nj Wedding - August - Coronavirus Impact

Not a NJ bride but a fellow August bride. Confused about your post... you wrote the venue is adamant about postponement (which means they want you to postpone). It seems weird that they are making you postpone but also charging that big a fee. Was that a typo?

If it was a typo and the venue is not wanting you to postpone yet... the fees are common. We also have to wait for our venue to make the call or else we will be charged 2021 rates which would be an increase of $10+ per head. We are waiting for them to make the official call so we can rebook to 2021 on the same contract.

View Quoted Comment

Total typo! Fixed now, and thanks for your feedback.

I was supposed to get married on May 16 in Long Island, NY and we postponed to May 15, 2021. When things were still up in the air, we emailed back and forth with our venue to check-in and gauge their thoughts on things. When things went from bad to worse, we put a soft hold on a date for next year (they had no Saturdays available for 2020 and I was nervous about rescheduling for this summer) and crossed our fingers that things would clear up. We were terrified that we would have to pay additional fees so we were trying to wait until the last minute to make a decision. When we couldn't take the stress anymore, we told our venue our thoughts and they agreed that we should push it to our alternate date, even though the extended social distancing guidelines hadn't been enacted yet (so, technically at this point we were still legally allowed to have the wedding). Fortunately, our venue has been absolutely amazing and is not charging us any additional fees or higher rates. One of the reasons we chose them was because they seemed so easy to work with and we are so lucky that that proved to be true. I am so sorry you are going through this and your venue is being so difficult. If this continues through August, and your venue is not legally allowed to open, maybe they will be more flexible with your rescheduling. If they're not more flexible, then I would check what your contract says about them not being able to provide service. If they are forced to cancel on you, then you'd likely get most of your money back (possibly minus your initial deposit). Good luck!!

View Quoted Comment What’s your venue? I’m getting married in Long Island as well!

Im september- NY. My venue is only moving may weddings right now.

Getting married in ulster county, NY (near New Paltz). Our original date was May 30 but we postponed to Aug 22. Our venue and vendors moved us without a fee or issue. They all had sympathy and said they were sorry we are dealing with this - they have been incredibly supportive and offered refunds for if they couldn’t make m6 new date work (they all were able to miraculously).

View Quoted Comment

The Loft by Bridgeview in Island Park, what's yours?

Thanks for your feedback everyone. I'll keep the venue name undisclosed for now, but it's in New Jersey. Murphy just extended the state of emergency by another 30 days, and I'm hoping to hear from NJ brides what action they've taken... Our venue still won't postpone our August wedding... At this point, they expect us to plan everything in one month and probably have 50% attendance.

View Quoted Comment Hi! We are supposed to be getting married 9/12 in central jersey. We had a call with our venue yesterday and were able to hold a date in May of next year. (VERY limited availability through 2021). As of now, we can wait it out until July to make a final decision. Venue is not charging us to hold a date. If we decide to cancel with them in July, we will not be charged. I hope that’s helpful!

We are August 28, 2020 in NJ. As of today, there is no reopening date with the state. We are just waiting. We are hoping we can have our church ceremony and possibly have to cancel the reception. We do not want to wait another year and I feel like it will not be the same. Plus in another year, how do we know it will not come back?

Our date is Oct 18th 2020 and we are going to wait for the 90 day out date (July) to decide but if things are still restricted which I believe they will be we feel like we have no choice but to cancel. How can we be expected to plan a wedding under these circumstances? I don’t even want to send our save the dates or invitations. Can’t dress shop either... I am hoping they understand and will refund us our down payment but if they don’t we have a lawyer on hand.

I think the New Jersey venues must be banning together for unreasonable requests of their clients to pay for their Covid related losses. Our venue the Rockleigh who we thought was so reputable is really holding our money hostage. lawyers are not the way any couple wants to start their life but these venues are causing a lot of emotional trauma or financial trauma to their couples.

View Quoted Comment Heather that’s amazing. I wish our venue was that accommodating. Where are you getting married?

Im an Aug bride as well, also in NJ. Im curious to see what your venue is. Sounds very much like mine with the rebooking fee. Feel free to privately message me if you are willing to share.

As Murphy recently opened up outdoor wedding/outdoor dining to 25%, our venue will not let us cancel. They are letting us rebook within 90 days of our original date. But they only have crappy days like a Monday or Tuesday.......Also, if we happen to pick a Monday, they are not giving us Monday fee. They still want us to pay the weekend fee. What a JOKE.

After back and fourth emails, we decided we are getting a lawyer to get our money back. It's a shame. Their reply to us wanting to get a lawyer was "If you wish to get a lawyer, thats your choice". ................ok then. You guys look bad but if they want to go this route, lets do it. They have a lot of our money so we aren't afraid of spending a thousand dollar for a lawyer.

I have a feeling couples willing to file a civil law against these venues will win. There are just so many reasons to list.