How it works here
From first question to final invoice.
The moment people want to say yes, the same question almost always follows: and then what happens? Fair enough. You're committing to a day you can't see yet, with people you may have spoken to only once. So here's the whole story. From the moment you send a request to the final invoice afterwards. No small print tucked away on a separate page, just the order in which things happen.
On this page
You send a request
One form, and then a human.
You fill in a request form, give us a call or walk in to talk through your plans. Or all three. After that you'll get an email from Thomas, with a proposal for the day.
You'll usually have that proposal within a week. Need something sooner? Just call us on +31 20 403 13 14.
That email comes from [email protected]. Gmail sometimes files emails like that under Updates or Promotions. If your inbox stays empty, have a look there. Add the address to your contacts and you won't miss a thing.
The proposal sets out what's possible, how we've interpreted and worked out your request, what's still left to choose and, of course, an estimate of the costs. Nothing is fixed at that point and nothing has been signed. It's a starting point for you to respond to, with every question you have.
Want to know what's possible, or send a request straight away?
We hold your date
A month to think it over (and in practice often a little longer)
When you receive an estimate or quote from us, your requested date and time go into our diary automatically. That option stays there for a month from the date of issue and then lapses by itself. That's the formal side.
In practice it's more relaxed. After a month or so, we check in to see how things stand. If you're still torn and nobody else has their eye on the date, we simply leave the option in place.
If another request comes in for the same date, we'll call you and talk it through. An option never just disappears from the diary.
How busy it really gets
For spring and summer Saturdays, that's not theory. Saturdays in the peak months (May, June, mid-August, September) are usually booked or under option about a year in advance. Birthdays and parties in the autumn fill up at shorter notice. Midweek, we can nearly always find a good moment together.
Not sure about the date? Call us and we'll look at the diary together.
Come and have a look
A tour is always possible.
We can book a tour at the press of a button. Walk through the rooms, see the courtyard, get a feel for how the day flows from reception to drinks to dinner. That often tells you more than ten photos.
You can taste the food and drink too, of course. Come and have a nice meal in the restaurant. You may not taste exactly what will be on your menu, but it won't be far off. You'll get a very good idea of how we cook, and it saves you a small fortune compared with a tasting we set up especially for you. For a separate tasting we have to buy in and schedule specially.
Want to see how it feels for yourself?
Saying yes
Two clicks and an invoice. That's all there is to it.
You accept digitally, in the quote itself. No printer, no scanner, no signature scrawled at the kitchen table and then lost in an email thread. You click accept and the date is yours.
From that moment it's in our diary and nobody else can snap up the date.
The deposit
We then send a deposit invoice. That puts the booking on paper as well. We invoice the rest afterwards, once we know what it actually came to.
Two exceptions, because they apply more often than you'd think. For a business booking we skip the deposit and invoice everything in one go afterwards. And for smaller parties we don't ask for one either.
Feel free to ask all about the terms before you click 'yes'. We're generous with answers.
The months in between
We'll email in good time. You don't have to choose anything yet.
After the confirmation you'll get one email from us: your date is set, and these are the steps still to come from our side. After that we leave you in peace until there's really something to choose. Beyond that we go at your pace, and of course we're always available for questions, requests and changes to the plan for the day. Call, email, drop by: that's always fine, and you never need to ask.
Around three months before
About three months before the day, or whenever you're ready, we get to the fun part. The menu, the wine, how the chairs will be arranged. For a business day we skip that email, because those choices are usually already in the proposal.
At the bottom of every email
Every email you receive from us after the confirmation ends with the same little block: where to update your own details, where to book an appointment, and the number you can always call us on. You never have to dig through old emails.
Rather talk to someone than wait for the next email?
Six weeks to go
The final stretch
Six weeks beforehand we let you know the final stretch has begun and that we'll schedule one last meeting. Usually you come by (for a wedding, often with your master(s) of ceremonies), but if you'd rather call, that's fine too. And sometimes everything is already so crystal clear that a meeting isn't needed. Then we'll simply see you on the day.
In that meeting we go through everything once more, in detail: times, contacts, little kinks, music, layouts, no parsley on the starter after all. No stone left unturned.
