"Things to Know Before Your Venue Contract: Avoid Disappointment by Considering the Possibility of Bringing Your Own Items!"

2021.05.08 published

Regarding the "Bringing In" Items for Weddings

Wedding venues have the concept of "partnerships."

While it's well-known with dresses, unless you are at a wedding venue that allows free bring-ins, it is customary to choose costumes from partnered dress shops.

For example, even if you have the ideal of wearing a "Yumi Katsura dress," if the venue you contracted with does not carry Yumi Katsura dresses at their partnered store, you will either have to choose from the partnered options or "bring in" your selection.

There is often a "bring-in fee," which varies by item. For dresses, this fee typically ranges from 50,000 to 150,000 yen that you will need to pay to the venue.

It’s not just dresses.

☑︎ Table Favors

☑︎ Photographer

☑︎ Hair and Makeup

☑︎ Floral Arrangements

☑︎ Food and Beverages on the Day

There are often partnered companies for these items as well, and additional fees may apply or they may be entirely prohibited.

This article is aimed at those who have not yet decided on a wedding venue.

As you proceed with discussions and contracts, you might feel disappointed thinking, “Wait?! I don’t want to be restricted to only partnered items....! But it seems like I can’t bring in my own ＞＜.”

To avoid this disappointment, I will introduce the possibilities regarding bring-ins that you should understand thoroughly before your bridal fair and venue contracts.

@＠bellr_design

Why Can't You Bring In Items Freely?

First and foremost, the rules around "no bring-ins" may seem limiting and unreasonable for brides at first glance, but it's not entirely the case.

For example, brides may find the following advantages:

☑︎ You don't have to research and arrange everything yourself.

☑︎ You can choose from items that the wedding venue believes are good products, providing peace of mind.

☑︎ When a venue and each partnered company work together, communication is smoother, and planners handle the interactions with each company.

There are also benefits for the wedding venue.

These include borrowing the brand power of partnered companies or increasing their uniqueness by carefully selecting the partnered brands.

If everything were allowed to be freely brought in, wedding venues would become mere spaces, making it difficult to maintain their uniqueness.

To establish each venue's style, direction, marketing, and branding preferences, regulating bring-ins and encouraging the use of their handled products is quite essential.

@jewel_flower_antique

The relationship between a wedding venue and the companies partnered with it is akin to an agency and product relationship.

For example, purchasing an item from overseas brand A through a select shop B in Japan results in a higher cost than buying directly from A; similarly, wedding venues receive sales commissions from partnered companies, so the unit prices are higher.

Partnered companies benefit from not having to attract customers themselves since clients will come through the wedding venue. The fees paid to the venue act like advertising costs for attracting clients.

If you think, "I don't care about these companies and just want to do whatever I like! I wish they would just let me!" there are venues designed for more freedom, and choosing one of those can solve your problem.

However, in that case, you will need to select all the companies and handle all the communications yourself... which is akin to being the organizer of a secondary party without using an agency, so be prepared for that.

(It seems like planning a wedding reception is exponentially more challenging than a secondary party...!)

@nagisa_marry

Therefore, the fact that you "cannot bring in items" essentially indicates that "there's no need to choose," which varies in value depending on the individual.

Choosing a wedding venue that allows you to have the wedding you desire is just part of the solution, but in many cases, people tend to "decide on the venue first and then realize after contracting that they really want to do something different, which leads to struggles or disappointments."

The issue often begins when you tell the venue that it will be considered a bring-in item not covered by their partnerships... which primarily stems from gathering information on Instagram.

The premise is that companies partnered with the wedding venue do not need to advertise.

However, freelance photographers and companies not partnered with the venue need to advertise to attract clients.

Therefore, compared to partnered companies, they tend to be more skilled at PR and advertising. Seeing this makes you think, "I absolutely want this person! I want to use this!"

In this article, I will highlight some of the increasingly common issues with wedding venues and bringing in items where couples often end up in arguments or have to give up.

