Cyprus wedding reception dilema !

[mama2b]

The hotel I am having my reception at charges from £35 per head for the wedding meal/party even though its an AI resort. I hadn't expected this as I just assumed that as we will be AI all food & drinks would be included. If I choose to have my reception somewhere else I have to pay the hotel £300 so I don't really have any option but to have it at the hotel.

Once I got my head round the idea I thought we'd be looking at around £550 for the reception but now im going through my invitation list and factoring in people that 'might' come its starting to get a bit excessive. One of my friends suggested I asked people to pay for the reception meal but Im not comfortable with this as I know id be the first to complain if I was invited to a wedding at an AI hotel then had to pay £70 for OH & I to eat !!

I have a few ideas and wondered if you could be brutally honest and tell me what you think.

One option is that I 'charge' plus ones that I don't personally know. I think there will be about 2 or 3 people coming that we don't know, possibly more.

Ask guests that are not staying at the hotel to pay for their meal, problem with this idea is that non hotel guests are already going to have to pay for a AI day pass which is £40 each or just buy drinks at hotel price (im told they are v.expensive!) so I don't really want to say that they have a potential cost of £75pp just to come to my wedding !!

Or just ask everyone coming to pay half or contribute something towards the total cost however small and explain that we are paying the rest.

 

[honeybee2]

To be honest hun, and please dont take this the wrong way but how did you not expect to pay for the guests meals? Did the wedding planner/ organiser tell you this was all inclusive? if so, they will have to consider how they advertise in future but on booking the wedding you should have considered asking what was included and what wasn't (inc all the small print etc).

As a guest I would not be happy paying for a meal on top of a flight- I got invited to a winter wedding this january and we were expected to pay for our own meal and give money as a present and I was livid but had to go because she was my friend. In the end, I had my meal and didn't pay for it- think the venue staff counted the guests wrong. I refused to pay.

Think of other cheaper meal ideas hun- if its abroad how about a BBQ or a hog roast or a buffet? Something easier and more simple than a full on meal maybe?

Good luck honey xx

 

[MissCherry15]

No matter what place it is whether its your local pub or a fancy manor house. YOU are ALWAYS supposed to pay for the meals and £30 per head is normal price. No matter what wedding packages you go for they say all inclusive but its of other stuff not the meals. you have to pay ontop for that. It would be very rude of you to ask them to pay. I would turn round and say im not going if i was asked to pay, i think its bad enough to make people pay stupid prices for drinks at the receptions, let alone pay for a meal and a flight and drinks. It rather pay for my own holiday. Its your wedding you should have thought of this before booking it hun xx

 

[honeybee2]

No matter what place it is whether its your local pub or a fancy manor house. YOU are ALWAYS supposed to pay for the meals and £30 per head is normal price. No matter what wedding packages you go for they say all inclusive but its of other stuff not the meals. you have to pay ontop for that. It would be very rude of you to ask them to pay. I would turn round and say im not going if i was asked to pay, i think its bad enough to make people pay stupid prices for drinks at the receptions, let alone pay for a meal and a flight and drinks. It rather pay for my own holiday. Its your wedding you should have thought of this before booking it hun xx

Actually, thats not all correct, most inclusive packages include a 3 course dinner for around 50 people and then you pay however much on top for extra guests- which is why I asked did they advertise it as fully inclusive (inc meals) or not- if they didnt it probs said in the small print 'does not inc meals'.

Its one of those things unfortunately but when you book any supplier/ venue ask what is included to protect yourself.

 

[Miss_d]

Were getting married in cyprus next year but were getting married in paphos town hall and then were going to book a hotel and have a meal and drinks in there.

Who did you book your wedding with? i booked with Thomas Cook.

I agree it all adds up, as we were happy just to go on our own (me oh and the kids) and go for a meal afterwards, but now family have booked to come and weve had to say to them that we cant afford to pay for everyones meals etc. Its hard, it all adds up.

EDIT: should say were going to book a restaraunt not a hotel

 

[honeybee2]

If family have said they'll want to come over when you planned it just to be you and the kids I can see why you'd ask them but if you've sent out invites and they've booked a flight I think it would not be right to then tell them they have to pay for their own meals- as I said hun, consider cheaper food options. xxx

 

[AJbabybump]

i think its a joke that you have to pay for a meal at an all inclusive resort!!!

 

[mama2b]

i think its a joke that you have to pay for a meal at an all inclusive resort!!!

This is exactly my point LOL

The reason I assumed it was included because its AI so I stupidly thought that meant a meal after would be as normal. Originally it was going to be a small affair and still is really because there only 15 confirmed guests then about another 15 - 20 maybes or people not staying in hotel.

I also have three other friends that got married in AI resorts, different countries and their wedding meal was also included so it really didn't occur to me it would be extra. When we were looking at B&B/Half board then yes I did expect to pay more, but honestly, no not in an AI resort.

I am also having a reception when we come back for about 150 guests including the ones that come to Cyprus thats why It was a bit of a shocker when I realised I had to pay for two receptions when id only planned for one !

We don't really have any other option but to have reception in hotel as I said we have to pay £300 to the hotel if we go somewhere else and even if we just have a bog standard reserved table in the main buffet restaurant we still have to pay £300 so for extra few hundred id rather just have the proper reception.

Im not quibbling over the £35 per head I think that is very reasonable its just that more and more people have said they would come before I had the wedding pack so I really had no idea that it would be extra.

It also doesn't say anywhere in the Thomas Cook wedding brochure about the extra cost, again being an AI hotel I thought we would just have a normal meal in a different area and I would be responsible for decorating it. The first I heard of it is when I got the info pack from the hotel.

