'We received an email that they couldn't gain access to the reception room': Bride finds out week before wedding that the venue was double-booked

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Jan 13, 2024 8:00 AM EST

This is every bride's worst nightmare. There's so much planning and prep work that goes into the big night, and the last thing you want to hear during your wedding week is that something went wrong, just like this bride experienced. Fortunately, it's not unfixable; she can still have her wedding. However, the venue has back-to-back events, so the set-up time is extremely limited, and the bride won't get to have her photos as promised.

A similar incident occurred with my mother-in-law before her wedding. Two weeks before the big day, she discovered that the venue hadn't reserved her reception space, and it was booked out for that night. She had to urgently call every venue within a 10-mile radius, trying to find an available opening. She also had to call and inform all her guests about the situation. This bride is just lucky that she didn't have to go through that!

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  • 01
    Posted by u/Subliminal_27 2 days ago AITA for telling my bridal client that the venue was double booked?
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 02
    I (29F) and my business partner (34F) run a wedding planning and coordination business. For context, we have several different packages, but it breaks down to basically A. We plan your wedding start to finish, or, B. You plan
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 03
    your wedding and we are there on the day of to execute the timeline, coordinate vendors, etc. etc. etc. to make sure the day runs smoothly and you have no stress. Here's what happened with one of our Package B clients:
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 04
    The ceremony begins at 6PM (in a different area on the same property) and the bride was told that not only would she be the only wedding in the room that she booked on that day, but that because she was the only wedding in that room that day she would also be
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 05
    able to go in there prior to her ceremony to take photos as all vendors had ample time to complete the room setup. Normally these photos would happen during cocktail hour, but she didn't want
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 06
    to miss out on that so we were trying to accommodate her and it should've been no issue considering she was told that she was the only wedding that day. Yesterday, we received an email from the florist stating that they couldn't gain
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 07
    access to the reception room, according to the venue, until 5:45PM as there is another wedding occurring in the same room and it ends at 5:45PM. Normally, this would be fine and we would simply rearrange timings and notify the vendors so that they can allocate
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 08
    additional personnel to account for a short setup time. So, we called the client and asked if she was aware of this (we understand now that she should've called the venue first to confirm this, however it ended up being accurate so it wouldn't have made
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 09
    a difference). She was not and was incredibly upset. She and her father called the venue and, apparently, went off on them. The venue event specialist then called my partner and scolded her for telling the client
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 10
    stating that "telling her the week of her wedding was bad coordinating practice and that we should've just let it go and then hung up on her without letting her speak. After speaking with my partner about this phone call, I called the event
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 11
    specialist myself to get a feel for what was going on from his point of view. He gave me the same treatment, would not allow me to speak, and hung up on me. Immediately after we attempted to call the bride at 5:50PM, but she didn't
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 12
    answer. So, we sent her a text to please call us which she also did not answer. An hour later, we sent another text to the group chat we have with her and her MOH (her sister) asking to please call us, but neither one of them has responded.
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 13
    It is now 12PM the next day and she still has not texted or called and we're supposed to have our final call this evening. So, AITA for telling her that she wouldn't
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 14
    be able to take photos in the reception room prior to her ceremony because the venue booked another wedding during the day and we wouldn't be able to have the room setup completed in time?
    via u/Subliminal_27
  • 15
    IamIrene 2 days ago Commander in Cheeks [216] and the bride was told that not only would she be the only wedding in the room that she booked on that day Sounds to me like the venue got caught in a lie to the bride! You are NTA...but everyone seems to be blaming you and that's not fair. Guess you've stumbled upon an "industry secret" and can, for future weddings, advise your brides accordingly because apparently, venues can lie. 10.9k Reply Share
    via u/IamIrene
  • 16
    vt2022cam 2 days ago Pooperintendant [63] NTA at all. You can manage around this, but I would take event specialist to task and go to their manager about how you were treated. It's a two-way business relationship, and you can stop using their venue. Does this venue send you clients? If so, you still should talk to the manager and do damage control, this specialist has it out for you over what is their mistake.
    via u/vt2022cam
  • 17
    zoobatron__ 2 days ago Pooperintendant [61] NTA what is going on with this venue? So unprofessional. People pay big money for weddings and they are trying to rinse people getting these weddings in back to back and setting unrealistic expectations. You were definitely right to have said something to the bride. You've done nothing wrong here.
    via u/zoobatron__
  • 18
    mhrach1 2 days ago . As a wedding planner, I probably would've called the venue first to confirm, before going straight to the couple. But otherwise, this seems to be on the venue, unless the couple gave you bum info. Wonder if it was in her contract that they had exclusive use of the room that day...
    via u/mhrach1
  • 19
    Jinja Boo 2 days ago Partassipant [1] NTA. Am I missing something or is literally everybody in this situation insane?? 4437 Reply Share JBThunder 2 days ago It's a wedding, everyone in the situation is insane.
    via u/Jinja_Boo
  • 20
    TUES
    via Jeremy Wong

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bride bridesmaids upset venue wedding angry bridezilla reception Maid Of Honor
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