have monthly/weekly salaried staff or just employ on a casual basis 😕

Open negotiations. If they’ve forgotten to put it in the quote, then it’s their look out TBH. I’d start at what bigsi suggests, and see what happens. Remember, it’s just business, don’t let it get nasty.

What Si said, basically…

It makes no odds what their costs are – you just have to pay what is set out in the contract. If that says 75% and they’re offering less than 50%, then take it. If the contract doesn’t have cancellation policies (or you haven’t signed a contract), then tell them to whistle.

Back when I used to photograph weddings, my contract said anything inside 6 weeks was completely non-refundable on the basis that I had next to no time to rebook the date. If I did manage to rebook the date, then I’d offer a refund however.

In time honoured STW tradition….

4.5k?! WTF. You could buy a small Citreon C1 for that! Mine are going to get a packet of Quavers each and a pork pie! 😀

Don’t you have wedding insurance?

4.5k?! WTF. You could buy a small Citreon C1 for that! Mine are going to get a packet of Quavers each and a pork pie!

Assuming 100 guests, that’s £45 per person, which is pretty “normal” these days for wedding catering packages

Don’t you have wedding insurance?

No, but even if we did, doesn’t cover cold feet

£45 per person is silly money.

45p+79p£1.24×100 = £124 all in. Maybe buy a few more pork pies for the hungrier guests £139.80. Job done 8)

…or accounting for the guests who dont show up due to the stingy/mean Groom…… £24.80

Gentleman, please, I have a serous problem here and you’re not helping….

My whole wedding cost just over £4.5k including 3 course meal.

Oh and no idea how you stand and I can only guess they could pursue the loss of earnings.

The law allows them to claim their damages from you. This could have been by way of a clause in the contract specifying the amount (as long as that was reasonable) or just whatever they lose. (EDIT II: I am a lawyer and this is the law!) In terms of staff costs, I don’t know if they could tell their staff they’re not working & not getting paid.

I have no idea if the numbers are reasonable, but it’s always worth a well judged or cheeky offer, hopefully they are too busy to pursue it for the £2.1K

EDIT: btw sorry to hear about the split.

I work in the hospitality industry (I sell facilities for conferences, dinners & weddings). I have listed my standard cancellation policy below (these are pretty standard across the industry):

Where the cancellation is more than 48 hours before the event:
90% of the charges for cancelled accommodation and room hire,
80% of the charges for cancelled day delegates package rates,
65% of the charges for cancelled meals, drinks and other facilities and services.

If you had to pay 50%, it would not be too bad but on the other hand, if you have not been made aware of the cancellation policy – you should not really pay anything.
Hope this helps.

feenster – Member
Gentleman, please, I have a serous problem here and you’re not helping….

With respect, my dear chap, I think you chose the wrong place for a serious problem. Hope it all sorts out for you though, can’t be easy.

As above, I suspect that if there’s nothing in the contract then you could push much harder. If you feel that you want to play fair of course, you could ask them to set out what their actual costs caused as a result of the cancellation and pay that (assuming that’s going to be reasonable).

And aside from that, without knowing the reasons obviously, I hope that you and your fiancee manage to work things out however is best.

hope that you and your fiancee manage to work things out however is best.

Cheers clubber

‘My whole wedding cost just over £4.5k’

we paid 450quid!

hope that you and your fiancee manage to work things out however is best.

+1

we paid 450quid!

I’m pretty sure I paid close to £45 if we’re having a pissing match.

we paid 450quid!

Miser! 😆

And yes what ever happens hope it works out ok Feenster.

I paid nothing so do I win?

My father-in-law and my Dad did though..

I’m pretty sure I paid close to £45 if we’re having a pissing match.

If we go for it in the future, that’s what it will cost next time.

Jeez, the bikes and bits I could have bought instead of these cancellation fees – it’s killing me….

My father-in-law and my Dad did though..

Ah in that case I paid less the £1k then or was it more, I forget now.