Three weeks before, we lock everything in
Numbers, menu and programme final. In one meeting.
Three weeks before the day we make it final: how many people are coming, what they'll eat, how the day will run. Until then you can pass on anything that changes, and we really do mean that. We'd rather note allergies and dietary requirements per guest, by name, so that someone who can't have gluten can still quietly swap seats and sit next to someone else.
Allergies and dietary requirements
One more thing about allergies: if it's serious, we can cook in separate kitchens. Do let us know in good time so the kitchen can plan for it. Three weeks beforehand, we'll of course have discussed that long ago.
If the numbers change
One thing that's good to know and keep in mind. The numbers on the confirmed quote are the financial basis. If the guest count ends up well below that (well meaning roughly 10%), or the programme differs substantially from what we assumed, that part counts as a partial cancellation.
So if the number of guests only drops in the last few weeks, or you decide at the last minute that you'd rather hand out ice lollies than serve a four-course dinner, we may charge the originally agreed amount, or part of it.
Nobody enjoys that, of course. That's why we always advise being conservative with the number of guests you give us, and not confirming anything you're not quite sure of yet. Adding plates is always easier than taking them away.
Long story short: keep us in the loop, and the sooner you let us know, the better for everyone.
Something changed? Let us know, even if it isn't certain yet.
One week to go
Practical details for your guests
The week before the day you'll receive a practical email that you're welcome to forward to your guests: where to park, what time it starts, how to get into the village without causing gridlock, and how to head home again without waking the neighbours.
And then the day is here
Jeppe is at the door. We've already discussed the rest.
For a full day you can come and decorate from nine in the morning. For a half day, an hour and a half beforehand. If the room is empty the evening before, you can come in that evening too. Talk to us about it; we'll see whether it's possible and whether there are any costs involved. We'll never charge room hire for an hour of decorating, but if there's no other event on, we do have to charge for the staff member who has to be present for the licence.
Your own flowers, your own playlist, your own chaos: we love it. We only draw the line at drawing pins and duct tape, because the walls are older than all of us put together.
The end of the evening
At the end of the evening, from midnight, the music gradually turns down. At 00:30 it's pleasant background music, at 01:00 it's the last round. Around 01:45 the last guests leave and at 02:00 the door is locked.
And when you leave, the unwritten rule applies: quietly. No shouting, no honking, no farewell speeches in the street. We live here among the neighbours, and you were our guests.
Curious what a day like that really looks like?
The invoice afterwards
You pay for what was actually used.
Afterwards we send the final invoice. Drinks can be charged afterwards on consumption, or you can buy out the bar for a fixed amount per hour. The payment term is fourteen days.
You always get a PDF; if your accounts department would rather have a file it can import, just say so and we'll send it.
And a few days later we'd love to hear how it went. Not because we have to, but because we genuinely want to know.
Question about an invoice?
If something changes
Changing, moving or cancelling in Broek in Waterland
Changes
Anything operational can be passed on until three weeks before the day: numbers, menu, times, dietary requirements. After that the running order is set and purchasing and planning get under way. If something still changes after that, give us a shout and we'll see what we can still do.
Moving or cancelling
Moving a date formally counts as cancelling the original booking. What that costs depends on how close the day is: well in advance it costs nothing, just before it the full amount. The exact sliding scale is in the terms with your quote and in our General Terms and Conditions. We're happy to go through it with you before you decide anything. You can take out cancellation insurance yourself.
When life gets in the way
Rules are rules; and yet that's not the whole story. There was once a baby shower that was called off at the last minute because the baby arrived early and the mother was in hospital. At times like that, we're only human.
Together we turned the baby shower into a first birthday party a year later. So call us, even if you think it's too late. There's a way more often than you'd expect.
Got a question that isn't here?
Just call. We're usually around.
This is the process as it runs here. And yet every day is different, and every day brings its own unique questions. So if you have a question that isn't answered here, check the frequently asked questions, email us, or give us a call. The answer is usually shorter than the question. One village, one House, and always room for one more.
Want to see how it feels for yourself?