Need opinions on wedding venue cost

What about it being a "wedding" makes it special?
This reminds me of the movie 27 Dresses when he says that the markup on wedding cakes is 800%. I think people expect you to pay more for weddings but I personally don't think you should.
 
I have no problem with a difference of opinion.... that is all fine and great!!!!
that is why we are all here.
That is not 'stirring the pot'.
What is 'stirring the pot' is, rather than posting one's own opinion... Questioning and flaming another poster (including the use of an exclamation mark) And doing so, either falsely, or without even reading the entire post. Or both. Based on nothing other than maybe semantics, and the desire to go after a poster that maybe they just do not like.

The dollar amount that I threw out there was similar to several other posters here. And more than some others as well. It was clearly not an inappropriate major low-ball. And clearly did not warrant that kind of response, at all.

Just because I used the term low-ball, perhaps not the greatest word choice, to say that I would start on the low side, since the owner seemed reasonably priced and flexible, did not mean to seriously majorly low-ball. Why would anybody do that????

I just gotta ove it when people have to resort to semantics, because, really, there is no real and factual basis to go on.
 
Having said the above....
OP, I do hope that you have the wonderful wedding that you envision in your mind!!!!!

I would also be concerned and double check all aspects of use of property limitations, insurance, etc...
 
Totally agree in the insurance. Look into WedSafe. Regular homeowner insurance probably would not cover any damages or problems that might arise for the ceremony and reception.

I tend to agree. We attended a weeding at a resort in VT. There were private homes available for rent and our multiple families rented almost all of them. WE wanted to be able to have place where we all could congregate on our arrival night and the venue put the hammer down on that one. Now we did end up having a little cook out but I firmly believe that the reason we had to sign the paperwork the owners had in place was for insurance purposes.

Sorry, I disagree. What about it being a "wedding" makes it special? If I rent the house and have a party with friends, BYOB, then I'm charged the $350/night. I do agree checking to make sure insurance is covered is a good idea.

It is not that the "wedding" is special, but that insurance policies only cover what the property is insured for. If the owner is allowing guests to come for a wedding however his rental insurance only covers guests "registered" to be staying on the property the consequences should something untoward occur would be messy. Folks are just giving the OP a heads up that perhaps knowing what the coverage entails would be a good idea.
 


I had a friend get married in a big house in GA. Although, this house has 10 bedrooms, so it is often used for family reunion type events. It goes for $1050/night, apparently. I don't know if my friend paid any extra for having a small wedding.
 
It is not that the "wedding" is special, but that insurance policies only cover what the property is insured for. If the owner is allowing guests to come for a wedding however his rental insurance only covers guests "registered" to be staying on the property the consequences should something untoward occur would be messy. Folks are just giving the OP a heads up that perhaps knowing what the coverage entails would be a good idea.
And I echoed that... IN the post you quoted. But, in all seriousness, what makes a wedding any different from any other party or family get together? I remember my parents having a HS graduation party for me at my house. There were probably 30-40 people (friends, family, neighbors, etc), so comparable to what the OP is talking about. Should they have gotten "special" insurance to cover the party?

I agree asking the question about insurance is valid. But again, if the OP offered $5k/night, that doesn't change what insurance would cover. I still haven't heard a good argument to offer more than $1050.
 
If you were to do something similar in this area, you would pay between $2000 to $3000 for the three nights and the use of the space for the wedding.
As someone else pointed out to me when I provided a sample link, it's not Florida, it's Massachusetts :)
Totally agree in the insurance. Look into WedSafe. Regular homeowner insurance probably would not cover any damages or problems that might arise for the ceremony and reception.
That looks great!
 


Reading through all of the comments does make me think about a few things. I spent a lot of time over the past few days looking at similar Airbnb and VRBO properties and it is a very normal thing to have an extra guest charge. Most of the home, regardless of size, base the fee that shows up initially on just 2 people. When you add people the cost rises, so the owner of the home I have been working with is not asking for anything more than other rentals. When we spoke he said he is not looking to gorge me, but does want a fair price for additional guests and an event.

I believe someone asked the question of why this house. Well, it is gorgeous. It has amazing patio space and an inground pool. It also has huge indoor spaces, so if it does happen to be bad weather, we have a back-up plan. My original thought for my wedding was "casual." I don't want my guests to be confined to a table during the reception. I want people to be able to lounge on the outdoor couches, at the patio tables under the large umbrellas, in the huge kitchen, the dining room, the breakfast nook, wherever. Plus, since people can come in the house or hang out outside, if they are not a fan of heat they can stay in the AC. This house has been featured in magazines, people have used it for photo shoots and there has even been some filing done there. I should have amazing back drops for my wedding photos.

I will be getting event insurance. You can actually buy insurance for a wedding, or any kind of event, that lasts just a day. It is amazingly reasonable.

The home owner and I plan to meet in person before signing a contract. I will get to visit and tour the house and we can make sure we are both comfortable with everything. Plus by touring the home and grounds I can figure out the logistics for the wedding. We should not have an issue with a noise ordinance since I will not be having a DJ. I plan to have a violinist during the ceremony and then some background music during the reception. This will not be a rowdy crowd. The home owner says he makes his neighbors aware when he plans to have more people than usual at the house. I guess he hosts an annual 4th of July party for his family and friends that lasts about a week. Plus the 5 acre buffer helps.

