Ok, so when I last left off Alex and I were a) out a wedding venue b) without a signed contract or deposit and c) unsure of what to do next. The holidays, like the holidays always are, were crazy. For us, it was a matter of balancing family time, Christmas time, university work and wedding planning. Hey, we survived.
Celebrating with Alex’s parents over the holidays, there were a few different discussions took place:
- Alex’s mum & us. Advice: Talk to the manager of the hotel and hold your ground.
- Alex’s dad & us. Advice: Talk to the manager of the hotel and demand that the contract (verbal/email) be held accountable; I’ll talk to my lawyer friend, and use me as the ‘bad guy’ if you need to
- Alex’s dad & the manger (in the pub). (One-sided) Conversation: This is your problem, not ours; fix it (to the manager).
This was during the run-up to Christmas, and it wasn’t until New Year’s Eve that we actually got to hold a (brief) meeting with the manager of the hotel (did I mention the hotel was three doors down from my in-laws? Yeah, there were a lot of awkward “Oh, uh, Hi. Yeah, we should meet a talk” before we ACTUALLY sat down, or stood rather, and talked). Thankfully, the conversation was a lot less scary than any of us in the family had anticipated.
The manager was kind and understanding. He told us that if we could move the wedding to later in the year, they could honor our contract and it would be even more beautiful than we had planned with the new remodeling and decorations. Great idea, but wasn’t going to work for us (i.e. Save the Dates, flights booked, Visas, etc.). He then asked if we had anywhere else in town that we were looking. The town, after all, is the size of a postage stamp and has 4 proper hotels. We had, we said, been looking at The Fowey Hotel, knew they had the date available, it was the only hotel we were willing to consider, and left it at that. (Alex’s dad’s voice was in my head on repeat: “This is your problem, not ours.”) We gave him our contact info again and he said he would go talk to the manager of The Fowey Hotel and get back to us within the week.
During that week, we had our worries and excitement. We knew that The Fowey Hotel was normally just a bit more expensive; it was one of the reason we hadn’t booked our wedding there. Rooms were pricier, the menu not as enticing, corkage fee higher, and a separate fee outside of the venue hire for civil ceremonies. The definite ups were that it is a grander hotel, larger room for the ceremony with two outdoor green spaces (as opposed to a wooden deck), and a gorgeous honeymoon suite with private balcony.
We heard back from the hotel manager within the week to say he’d spoken with The Fowey Hotel and he felt our original plan was going to work:
- Ceremony at 12:30 pm
- Champagne & Strawberries toast
- Photos at ceremony location
- Afternoon Tea & Storytelling
- Leave at 5 pm to process through town to the reception venue
All seemed sorted, and then we didn’t hear from The Fowey Hotel…
Your cliffhangers are killing me! I cannot imagine going through that kind of uncertainity about the venue. I am really hoping there is a happy ending soon.
I just heard dramatic music play as I finished reading that. Looking forward to hearing the rest and hoping the end result is a good one.
Ahh, so stressful! Like everyone else, I hope there’s a happy conclusion!
Thanks ladies! I won’t give anything away, but Part 3 is already on its way…
Fingers crossed…