last minute wedding reception cancellations-what happens?

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some context first:-
You work on the catering staff in a venue that's been hired for a wedding reception. The band/DJ have been booked, the honeymoon booked, the marquee set up and everythings ready. But what happens? Your boss gets a phone calling telling you that The groom/bride says they've changed their mind at the last minute, doesn't turn up and sends a message, or somebody gives a good reason as to why the groom/bride shouldn't be married.
So what happens to the food/venue when the above happens?
 
Last edited:
some context first:-
You work on the catering staff in a venue that's been hired for a wedding reception. The band have been booked, the honeymoon booked, the marquee set up and everythings ready. But what happens? Your boss gets a phone calling telling you that The groom/bride says they've changed their mind or somebody gives a good reason as to why the groom/bride shouldn't be married.
So what happens to the food/venue when the above happens?

For our contract (was due to get married this year but postponed for next year) we've paid a non-refundable deposit. So if we back out of it, then we wave bye bye to some money.

Obviously the closer to the date, and the more money that is due, and of course the days that you can cancel before forfeiting more money reduces.

I think to the point that if we cancelled 1 month before the day, then we're liable for the entire balance.
 
Don't forget the catering/venue staff have been rushed off their feet and put yourself in a chef's postion. You've wprked hard but you get a phonecall from the boss that the weddin's bee called off and don't forget, the hired band/DJ've got everything set up and the champagne's ready in the glasses and the tables have been set out.
 
Don't forget the catering/venue staff have been rushed off their feet and put yourself in a chef's postion. You've wprked hard but you get a phonecall from the boss that the weddin's bee called off and don't forget, the hired band/DJ've got everything set up and the champagne's ready in the glasses and the tables have been set out.

If it's at that point, then the couple would be liable for the full balance.

Is this pure speculation on your part, or were you actually in this position at the weekend where you had all the catering set up and then it got cancelled on the day.

If the latter, then you/your boss would need to look at your contract with the couple/venue to determine what the cancellation fees are.
 
Mine is 100% cancellation fee even within a week of the wedding. Getting married next week so fingers crossed... :cry:
 
If it's at that point, then the couple would be liable for the full balance.

Is this pure speculation on your part, or were you actually in this position at the weekend where you had all the catering set up and then it got cancelled on the day.

If the latter, then you/your boss would need to look at your contract with the couple/venue to determine what the cancellation fees are.

Neither. Just wondering but if I was thevenue's manager, one of the hired band/the hired DJ who's just got everything set up up, or one of the chefs I wouldn't be very happy.
 
My youngest gets married on Aug 23 and they have paid a lot of insurance just in case it goes **** up.
No chance of them falling out, it's for anything else that might happen eg Covid
If you haven't paid an insurance then tough, I've known several not to go ahead on the day.
 
Neither. Just wondering but if I was thevenue's manager, one of the hired band/the hired DJ who's just got everything set up up, or one of the chefs I wouldn't be very happy.

I can accept it being very annoying going through the lengths and effort to set up for someones perfect day, and then they cancel last minute.

But ultimately business is business, and removing the emotion from work, as long as you get paid for providing your service on the day, whether they've made the most of that, or have cancelled on the day becomes irrelevant. That's what non-refundable deposits are for, and anyone entering into a contract will be aware of these clauses if they cancel at a point in time and how much money they lose from doing so.
 
one of the hired band

I've been on the receiving end of that several times but we haven't been setup.
Several we were told in the week and the other when we arrived but it was only 5 miles.
You just have to suck it up and feel sorry for the couple HOWEVER if it was my livelihood it would be a different matter.
Proper wedding bands travel all over the country.
It's also important to make sure contracts are known to each party, I turned up at one wedding in the late 70s and they expected us to play for 5 hours solid - that never happened again.
 
A confession-
I write fantasy fiction and in one story I did, a team of warriors arrive at a mate's wedding but the bride confesses to cheating and the groom runs out in tears. While one of the warriors (this team're important to the story whose synopsis'd make a great DOOM style game but with an ELDER SCROLLS style story)comforts the groom most of the other guests're kicking off in the chirch and the rest of the team're trying to restiire order and the vicars reminding the guests that 'this is god's house). The said team adjourn to the pub where the reception's being held and tell the owners what happened (think Ther Jeremy Kyle Show) and then the team leader (if you want to put it in an ELDER SCROLLS setting, the nearest I could get to an Argonian) gets a text message from the main protagnist, a Conan The Barbarian/Red Sonya/Ripley style warrior queen who needs their help and they're the only team she can trust.
For somebody who prefers staright forwards battles, the rest of the job's a real eye opner for her.

I just thoguth that the scenaio I decribed in the OP'd be a good start (the teeam leader says 'We ain't Rambo, we ain't the A-tean, we ain't DOOM, WE AIN'T THE COLONOLIAL MARINES FROM ALIENS and we ain't Indiana Jones'.
 
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