Is my wedding venue contract normal?

Would they be willing to add a line saying that the contract is contingent on you approving of the 2023 prices once they're posted (maybe giving you up to a month after pricing is announced to make a decision)? I personally wouldn't feel comfortable signing something that allows them to arbitrarily set pricing with no upper limit. I would also request that they clearly list in the contract everything that is included with the package (type of chairs and how many, tables, etc).

Also, congratulations on your engagement!

Hi Zach!

I am also getting married in June of 2023 (June 24th)! I went through a similar thing with my venue contract. The original draft contract didn't include anything about food because the food contract was to be finalized in the months leading up to the wedding.

Like you, I didn't want to sign something that left me vulnerable to huge increases in food costs, so I had them add a line to the contract that the food price per person would not exceed 5% of the rate at the time of the contract.

You don't want to sign without something like this. They could literally double the price on you and you'd have no leg to stand on.

I also had them add what is included in terms of services, etc. since my contract was also very vague to start.

That's odd. My reception venue is also all-inclusive, but they were very clear on pricing and what was included. We booked pretty far in advance (early 2021 and our wedding isn't until October 2022), and were told we would lock in the current pricing even if we booked for next year. I can't imagine rates would change that drastically within 1 year's time, so why would they "wait" for 2023 pricing? I've been very particular about contract language and terms with all my vendors, so personally, I wouldn't want to sign something without knowing how much I'm going to end up paying.