I will be speaking to the home owner again next week, so I will update the thread after we speak. Wish me luck and thanks for the well wishes!
 
And I echoed that... IN the post you quoted. But, in all seriousness, what makes a wedding any different from any other party or family get together? I remember my parents having a HS graduation party for me at my house. There were probably 30-40 people (friends, family, neighbors, etc), so comparable to what the OP is talking about. Should they have gotten "special" insurance to cover the party?

I agree asking the question about insurance is valid. But again, if the OP offered $5k/night, that doesn't change what insurance would cover. I still haven't heard a good argument to offer more than $1050.

The home owner stating he wouldn't know where he would begin to come up with a price for a wedding held there makes it clear he is not willing to accept the normal per night rental rate as compensation. If he was, he would have quoted that price.
 
what makes a wedding any different from any other party or family get together? I remember my parents having a HS graduation party for me at my house. There were probably 30-40 people (friends, family, neighbors, etc), so comparable to what the OP is talking about. Should they have gotten "special" insurance to cover the party?

it's not that different, and no most people don't go to the extent of getting special insurance to cover a private party or get-together in their own private homes but it doesn't mean it's not advisable. when you invite someone to your own home be it a guest or a vendor you are taking on the liability should they be injured/have property damaged. generally your homeowner's insurance has coverage to handle these (ideally) rare instances but that policy like all policies has it's limitations and in the event of a major or multiple injuries you run the risk of exceeding the policy limits.
add into the mix alcohol-if you 'host' a party, get-together or wedding there's the potential for another level of concern:'social host liability' a legal concept that some states follow, allowing a host of a party or other gathering to be held liable in certain situations where a guest becomes intoxicated and ends up causing an injury to a third party. so at the party/get-together....wine, beer, champagne... is available and one of the guests partakes too much and gets into a car accident-it can be the host who is come after for damages. for this reason some homeowners purchase special coverage for the day of parties.

like i said, your homeowners covers you to an extent but when you host people on someone else's property unless you know for a fact that the property owner's coverage includes your liability you are taking all the risk on yourself-b/c you have invited the vendors and guests onto the property-not the property owner, you are hosting the guests-not the property owner.


The home owner stating he wouldn't know where he would begin to come up with a price for a wedding held there makes it clear he is not willing to accept the normal per night rental rate as compensation. If he was, he would have quoted that price.

for me it's a red flag that the person is not set up for this type of arrangement as a part of their regular business-and that would concern me regarding the legality of holding the event. it's well and fine for the owner to host their own annual get-together that they claim the neighbors have no issue with it but depending on the set up (actual legit licensed business vs. more informal 'under the table' air b&b type of thing) their neighbors may be fine with it just w/ one couple or two couples staying over nights-not so much so with renting the whole place out and holding a wedding (even a small one). i would hate to see someone put time and money into planning their wedding only to have an irate neighbor call a complaint in about an unpermitted 'event' resulting in law enforcement shutting it down.
 
And I echoed that... IN the post you quoted. But, in all seriousness, what makes a wedding any different from any other party or family get together? I remember my parents having a HS graduation party for me at my house. There were probably 30-40 people (friends, family, neighbors, etc), so comparable to what the OP is talking about. Should they have gotten "special" insurance to cover the party?

I agree asking the question about insurance is valid. But again, if the OP offered $5k/night, that doesn't change what insurance would cover. I still haven't heard a good argument to offer more than $1050.

There was a time when I would never have given insurance a thought when hosting a party in MY home for MY family and friends, and under normal circumstances I still would not. I do think that times have changed and people have changed how they look at accidents though, and as a homeowner if I had a home I was renting out I would want to be sure I was covered for "events" if there was an event taking place in my rental. If I was renting a home I woudl need to be sure that there was coverage, even if I needed to be the one purchasing the insurance.

As to the cost of the rental, I think the amount offered should reflect the coverage. I would offer less if I needed to pay for the event insurance. I would look at the hidden but necessary costs I needed to incur that are normally covered at a venue and would use that as a guide so I could make an informed decision of what was fair.
 
I do think that times have changed and people have changed how they look at accidents though

it can be entirely out of the hands of a person who has had an accident on choosing to pursue the homeowner. if i get injured and seek medical attention it never fails that before my health insurance pays out dollar one they will have some company they contract with send me a form asking where/how i was injured, and if i indicate it was on someone's property other than my own i get another set of forms to fill out b/c they are going to go to whatever lengths they can to get someone else to pay. same goes w/my auto insurer-lots of the roads in the country cut into people's private property via easements so when i did a slip and slide on the snow into a snowbank last year and put in a claim for the repairs the insurance company immediately took note that the section of road i was on was privately owned and started peppering me with questions about how it was maintained on the day of the accident, if the grading could have contributed...they were looking for any angle to shift the liability to the homeowner.

i had a coworker who came close to losing her home b/c of an injury a child innocently playing incurred. the parents had full bore medical coverage and NO desire to pursue the issue but their insurance company didn't give them a choice (and the coworker had the lowest level coverage which came nowhere near the medical bill totals).
 
