How are you dealing with deposits...

[terrihugg]

So we found an all-inclusive rate we like and have a great group rate. We have to either give them a deposit of $1,000 or have each person attending give $25.00 to hold the rooms at the rate we found. 

 

We are trying to find the best way to deal with this deposit. $1,000 is a lot of money to give up front. Would it be in poor taste to just ask everyone for the $25.00 pp deposit right away? We haven't even sent save the dates yet so I'm thinking it's tacky to just say "Hey I know I haven't sent you any invites yet but can you give me $25 pp if you think you are coming?" 

 

So how did you guys go about putting a deposit on group rates and such? Did you just put money down on your own or did you collect the money from everyone first. 

 

 

For those who put the deposit down yourself, did you put the information on the save-the-date and then request the dates have deposits in by a certain date? Did you request they write a check to you so you can get the money back?

 

Just trying to figure out the best way to do it. 

[dmob]

When my daughter was married, she  initially paid the deposit to hold the resort (~$4000) and then  included on STD cards a time line for guests to make their deposit to the resort. Her initial deposit was later used to offset the costs of the wedding.

 

Paying the deposit can be a hardship, but think of it as being the same as paying a deposit to reserve a venue. Good luck in your planning.

[2ndtimesacharm]

We also paid our deposit ($1200, I think) ourselves because we knew everyone was searching for airfare and would have to pay that right away.  We made sure everyone knew when they had to commit by and when final payments were due.  Then our TA used the $1200 we put down towards our room.  Honestly, I think it wouldn't be polite to ask people for the $25 now.
 

[balibride]

I agree with the post above, I think you might run the risk of putting ppl off if they have to pay the deposit immediately (which shouldn't be the case but no doubt will be!)

[Oct 2012 Bride]

We had to pay $1000 deposit as well. But we we did was pay it and not tell the guests that we were paying it. The way my family is, if they know something is paid for they are not going to apy you back at all. So on our website we told everyone a $100 deposit is due 3 weeks after they got the save the dates to keep the prices at the reserved group rate. We said we reserved 10 rooms and the price is a first come first serve basis. It worked out really good. People paid their deposits. But we  also only resevered rooms for the ones we knew without a shadow of a doubt they were coming.

 

In addition since we were staying longer than the guests the costs for our stay is $1000. As the guests pay their deposits then it is credited back to our costs. So we were comfortable with paying up to the amount of our stay.

 

I hope this helps.

[Mufin1785]

We paid our deposit as well, but as guest book our TA is applying to our room cost, so we are absorbing any cost. 

[shan0487]

Guess I'm the odd ball- we met with our TA in late January, she confimed a group rate with FunJet and confirmed our wedding date with the resort. I ordered my save the dates and mailed them the next week.  I think we had them all mailed by the first week in Feb and required everyone put down their $50 deposit by Feb 25th to secure the group rate.  So they had about 3 weeks to put down their deposit.  My TA never even offered us to put down the intial deposit for everyone- but that would have been really expensive at $50 when we have 39 people attending.  Everyone that is flying locally is currently putting down their $50 deposit for the charter flight out of St. Louis. 

[terrihugg]

Originally Posted by Oct 2012 Bride 

 

We had to pay $1000 deposit as well. But we we did was pay it and not tell the guests that we were paying it. The way my family is, if they know something is paid for they are not going to apy you back at all. So on our website we told everyone a $100 deposit is due 3 weeks after they got the save the dates to keep the prices at the reserved group rate. We said we reserved 10 rooms and the price is a first come first serve basis. It worked out really good. People paid their deposits. But we  also only resevered rooms for the ones we knew without a shadow of a doubt they were coming.

 

In addition since we were staying longer than the guests the costs for our stay is $1000. As the guests pay their deposits then it is credited back to our costs. So we were comfortable with paying up to the amount of our stay.

 

I hope this helps.

I really like this idea. I think I might do it this way too. Did you end up reserving enough rooms for everyone or were more than 10 rooms needed? How did that work out? 

[Adesir8]

Originally Posted by Mufin1785 

We paid our deposit as well, but as guest book our TA is applying to our room cost, so we are absorbing any cost. 

that's what we're doing. putting down a deposit and it'll go to our suite at the hotel, which we would have had to pay anyway. We're just paying it early.

[LTLFAITHY]

We'll have to put down $350 and then $100 for every room we want to block!! We have NO idea how many people are going to want to join us in Mexico, so we are planning on blocking 30 rooms (you can release rooms w/o a penalty if you do so before a certain date, but you aren't guaranteed to get the same rate if you have to add more rooms) ~ so $3350! I was definitely a little shocked by how much we'll have to put down as a deposit, but it is what it is. I mean we'll get the $$ back, it is just a large sum to have sitting in someone else's bank account for almost a year.