Wedding Times

Photo by Kat…

Keep the cost of your wedding down by mastering the art of negotiation. Anyone can do it, here are the basics.

Become a Comparison Shopper

Speak to a variety of vendors and tell them your budget. Find out what they are willing to give you for the price you are willing to pay. You can then go back to your dream venue, florist, or whoever you are negotiating with and tell them what you have been offered. This will often sway them into giving you a better price. You have to be able to say a polite, “Thank you for your time,” and walk away to let the vendor know that you have other options and will take your business elsewhere. If you have your heart set on one particular vendor, just act like you are going to walk away and they will usually be not too far behind telling you everything they can do for you.

Know What You’re Paying For

When meeting with vendors, ask to see a sample contract. Carefully look over everything that you will be charged for. Is the caterer charging a certain price for unopened bottles of alcohol? Has the DJ included a price for an assistant that will act as emcee for the evening? Is the photographer preparing albums that you could make yourself? Speak to the vendor about any costs and fees that you deem unnecessary and ask if there is any way to drop those from the package.

Know Your Budget

Know what your budget is for a particular vendor before even meeting with them. Stick to it as much as possible. While you may find yourself paying a little bit extra here and there remember if you do that with every vendor, it can add up to be hundreds of dollars more than you were prepared to spend. As a rule any extra expenses mean you have to negotiate a discount on another aspect of your wedding.

Give a “Pretend” Budget

No matter what you tell wedding vendors your wedding budget is, it will not be enough. The art of negotiation involves breaking the other person’s limit. If the vendor feels at the end of the negotiation that you gave up something as well, they will feel much better about the whole thing and be willing to give you a better price. For that reason, you must not tell them what your actual budget is! Give them a budget number that is slightly less than what you actually have in mind. This way, when they tell you that you need to go a little bit higher, you can hem and haw about if for awhile but eventually agree because you won’t really be losing any money.

Buy in Bulk

A lot of vendors will also give you a better deal if you purchase something in addition. A photographer may give you a better deal on your wedding package if you agree to have them do your engagement photos. Caterers may give a better price per head if you agree to let them make your wedding cake as well. Add up these additional costs to see if you are really saving money in the end.

Be Firm But Friendly

“You’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” If you are pleasant vendors are much more likely to try and work with you to find an arrangement to suit everyone. If you are demanding and aggressive from the very beginning, they most likely won’t give you a deal. However, know what you want and don’t take anything less. You can still maintain a friendly demeanor while making them understand what is important to you and that you will not be distracted from that. Say something such as, “I understand your position as well. I’m sorry we couldn’t come to a suitable arrangement and if something changes, I will keep you in mind,” if it’s really not going to work out. This will leave things friendly and may even have that vendor chasing after you offering a better deal.

Do Walk Away

Let your vendor know that you need time to think about it and you also need to run it by your future husband, as it is a budget issue. This plants the seed in the vendor’s head that you may not be coming back. It will encourage them to work with you a little bit more to give you a better deal. Besides that, running financial issues past your groom isn’t a bad idea as you have a lifetime of doing just that ahead of you.

Pay in Cash

Cash talks and that’s no different when it comes to wedding vendors. Tell them that you are willing to pay cash on the spot if they can give you a discount on some items. This can go a long way to getting you a better price just be sure you still have a contract signed by both parties and get a receipt.

Consider Off Season

The prime wedding season is from May – September and the most popular day of the week to have a wedding is on Saturday. Florists, photographers, venues, and DJs will all be busier during at these times. This makes it harder to get deals because they are taking in so much business. Consider having your wedding off-season or on a different day of the week. Tell the vendors that you realize they probably have some free time and ask if that could go towards a discount?

Know What You Can Give

If you can do anything to make a vendor’s job easier, they are going to be much more likely to work with you. Does the venue have an entrance close to the kitchen so the caterer can easily bring the food in? Do you have microphones, speakers, or anything else that the DJ can use? Scout out the areas where the vendor will be working and know what will be available to them during your wedding. Time is money. If you are saving them time, you should be saving money. The little extras mean a lot to vendors, which can help get a discount.

Expect to Win the Negotiation

Don’t go into the negotiation wondering if you can pull it off. If you expect to win and have no other option in your mind, you are more likely to get what you want. Be confident and visualize yourself winning. It will go a lot further than you think.