I just want to repeat this. Many seem fixated on what the home owner is providing for the event, but the answer is "nothing". They're not providing the tables, chairs, tablecloths, cleaning, or food/drink... all of which normal wedding event locations provide and factor into their cost.

If I normally rent a VRBO house that sleeps 15, but only bring two people for $300 a night, and then one year bring 12 others, I'd still expect to pay $300/night. Or, I have the house that sleeps 15, only bring 2, but have a party (presumably allowed) that brings a dozen more, I wouldn't expect to pay more. What's the difference?
I agree with this but wouldn't insist there's anything wrong with having to pay an extra event fee. I think this whole dilemma is sort of on the owner who is clearly operating the rental house as a business venture and should be able to specify a price he'd be satisfied with.

@cayennews if this is really the place you've got your heart set on I guess you'll have to be assertive when you meet next week. If I were you I'd offer him the nightly rate + $500 event fee + a healthy additional (refundable) damage deposit. Show him your detailed plans for what will and won't be happening (yes, we'll be having a catered meal, no, there won't be dancing, we expect a dozen cars all to park along the driveway and everyone to be gone by 9:00 or whatever). Include a list of the vendors you plan to use (all reputable, local professionals I assume) and your quote for insurance. Once he understands the scope of what you plan, it should jog him into being able to decide if the price suits him or not. Good luck and wherever you end up having your wedding, I hope it's a beautiful day! :wave2:
 
I will be getting event insurance. You can actually buy insurance for a wedding, or any kind of event, that lasts just a day. It is amazingly reasonable.
This is pretty standard no matter where you have the wedding. Most places around the U.S require it or require a Certificate of Insurance which reflects either your renter's or homeowner's insurance will be extending liability, a common liability limit is $1 million. Some people do choose to get a stand alone policy for that one day.

My concern is on the homeowner's side. His insurance should be for a property that gets rented out on a transient basis. Just check with him to make sure he's up and up on all that he needs to do to make the wedding ok and that goes beyond insurance. It's his first rodeo in terms of weddings as far as I understand and that's the aspect that would make me nervous.

BTW Congrats and have a great wedding!
 
Since he rents out the home for stays, I would expect him to be properly insured.

If not, I'd run.

That might be true but there is substantially more possible liability for an event like this. Not only are there more people, there are also children that are not normally part of the rental of the home. Then there is the pool - will it be used and if so who monitors the kids? If there will be liquor served, is a license or permit needed for the event? Even if the homeowner is properly insured, the couple getting married might look into getting their own insurance for their wedding.
 
And I echoed that... IN the post you quoted. But, in all seriousness, what makes a wedding any different from any other party or family get together? I remember my parents having a HS graduation party for me at my house. There were probably 30-40 people (friends, family, neighbors, etc), so comparable to what the OP is talking about. Should they have gotten "special" insurance to cover the party?

I agree asking the question about insurance is valid. But again, if the OP offered $5k/night, that doesn't change what insurance would cover. I still haven't heard a good argument to offer more than $1050.

The difference between this event and your family get together is that the premises are being rented for the event and will involve many people who will only be day guests.
 
The home owner stating he wouldn't know where he would begin to come up with a price for a wedding held there makes it clear he is not willing to accept the normal per night rental rate as compensation. If he was, he would have quoted that price.

As to the cost of the rental, I think the amount offered should reflect the coverage.

I agree with this but wouldn't insist there's anything wrong with having to pay an extra event fee.
I have no problem with paying an event fee. But I wouldn't OFFER one. If the home owner wants to say "here's our normal rate, and I'm going to charge you extra to cover insurance/whatever", that's his prerogative. Or I can say seeing "I'll pay you the standard $350/night and whatever it takes to cover additional insurance".

The difference between this event and your family get together is that the premises are being rented for the event and will involve many people who will only be day guests.
So the people who come to a family get together are not "day guests"? Sorry, that doesn't make sense to me.
 
So the people who come to a family get together are not "day guests"? Sorry, that doesn't make sense to me.

Again, the difference is that this is at a rented venue rather than your home. They are not guests of the homeowner but rather the person renting the home. Think of this more like you are renting a room at Disney. You and the people assigned to your room are allowed to use the facilities. You may have day guests but you are limited as to what they can do because Disney doesn't want the added liability with people that are not doing business with them.
 
Okay, just trying to get over how cheap the house is. I have a somewhat similar situation. We used an Airbnb by my inlaws who live in the middle of nowhere for a family reunion (an hour from us, a weekend thing). It had some great decks that would be great for a party, but sleeps 6. Dd22 wants to rent it out for a party, I told her to use a different name, because I don’t want our family banned because the neighbors complained. This is what you get for $280 a night in NJ farmland. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/338549...J, United States&adults=1&guests=1&s=GDJ4eUm5
 
Again, the difference is that this is at a rented venue rather than your home.

I agree. Having a party/event at your OWN home is covered by regular home owner's insurance. When someone rents out their home to another person, they are running a BUSINESS and that requires different insurance.
 

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