How to Read an Event Quotation Before You Sign
United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 — elegant and practical event planning inspiration.
Most disputes after an event come not from poor execution but from a line nobody read carefully. A good quotation prevents the argument before it starts; a vague one merely postpones it until the night itself.
The total alone means nothing
Two quotes at the same price can be entirely different: one includes delivery, installation and takedown, the other adds them later. Compare lines, not totals.
Always ask for one line per item: structure, flowers, lighting, transport, installation, takedown. A quote that says "complete setup" on one line is not a quote — it is a promise.
Look for the four that are always forgotten
**Delivery**: to which city, and does the price change outside the emirate?
**Installation**: how many hours, and who bears the cost if the venue hands over late?
**Takedown**: when, by whom, and is it inside the price?
**Overrun**: if clear-out runs past the venue's time, who pays the penalty?
These four are the source of most financial surprises afterwards.
Quantities are written as numbers, not adjectives
"Plenty of flowers", "suitable lighting" and "enough tables" cannot be measured and cannot be argued later.
Ask for numbers: how many tables, how many chairs, how many fixtures, how many metres of walkway, how many servers. A written number is the difference between an agreement and a misunderstanding.
Tie the design to a photograph, not a name
"Modern white kosha" describes dozens of designs. Tie the quote to a design number or a specific photograph — ideally of a real installation rather than a 3D render.
If the design will be modified, write the modification down: "design number X with the colour changed to Y". Spoken memory does not survive three weeks.
Payments and cancellation
Ask three things plainly: how much is the deposit, when is the balance due, and what happens if the event is postponed or cancelled.
The postponement policy in particular is always forgotten and suddenly matters. Ask for it in writing however friendly the relationship — it protects both sides, not one.
A name and a number for the night
A good quotation ends with a person's name and number — who you call if something is late. "Contact management" is not an answer at nine in the evening.
How we work at Altahany
Our quotation itemises each element separately — structure, flowers, lighting, transport, installation and takedown — with the design number and its photograph attached to the request. Nothing is booked simply by sending a request: we get in touch and send the quotation, and no work begins until you approve it.
Send the date, the city, the guest count and the designs you chose, and you will receive a detailed quote you can compare against any other.
At Altahany Wedding Services, we help turn an idea into a complete booking: choose a service, view our work, request a quote, message us on WhatsApp, then confirm the event details step by step.