Guest Blog: Ways to Negotiate + Cut Costs for the Penny Pinching Bride
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Most people still have the misconception that all a wedding planners do is march around with a clipboard in hand barking orders to frantic wait staff and wedding vendors. SO not true. Planners are here to help engaged couples make decisions in their planning and to take the stress of planning off their shoudlers. Most planners (if not all) will work especially with you in one of the trickiest, most daunting parts of wedding planning - vendor negotiations. When does a bride say yes or no? How much is too much when it comes to estimates?
Hillary Capes of Your Day of Fairy Tales shares some insight in today's Penny Pinching Bride advice segment.
What is negotiation and how can it help me in my wedding.
According to Maiese, “Negotiation is a discussion between two or more disputants who are trying to work out a solution to their problem.” (Maiese, 2003) Negotiation is a part of every day life. At a stoplight, you negotiate with who will go next. Negotiation often goes unmentioned by the American population. Unfortunately, too many people settle for what appears to be the norm and do not try and better themselves.
{...enter wedding planning}
How many vendors have you contacted and automatically not given a shot because their package included too much for you or didn't even include what you wanted? Did you try to negotiate with that vendor? Negotiation is key to making a budget wedding work.
Photography
For example: You contact the most amazing photographer in all of Nashville. You absolutely love their work and they MUST take your wedding portraits. Problem is though, their packages include WAY too much extra "stuff" and not enough coverage time. Easy fix. Contact the photographer. Tell them how much you LOVE their work and that you really are interested in more coverage time. Explain to them the reason you feel you do not need the extras in their packages and ask politely if you can do a swap out for extra coverage hours. Usually if a vendor knows that you are going to book, they will work with you to make sure you have what you want in your package.
One easy tip is to not hire an inexperienced photographer who has never done a professional wedding. Whether it's second shooting or solo, make sure that they have done weddings. Amber of Lotus Blossum Photography posted a great blog about the difference in professional wedding photography and un-professional wedding photography. There definitely is a difference.
unprofessional photo taken by a family member
BRIDES LISTEN!!!!
Inexpensive photography does NOT mean horrible in all cases. But, it does not mean go to Craigslist and hire the first ad you see for cheap photography because chances are that person just got that camera and can't operate it. This is THE ONE aspect of your day that you will have after it is all said and done. Treasure it and hire a professional photographer who will tell the story of your wedding day!
Flowers
Oh brides who think all florists are expensive: Newsflash! They aren't! It is all based upon the flowers you pick! I know you have heard time and time again, that it depends on what is in season and what isn't. For example. I am sure most of you have heard about the expensive price tag of roses in the early part of the year, especially around Valentine's day, but due to over whelming qualities in the summer time, the price of roses drastically decreases to about half.
This centerpiece cost approximately $25 and was done for a late April wedding.
Source: erinthacker.com
Another way to cut your florist costs is to consider the size of your flowers. A small flower such as tulips, ranaculous, or roses are going to be more expensive to make a full bouquet than a large flower such as a sunflower, stargazer lillies or hydrangea. Also, reducing the number of those expensive smaller flowers in your arrangements or bouquets is a great way to cut costs.
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Catering
As a planner, negotiating catering is the hardest part of my job. One quick and easy way to negotiate the price point of your catering is man power and the amount of time they spend there. Rather than having 6 people there at $25/hour per person for 6 hours, ask your caterer if you can cut it down to 4 people for 4 hours. A majority of the time, they can still function with those terms, whilst cutting your contract price down.
All of these tips are things you should mention to your vendors when contacting them for the first time. Negotiation is an important factor into making your budget wedding come true. Hiring a wedding planner is also a good step as most planners have experience negotiating with vendors.
Happy Planning!
The views shared in our guest blog posts aren't necessarily those of Ashley's Bride Guide.
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Posted on September 23, 2010 |
Filed under: DIY & Budget Wed Finds, Wedding Planners & Coordinators
