ARRRRR-Wedding party!

[Morticia]

Well under circumstances and everyone running around in the second floor and killing a breaker where the air conditioner died (not having the husband who is really really good at fixing stuff like that did not help) going down to basement wondering which breaker it is (open box of circuits-that needs to be uptdated) got the lights working in one parlor and hallway but no cigar on air conditioner-we are in the DELTA which the weather so far has been quite HOT-although a breeze is going. Got the director here and we proceeded to basement THREE times trying to figure out WHY the air is not working....DUH-lets try to plug in airconditioner into another plug...it works, YAY.
Got wine and poured for bride and mom and whomever wanted some (we can give one complimentary glass of wine) didn't care..HAD ONE MYSELF. Kind of got into the groove. Now I hear water running....hoping its just the toillette...don't need any BS anymore. They are all outside to begin...think this is a lesson to the other people at the even center...a wedding coordinator sounds good...NOT ME though he he he.
Don't know how many will be here ot breakfast tomorrow, I know the bride and groom...thats about it. Have not paid for their rooms yet. What in the H ll was anyone thinking when they booked this? Desperation comes to mind.
But like everyone said: its one of the things that need to be worked out and the x number or rooms sound good to me that way we don't have the same senario. God, can't you just see what I have to clean up tomorrow?!
Need more wine..... Took pictures for advertising...a you don't want to know...
THE BRIDE WAS STUNNING THOUGH!
Will keep you abreast of the rest of it cause it hasn't even started yet....it starts at 7PM-with reception next door. Lovely hope my other guests are understanding!.

A funny story (now) that you don't want to read just yet...talking with an innkeeper who used to do a LOT of weddings and she had the FOB skip out on the entire tab. Left at o'dark thirty with all of his 'guests' sound asleep and the innkeeper unpaid. In his mad flit he forgot his tux. Realized he was paying $100/day for tux rental until it was returned, tried to get innkeeper to give it to one of the other guests to bring to him. Nothing doing. Money first, then the tux is released unharmed.
Long and the short of it...get paid on arrival for anything like this (in the future). Hey, look at it this way...you're getting all the madness out of the way early!

 

[birdwatcher]

Well mistake #1-DONT EVER EVER EVER MAKE AN EXCEPTION TO ANY RULE!-there is a back door that is to the kitchen, we don't allow entry from the guests to this area. Simply its close to our quarters and its one of the privacy thing for me and my hubbie, but I let ONE bridal guest go out the back NOW ALL ARE COMING IN AND OUT OF THE BACK DOOR-yea I know just lock it....10 minutes and counting, then deffinantely locking both back and front door. Hope the "DIRECTOR" tells them that they better have a key to the front door!
AND...still DON'T KNOW HOW MANY I HAVE FOR BREAKFAST. This right here drives me INSANE!
Enough...more wine is poured
Love you guys and to boot husband is out of state for daughter's high school grad-THAT I HAD TO MISS FOR WHAT! do ya thinki im happy?! there goes anotyhet one outy the door while some come in...don't know who the hell these people are! MORE WINE....
thanks for letting me vent!

 

[birdwatcher]

OK- not 10 minutes and counting now its 1/2 hour and counting-while all come in and out up and down the stairs UGHHHHHHH!
the bride's been ready since 5PM--imagine that!

 

[birdwatcher]

Payment? Im not worried about that-that is the DIRECTOR'S job since taking this EVENT?! don't ya think?--ARRRRG

 

[Morticia]

Well mistake #1-DONT EVER EVER EVER MAKE AN EXCEPTION TO ANY RULE!-there is a back door that is to the kitchen, we don't allow entry from the guests to this area. Simply its close to our quarters and its one of the privacy thing for me and my hubbie, but I let ONE bridal guest go out the back NOW ALL ARE COMING IN AND OUT OF THE BACK DOOR-yea I know just lock it....10 minutes and counting, then deffinantely locking both back and front door. Hope the "DIRECTOR" tells them that they better have a key to the front door!
AND...still DON'T KNOW HOW MANY I HAVE FOR BREAKFAST. This right here drives me INSANE!
Enough...more wine is poured
Love you guys and to boot husband is out of state for daughter's high school grad-THAT I HAD TO MISS FOR WHAT! do ya thinki im happy?! there goes anotyhet one outy the door while some come in...don't know who the hell these people are! MORE WINE....
thanks for letting me vent!.

