After seeing our top two venues in person and doing tons and tons and TONS of research into other places around Denver, Jeremiah and I kept coming back to one place: The Mile High Station. It was by far the most unique venue we had seen, and as such, fit one of our top priorities on the non-negotiables list. There really is nothing like it, and it fits our style to a tee.
The front entrance to the Mile High Station
Unfortunately, the cost was still a bit out of reach and there were very few Fridays left (remember, Saturdays are generally 2-3 times more pricey than Fridays or Sundays), so we started to think outside the box. We requested information about the Sunday availabilities, and were pleasantly surprised to have five or six choices. Plus, the cost for Sundays was substantially less — as in more than 50% less than a Friday and 65% less than a Saturday. In choosing a day, though, we found a few issues. First, three of them fell on family members’ birthdays. One was the weekend after Independence Day, and the other two were the same weekends as other friends’ weddings (it’s going to be a busy summer — we know 14 couples who have gotten engaged in the last few months, all of whom are getting married in 2012 ).
The space for our ceremony, which will be converted to part of the reception space while people are elsewhere.
We finally decided to hold July 8th, 2012 — which just happens to be my Dad’s birthday. We were concerned about taking away from his special day, but he assured us that it would be a good thing because he could remember the date. Haha! His only request (via my mom): that we stop referring to it as the wedding venue. According to my mom, you can visibly see his blood pressure rise and face redden when we refer to it as a “venue”. To him, Venue = $$$$, and $$$$ on a wedding = waste. (Remember the One Day Theory? He is definitely on the “It’s only one day” side…) Deal made — and from here out, you will hear us refer to MHS as the “Wedding Place”. 🙂
The upper mezzanine, where we'll have cocktail hour. During this time, the caterers will break down the ceremony set-up and spread out tables and chairs appropriately for the reception down below.
Problem #2 – the cost. After we decided to go ahead with the contract on our held date, Stephanie, the site manager, sent us the worksheet and documents to sign. We were shocked to see our expected $1700 venue fee leap to $4650 in total. This included an alcohol minimum ($2000, purchased from MHS), Personnel Fee ($950, for security, bartenders, bar backs, site manager’s fee, etc.), and additional fees that had already been waived and discounted. It didn’t include tax or gratuity, which would be well over $600, and only mentioned offhand that we would have to choose from their venders for catering and rentals — none of which were on the cheap end. We were overwhelmed, and decided that it was way beyond our budget.
The center of MHS, which will act as our dance floor. Also, a view of the lovely bar.
In a brief moment of bravery (and desperate attempt to save the plans I had already detailed in my mind), I decided to appeal to Stephanie’s (the site manager) emotional side. In a quick email, I explained that we were so excited about the “place”, but that the total she had sent us was well over what we were expecting. I asked ever-so-politely if there was anything she could do to drop the price, and mentioned that we were writing this blog about our experiences. According to Jeremiah, we had nothing to lose — the way it was, we couldn’t afford it and would have to start the whole process over. We decided that if she could bring it down at least a couple hundred dollars, we could swing it. It never hurts to ask!
Fortunately, Stephanie was flexible with a few of the fees, and dropped the price over $900! We instantly agreed to sign the contract and meet her. To make it better, when my mom and I got to the venue to sign and pay the deposit, she agreed to let some of our hometown friends’ wine cellar provide the champagne and wine on a zero-dollar invoice, and to bring our own linens. (Did you know that it costs almost $15 to rent one table cloth, but that you can buy the exact same thing for $4 online?!) We were ecstatic, and so happy to continue with the more fun aspects of the wedding planning.
Moral of the story: Ask. Beg. Pleeeeeead. You have nothing to lose, and venders will often accommodate your budget to win your business. Barter, bargain, and dicker like it’s going out of style; it might just save you hundreds of dollars!
