When the Venue Falls Through
It happened to two popular wedding spots this spring—the columns cracked at the Lower East Side’s Angel Orensanz Center; reBar, in Dumbo, unexpectedly shut down—and dozens of couples were left scrambling to find a replacement. Here, disaster-preparedness tips
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(Photo: Graham Roumieu) |
To Avoid a Venue Crisis...
Use a Credit Card
“Beware the vendor that offers you a discount if you pay in cash up front. Always try to pay with a credit card. If the florist runs off with your money, you can make a claim with the credit-card company that the service wasn’t performed, and they can usually reimburse you. Have an attorney look over your contract (it’s worth the fee), then negotiate to pay 25 percent of your deposit up front, and graduated payments as services are performed.”
—Elyse Schajer, corporate counsel at Eugenia M. Vecchio & Associates
Buy Wedding Insurance
“There are three weddings we’ve had to move indoors—during Hurricane Irene, when the mayor revoked everyone’s permits; during Sandy; and once in the summer, when lightning was very close by. I recommend using WedSafe. They have a $350 liability policy that covers a $50,000 wedding. Insurance plans will take care of moving the event to another venue, or any costs incurred when things happen that are beyond your control. It’s a no-brainer.”
—Bancroft Potter, president of Sperry Tents
Remember the Act-of-God Clause
“Avoid contracts that contain the phrase ‘nonrefundable deposit.’ That’s a huge red flag. Always make sure your contract has an act-of-God clause. Then, if there’s a torrential-weather situation, it’s on the venue to find an alternative or give you a refund.”
—Alison Schajer and Maya Katz, founders of Alimay Events
…and to Manage a Venue Crisis
Let Your Fingers Do the Walking
“Our venue went bankrupt three weeks before our wedding. I’m a nurse, and I immediately went into crisis mode. The first thing we did was figure out our nonnegotiables: our wedding date and the 40 guests. Then we cold-called venues. If we got a busy signal or a voice-mail, we hung up and moved on. Meanwhile, my mother was searching OpenTable and telling my aunt to keep the backyard free. Brooklyn Winery was one of the last places on our list. When the director of sales said she could accommodate us, we said, ‘We love you. Put us down right now.’ It still hasn’t hit us that we planned a whole new wedding in two weeks.”
—Jason Meisel, married June 1 at Brooklyn Winery
Keep the Email Alert Short
“When you have to change locations at the last minute, the fastest and most effective means of spreading the word is email. Your email should say, ‘We’ve moved our wedding hall,’ be marked ‘Urgent,’ and include the full address of and directions to the substitute location. The text needn’t get into great detail about the why—those stories can and will be told later.”
—Thomas P. Farley, a.k.a Mister Manners, etiquette expert
Consider the Food Truck
“A food truck is an affordable solution to a last-minute catering snafu. There are tons operating throughout the city, many of which are already set up to service private events. I like Roaming Hunger because they design custom menus—anything from sushi to tacos.”
—Carlie Mayo, account executive at Olivier Cheng Catering and Events
Set Up a Relief Fund
“When my venue suddenly closed, my fiancé and I were out $18,000. We didn’t think we could afford to plan another wedding, but my maid of honor set up a GoFundMe site, which was a blessing. The kindness of everyone was overwhelming, and we managed to have our wedding at 26 Bridge, in Dumbo, despite some major setbacks.”
—Stacy Marzik, married August 16 at 26 Bridge