Slightly OT but me and mrshora are planning on getting married. Hate the stress/dont want to worry about what others will think as we went to two brilliant weddings last year and theres noway we could face that amount of planning or even compete. So, we are going the other way- spitroast, folk band (use the one that played at our friends), use of a family property. Hey presto!

Luxury!
My guests would have dreamed of having a packet of quavers and a pork pie. I made them eat grit from the side of the road . . . .

I’m not in the industry but my little sister is, and her figures are pretty much the same as spacecadett. If they make no mention of a cancellations policy at all then you’re not forced to pay for anything, one thing to bare in mind is if you do take the option to tell them to stick it, if you do need them again, it will be difficult to find someone who would offer their services as apparently it is very incestuous and word gets around.

Hope you and your other half manage to work things out.

Your gonna spit roast the folk band 😯

if you do need them again, it will be difficult to find someone who would offer their services as apparently it is very incestuous and word gets around.

Hope you and your other half manage to work things out.

Just book it in her name 😀

tinker-belle – Member

If they make no mention of a cancellations policy at all then you’re not forced to pay for anything

Sorry, this is incorrect.

Your gonna spit roast the folk band

Well if it gets the price down further..

Why does anyone get married at that excessive cost? Ridiculous. Think what else could be done with that money>

cynic-al, thanks for the free legal advice. I had been told that they could persue me for the full amount by a colleague (who is not a lawyer), but wanted to see if anyone else would point this out.

I guess this settles it, it’s down to my negotiation skills and the good will of the caterer. Will let y’all know how it settles.

Thanks for advice and good wishes everyone.

On the plus side, I think this is my longest thread on stw. I once asked something about bikes and got 1 reply.

Why does anyone get married at that excessive cost? Ridiculous. Think what else could be done with that money>

Each to their own and all that, but regardless, do you think that’s helpful to me just now?

Umm – just a thought …

if there’s nothing in the contract about what the cancellation policy is, what exactly IS in the contract? If it says “we agree to provide 100 dinners for 4500 quid”, then presumably that is what they can insist on, and if you dont show up you are in breach of contract.

I am not a lawyer (thank god) and may be talking blx, but it is just how the matter strikes me …

What do you expect from a cycling forum???

Seriously, hope you and the missus get things patched up. My fiancee and I had the same thing a couple of weeks ago, but we managed to work it through and things are still on. Sometimes being lazy and procrastinating is the best way, although we have a bit more time left than you.

If you love her and she loves you, get it patched up.

feenster, I’d read through your T&C’s and/or look at the caterers website for the T&C’s on there. If it was me I think I’d do the same as you, look to minimalise my costs and I dont think you are being unreasonable by trying to get away with nothing if possible. Interms of staff costs- I doubt they have the staff (Im talking about presentation/waitering) staff on a retainer/salaried- I bet those are on a casual basis. After all, if they a quiet period- what happens? If you were cancelling say a photographer then its reasonable to pay a sizeable cancellation fee IMO- catering? No.

Hope it all works out with the SO

As has been said, check your contract regarding cancellations.

Bear in mind the caterer would possibly be booked up many months in advance with very little time to arrange another gig. They may have already paid suppliers for food, booked staff, etc

Ha ha – layman’s advice varies from “you are screwed” to “they are screwed”!

I guess one way of looking at it is that they should subtract everything they can cancel. After the day I’d get them to prove they didn’t do any other work in place of your job and that they take reasonable steps to find some work (they are under a duty to mitigate the loss).

Good luck!

Cynic-al – curious as to why tinker-belle is incorrent with saying that if a cancellation term hasn’t been agreed why they would they be forced to pay anything?
in harsh terms if feenster resisted any claim for loses then the cost of the caterer persuing the claim may outweigh the return and they could choose to write off the cost.
please note that i am not condoning this morally incorrect route!

Feenster – i hope things work out good for you and your fiancee.