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Dedicated September 2021

Post wedding breakfast

Jennifer, on June 21, 2021 at 9:46 PM Posted in Parties and Events 0 25
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So I messed up a little…we decided to do breakfast the day after the wedding for our guests, whoever wants to join can, nothing fancy. We were planning on just having some Panera bagels and pastries ordered and we were going to rent out the meeting room at the hotel (thinking it wouldn’t cost much since we were providing our own food and it’d be for a small group for 2 hours). I put on our invitations we’d be doing a Panera breakfast at the hotel the day after the wedding and the invitations are already in production. Today I heard back from the hotel and they quoted me for $300 + tax + 18% gratuity for 2 hours when we are providing the food. That seems expensive to me as they are just providing an empty room with some folding tables. I told the hotel that was out of our budget and asked if we could use the public lobby or outdoor seating space. I haven’t heard back yet but I’m stressing out since I already put the breakfast would be at the hotel on our invites. I don’t know what to do if they say we aren’t allowed to use the public seating area. Everyone there would be guests at the hotel and we’re all paying the hotel hundreds to stay there for the wedding weekend. Any ideas on what I could do to resolve this? Should we be allowed to have our breakfast in the public area of the hotel if we’re all guests?

25 Comments

Latest activity by Sara, on June 23, 2021 at 8:03 PM
  • Lisa
    Rockstar July 2022
    Lisa ·
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    You could try to negotiate with the hotel and state that you're all hotel guests to see if they're willing to include the use of the room for no additional cost (or lower cost than what they initially quoted). If they still insist on charging for use of the room (which seems normal to me, since they need to pay someone to setup and cleanup the room before and after), you could host your breakfast in a nearby local park! You are often able to use those spaces for low cost or even free. If you change the location, you could always send out a quick update card with the new info, as well as making an announcement about the change at the wedding the night before.
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  • J
    Dedicated September 2021
    Jennifer ·
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    Okay thank you! I like the idea of making an announcement at the wedding the night before!
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  • Jm Sunshine
    Jm Sunshine ·
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    If it's a public area you are allowed to use it, but so are guests who are not part of your wedding. If you are willing to intermingle with other guests that is allowed (you cannot reconfigure public tables, seating areas to meet YOUR needs). However, if you only want to be with those you invited to your wedding, then yes, you need a private and reserved space which will cost you).
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  • J
    Dedicated September 2021
    Jennifer ·
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    Okay that’s what I was thinking and hoping, I think we’d be fine if it was intermingled, I figure most people will probably be recovering from the night before anyways and most will just come down to grab some bagels and chit chat for a tiny bit before everyone heads out. Kind of an open time frame of 2 hours for anyone who wants to come down and hang out together. Just give us one more chance to say bye to everyone.
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  • V
    Champion July 2019
    Veronica ·
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    So for our post wedding breakfast we had two options which were two eat at the restaurant within the hotel or rent a private room but all food had to be provided by the hotel. It was going to be insanely expensive. We choose the first option. Guests could come and go as they pleased. But it wasn't a private space so other hotel guests were there as well, but we didn't care.
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  • B
    Devoted August 2022
    Bride2Be ·
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    I used to work in hotels and they would shut that down so fast. It’s in a public space so really anyyyyone could just come up and take the food you paid for. I’d say just bite the bullet and pay for the meeting space. Try and cut the cost down somewhere else maybe? You could also save money by buying cream cheese in bulk from Sam’s club or Costco!
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  • J
    Dedicated September 2021
    Jennifer ·
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    Awesome! Glad to hear that is an option that hotels will allow hopefully ours will be okay with that too! Thank you!
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  • mrswinteriscoming
    VIP December 2021
    mrswinteriscoming ·
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    To be honest, I think the hotel is being completely reasonable. They are charging you for closing off the room to hold your private event, the costs involved with having staff clear the room (if needed) and to set up tables, and to clean up the room afterward, such as vacuuming the crumbs left from eating those bagels, and to wipe down tables and chairs after your guests have used them for hygiene reasons etc.

    Personally, given you ordered your stationery before organising this with the hotel, I think it would be best that you pay the hotel’s charge and go ahead as planned.

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  • J
    Dedicated September 2021
    Jennifer ·
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    I never said it wasn’t unreasonable it’s just not in our budget like I thought it would be…
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  • C
    Super July 2020
    Cool ·
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    I think you should pay for the room since you have already committed to the location. A common area or outside of the hotel will feel… cheap. I know cost is subjective but I think for the price it would be worth it to provide a better experience to the guests you’ve already invited.
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  • C
    Super July 2020
    Cool ·
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    Unfortunately, that’s kind of on you for not doing adequate research prior to sending the invites.
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  • mrswinteriscoming
    VIP December 2021
    mrswinteriscoming ·
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    You implied it by saying the charge is expensive for “just providing an empty room” and trying to undermine the hotel by planning to use another public area of the hotel.

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  • J
    Dedicated September 2021
    Jennifer ·
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    Because for the rehearsal dinner we’re paying $300 and having food provided at a restaurant, the hotel is charging us the same price for an empty room and no food services, to me that is a lot.
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  • Ariel
    Devoted October 2021
    Ariel ·
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    I’d try a nearby park like someone suggested. You can update people via your wedding website, word of mouth, email, and the announcement at the wedding. If it’s out of your budget is try to find something in budget.
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  • J
    Dedicated September 2021
    Jennifer ·
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    Thank you!
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  • Catherine
    Expert March 2023
    Catherine ·
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    Since you didn’t do the research before hand, your options are to either just go with what your invitations say and pay the hotel or send out change cards and find another place to rent. That quote is pretty reasonable, given all that goes into it and having a two hour long gathering of people in a public space of the hotel isn’t what you pay the hotel for.
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  • Michelle
    Rockstar December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Contact the invitation company first thing in the morning and tell them you goofed and need to have info revised.

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  • J
    Dedicated September 2021
    Jennifer ·
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    Thank you for the advice, already sent them an email! Figured this might be the easier/more affordable route to see if they can help me fix the invitations. Since this time around I won’t need to purchase envelopes and such.
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  • T
    Super April 2021
    Tiger Bride ·
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    Honestly $300 isn't that much to use a room in the hotel. The lobby or outdoor space isn't "public", because the hotel itself is private property. If you use a park, be aware that you may need a permit for that too depending on the regulations of the city.
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  • Givemeallthepups
    Expert February 2020
    Givemeallthepups ·
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    I didn't want to deal with planning a post wedding breakfast (I planned a Thursday dinner for family, rehearsal dinner, rehearsal dinner after party and wedding). My dad went and grabbed a couple dozen donuts and we just hung out in the hotel lobby the morning after the wedding. It was obviously super casual but it was easy to say goodbye to people on their way out. I also didn't feel obligated to stay down there the whole time since it wasn't a formal thing, so I got to sleep in.

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