You are absolutely right in not making exceptions. Because, unless you are there to police whatever it is, everyone will think it applies to them as well. Our biggie is guests in the kitchen. No. Not you or you or you.
We have had folks who don't do stairs very well plead to be allowed to use the front door. There is no key. So, if they want to use it, they have to leave it unlocked all night. We tell them no. They do it anyway. We have explained how to get into the house without having to open the front door, even for folks who don't want to do the stairs. Nope. They see a front door, they want to use a front door.
How about contacting the director of the event and asking for a head count for breakfast? That would make me nuts.
Go lock the door. If they don't have keys for the proper door, it's time to find out why not.
Sorry about the graduation.

 

[birdwatcher]

AHHHH- its over- tired- got one early breakfast and one at 9AM- thankfully only 5 of the bridal party which means only two rooms where slept in...which makes me very happy just have to clean baths and so forth..no bed making unless of course I find some when Iwake up. Hopefully not.
Lesson learned, hopefully the others learned one too.
Thanks for letting me come in here and let it all hang out, dont know what I would do without all of you.

 

[EmptyNest]

Ok so I came in on this late and you already have had plenty of advice. You have learned your lesson early on. You must take control for the next time!!!! And let this be a real lesson to others who have questions about doing weddings at their inns Nothing good ever comes of it...unless you are in charge!!!

 

[IronGate]

birdwatcher you're totally right about renting the entire inn. Weddings really need to be an all or nothing thing in an inn of that size. There's just no other way to prevent disruption to other guests.
Just think of this as an opportunity to make a list of all the things that should be included in wedding contracts. Some things to think of:
Limits on number of total guests with access to the inn at any time, including photographers/hairdressers/wedding planners and anyone else who will be using the restrooms and other facilities of the inn.
Requiring a guest list with names of all those guests so you can realistically enforce your occupancy limits.
Security deposit sufficient to motivate compliance with the contract.
Building in enough of a facilities charge to include payment for a wedding planner. You're going to be having lots of weddings. Get your own planner to deal with all of this stuff..

birdwatcher you're totally right about renting the entire inn. Weddings really need to be an all or nothing thing in an inn of that size. There's just no other way to prevent disruption to other guests.
Just think of this as an opportunity to make a list of all the things that should be included in wedding contracts. Some things to think of:
. . .

One more thing: bridal party takes out a liability insurance policy indemnifying the inn, so when one of the guests, or friends of the guest, or the date of a friend of a guest, etc. has an "accident," you are covered.
I got that tidbit right here on this forum, and it has stuck in my mind more solidly than just about any other.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

Ok so I came in on this late and you already have had plenty of advice. You have learned your lesson early on. You must take control for the next time!!!! And let this be a real lesson to others who have questions about doing weddings at their inns Nothing good ever comes of it...unless you are in charge!!!.

And let this be a real lesson to others who have questions about doing weddings at their inns Nothing good ever comes of it...unless you are in charge!!!

Ditto.
Stay one step ahead of any potential problems with stated policies that are gently but firmly enforced.

 

[Copperhead]

Birdwatcher, now you can finish that bottle

So sorry you missed your daughter's graduation.

 

[birdwatcher]

Yea thats one drawback from being hired as an Innkeeper as opposed to owning your own Inn. But its been quiet today, got three check ins this evening and hoping that I can relax after 7PM-Yea and also finish that bottle of wine
You all have been great

Thanks