I really don't know what to do as I can't afford to pay for all these extra people, I don't want to ask them to pay as I said above I wouldn't be happy about it but what other solution is there apart from not inviting them !

 

[mama2b]

No matter what place it is whether its your local pub or a fancy manor house. YOU are ALWAYS supposed to pay for the meals and £30 per head is normal price. No matter what wedding packages you go for they say all inclusive but its of other stuff not the meals. you have to pay ontop for that. It would be very rude of you to ask them to pay. I would turn round and say im not going if i was asked to pay, i think its bad enough to make people pay stupid prices for drinks at the receptions, let alone pay for a meal and a flight and drinks. It rather pay for my own holiday. Its your wedding you should have thought of this before booking it hun xx

I haven't booked it nor have I sent out invites.

I know you pay for meal in this country but the point im trying to make is that its an all inclusive hotel so all of my guests will have already paid for food and drink.

My wedding package isn't all inclusive its the hotel that is.

 

[MissCherry15]

If thats the case then i dont think you should have to pay extra for the meals. Is there anywhere else that you could host the whole thing that would be cheaper?

and honeybee2 sorry, ive never come across any inclusive packages that include meals in anyplace near me lol. So i assumed they werent ever included. Ive been on over 50 places near me. never else where in the uk xx

 

[Miss_d]

How long did it take for you to recieve your wedding pack? i booked 4 weeks ago and still havent recieved mine from thomas cook x

 

[honeybee2]

If thats the case then i dont think you should have to pay extra for the meals. Is there anywhere else that you could host the whole thing that would be cheaper?

and honeybee2 sorry, ive never come across any inclusive packages that include meals in anyplace near me lol. So i assumed they werent ever included. Ive been on over 50 places near me. never else where in the uk xx

really? thats all they do down here and also where my dad lives in oxford- they usually base it around 50 people.

If you've not sent out invites hun then only send them to people you can afford xx

 

[honeybee2]

hang on- so theyre paying for all inclusive and at the hotel and your going to pay extra for a wedding meal on top? Cant you barter with them about coming to some compromise? x

 

[cherry22]

Hiya,
At the hotel im getting married (in cyprus) there are 2 options!
1. you eat in the normal AI restaurant(theres a choice of 2or3 i think) no extra charge coz you have payed AI you'd just get a table amongst everyone else at the hotel.
2. Book in a different restaurant on the hotel site but you have to pay for it Which is what we are planning on doing just coz it looks lovely.
To be honest i had this dilemma aswell we arent paying for their flights or hotel we just said if you can come we would love you to be there!

Then i thought it would be really rude of me to ask them to pay for there own meals so luckerly my sister has said as a wedding present she will pay for the meal (i think ill go halfs with her) but there will only be around 10 people there at the most!

Personally if i go to someones wedding i wouldnt have a problem paying for my own drinks or meal its only £30 but thats just me!

Its hard one! i would agree with honeybee ask for a cheaper menu ( do you have to have min numbers for a bbq?), or you could find a nice way of saying on a card that you maybe dont want a gift and that perhaps they would either give you money so you get it back or contribute to the meal but that depends on how well you know them i know you said there some you dont really know, if you did know them well they would proberly take it better!

xx

 

[cherry22]

How long did it take for you to recieve your wedding pack? i booked 4 weeks ago and still havent recieved mine from thomas cook x

I got my wedding pack within 2 weeks, but they mite be really busy so there mite ba delay! x

 

[honeybee2]

whats AI? Is it all inclusive?

 

[cherry22]

whats AI? Is it all inclusive?

Yeah!x

 

[mama2b]

How long did it take for you to recieve your wedding pack? i booked 4 weeks ago and still havent recieved mine from thomas cook x

I only booked on Monday but they said it would be a few weeks before I receive anything x

 

[mama2b]

Hiya,
At the hotel im getting married (in cyprus) there are 2 options!
1. you eat in the normal AI restaurant(theres a choice of 2or3 i think) no extra charge coz you have payed AI you'd just get a table amongst everyone else at the hotel.
2. Book in a different restaurant on the hotel site but you have to pay for it Which is what we are planning on doing just coz it looks lovely.
To be honest i had this dilemma aswell we arent paying for their flights or hotel we just said if you can come we would love you to be there!

Then i thought it would be really rude of me to ask them to pay for there own meals so luckerly my sister has said as a wedding present she will pay for the meal (i think ill go halfs with her) but there will only be around 10 people there at the most!

Personally if i go to someones wedding i wouldnt have a problem paying for my own drinks or meal its only £30 but thats just me!

Its hard one! i would agree with honeybee ask for a cheaper menu ( do you have to have min numbers for a bbq?), or you could find a nice way of saying on a card that you maybe dont want a gift and that perhaps they would either give you money so you get it back or contribute to the meal but that depends on how well you know them i know you said there some you dont really know, if you did know them well they would proberly take it better!

xx

Yes good idea about money instead of gift !

The prices start at £35 per head going up to around £60, since I posted OHs mum has said she will pay towards reception as to be fair about 6 people from his half of the family are 'plus 1's' that we don't even know !

Thanks to everyone that has posted its been good to get views from other people, the reception is turning out to be the least of my problems. My family are not happy about the wedding in Cyprus, even though they have known it was going to happen I don't think they are prepared to accept it is now reality !!!

I think we should have a Cyprus brides thread ?!

 

[Miss_d]

Cyprus wedding thread is a fantastic idea