Haggling:(

Hi Girls, Need your advice girls! I have planned a meeting with our hotel next week because i want to bargain them down on a few things like corkage etc! Their corkage is 10euro on wine and 15 on sparkling This is so annoying. What can i haggle on any advice welcomed as i am no haggler at all Thanks girls

Try to haggle on corkage, evening food price, extra charge for choice of meals and room rates. You probably won't succeed on everything you haggle on but throw in as much as you can and they should come down on a few scores! For instance, say if you get corkage down you won't quibble on charge for choices of meals! Best of Luck

Thanks for that kookiegal Anyone else

Think kookiegal covered all the main areas!! Thats what we focused on anyway but found the hotel had readjusted their pricing, etc before we went in...was all geared up but turns out i didn't need to be!! the only thing they wouldn't budge on was the cost of the meal...but closer to the time i might try again! good luck!

I agree with Kookiegal- go in with a list of everything you want with their prices and have a price in mind what you would like to pay for each. Its much easier to negotiate the best deal once you have worked out your "shopping list" and your budget. Might also be an idea to rate which discount you find much advantageous i.e. 10% discount off cockage is worth far more in your pocket then 10% off your evening food. If they will not budge on certain items, ask for additional concessions such as extra rooms at the wedding rate, free chair covers, flowers or favours etc. Do try to ensure that these extras mean a saving that you would have spent elsewhere - having said that everyone loves a bit of a freebie Why not ask for a free night in the hotel when doing your menu/wine tasting - gives you a real indication of what you and your guests will experience before the wedding date. Our hotel did this without us asking for six people (two sets of parents and us) and it was wonderful. A relaxing night away in the run up to the wedding with our nearest and dearest was fabulous. Not sure if this is applicable, but also ask what is their discounting policy for guests staying a second or third night in the hotel (we did and it was 25% off for people staying a second night and 35% off a third night so guests room costs were nowhere near as scary as initially thought). Don't be afraid to ask for a few moments to step outside to take a breather (wth your calculator, pen and paper of course )

Thanks girls for your replies! Hate this haggling business

I got our hotel down to no corkage fee so it can be done. Good Luck with it

I'm dreading this whole haggling business as well our hotel is charging €8 corkage but we haven't had the CHAT with them yet

I done all this haggling when i went to view our hotel, there more willing to give when you havnt paid the deposit to try get you in, were going back next week to pay deposit and im gonna ask for everything they said they would give us in writing before handing money over............ If you look in here somwhere theres a thread called Bargain!!! And it will show you everything there giving me, i was over the moon, as it was more than we expected to get, much more actually

I hated haggling too but I tell you, this wedding planning is making me a pro at it. I found what worked for me was having different options available so that if they said 'we won't budge on X' I had an option that was worth as much to us to jump straight in with and say 'well then give us Y instead'...all in all, I found it generally worked. Good luck!