① Dresses (Especially Imports)

Partnered dress shops tend to offer a rich selection of domestic brand dresses, making it more likely that you will need to bring in an imported dress.

Additionally, even if you'd like to bring in a remade dress worn by your mother, it will be considered a bring-in.

It's fine if you can bring it in after paying the fee, but be cautious as some venues absolutely prohibit bring-ins.

Many brides express that they "absolutely wanted a marry dress, but it wasn't available through partners... and they couldn’t bring it in or order it."

If you have your eye on a dress from marry, I recommend stating during your venue visit, "I want to wear this dress from marry!"

▶️ Check out the full list of marry dresses here

@tobe.wd1130

② Photographers

Instagram accounts of photographers are also popular among brides-to-be, right?

When we mention bringing in items, we refer to the "outsourced photographer."

Recently, there are rumors of brides being introduced to wedding venues through their photographers.

Venues that respect partnered photographers may charge around 100,000 yen for bring-ins and allow using a venue photographer while additionally bringing in a second photographer.

In some cases, there may be a regulation stating, "Please do not use the wedding venue's hashtags when posting photos taken by outsourced photographers."

Various rules exist, and they vary by venue, so it's essential to understand them when choosing.

@yuih_wd

③ Hair and Makeup Artists

Like photographers, many freelance hair and makeup artists can travel anywhere in the country as long as travel expenses are covered.

When hiring an individual freelancer, it is crucial to understand that "there’s only one of this person."

If you say, "I want to hire this person!!," remember that they are only available all year round.

If they can only take one job a day, they can handle only up to 365 weddings in a year, so it's important to consider whether you can reserve them for your wedding day.

If you contact hair and makeup artists after securing your venue, you may find that it is too late.

Additionally, venues that allow bring-ins for hair and makeup artists tend to be restaurants or party venues rather than typical wedding venues.

You’ll need to decide whether you prioritize the atmosphere of the venue or the ability to bring in your own vendors.

Furthermore, if you choose outsourced hair and makeup, there may be restrictions, such as not being able to use the bridal suite.

Consequently, you might incur additional costs such as preparing a nearby hotel room separate from the bring-in fee.

@ayago.wedding.0216

④ Flowers

While bouquets and boutonnieres are often allowed to be brought in, floral arrangements typically require consultation.

This can often become a complicated matter.

However, more recently, Hibiya Kadan has begun to spotlight florists by suggesting the creation of wedding flowers from chosen florists (FLOWER CREATION ROOM).

There may be brides who want a specific florist to handle their flowers or who know someone in the flower business.

In such cases, it's crucial to discuss "I want to do this" before contracting. Be sure to share this during your venue visit!

@mochan_40

⑤ Food and Beverages

Due to sanitary regulations, food and drinks are often not allowed to be brought in.

However:

☑︎ If your sister is a pastry chef and you absolutely want her to make your wedding cake.

☑︎ If you want to serve local sake to everyone.

☑︎ If you have a memorable dish like your mother's homemade chirashi sushi that you want to serve at the reception.

In these cases, the wedding venue may potentially store your items, but it’s worth inquiring about to see if accommodations can be made.

@syueri.wd

It's Important to Recognize Your Preferences Before Signing a Contract

For brides looking to start searching for their wedding venue, I explained the rules about bring-ins and what items they may want to bring in.

If you express "I want to do this" after signing a contract, it’s understandable when they say it’s not in the contract terms, so it’s vital to convey your wishes clearly before signing, so that it aligns with the contractual terms.

This is related to the issue of costs ballooning above initial estimates after signing the contract, and envisioning your ideal wedding at the outset can help avoid problems.

(The initial estimates for weddings are usually the lowest amounts based on the number of guests since the bride and groom haven’t yet revealed what they want at that stage.)

While it’s fine to gather information after the contract, it’s recommended to do so before signing!

Though it may be challenging, doing your research is the smart way to prepare for your wedding and make the dream wedding you desire come true!

@lva__wd