With the price of just about everything on the rise, keeping your wedding budget in line can be a daunting task. People often ask my advice on these matters.
Here are some tips for working with your vendors:
1-Don't be afraid to be upfront about your budget. Some vendors won't be able to budge, but many can offer solutions to work at or close to your budget. Respectable vendors aren't going to inflate their costs based on the number you give, and will be willing to negotiate. Remember that like many other industries, there are hard and soft costs. Hard costs are the prices your vendor pays to produce an item for your wedding. For example, hard costs for me are albums, prints, and web hosting to name a few. Those things are firm and probably can't be negotiated. Soft costs may be what a vendor charges for his or her services - in my case, the time I spend shooting the wedding and all the time I spend after the wedding to get you your final product. This might be something that can be worked a little if the vendor has his or her own business, if your wedding isn't at a peak time, or if the vendor has a lot of other events that weekend.
2-It's always worth it to ask. Remember, the worst anyone can say is no, so go ahead and tell the florist, photographer, whomever, exactly what you desire. I find the vendors I love adore what they do for a living. When you look good, they look good.
3-Where should I spend the bulk of my money on my wedding? While that's a question only you can answer, think about what you're going to enjoy in the years to come. Is a wedding album important for you to share with family? Will you still be excited that you booked an awesome DJ or band five years from now? Is the big picture more important than the individual parts? For me and my husband, a live band was essential. We spent a large chunck of our budget on a British Invasion cover band that had people dancing till the very end. We still talk about it to this day.
4-"...but my wedding isn't the typical wedding." -I shoot a lot of weddings that are completely unique. For example, a surprise wedding in someone's house, a destination wedding in a meadow in Lake Tahoe, a 20 person affair with minimal wedding detail. Again, communication is the key here. These events may not price out in the same way as a typical day, so ask!
5-Am I going to have to hire someone I don't want in order to save money? No. You should never have to do this. Pursue the vendors you want, let them know you want them. I've had many people tell me that they didn't know how to negotiate, and as a result they were stuck with a photographer who was afraid of bugs at their outdoor wedding, a drunk who refused to follow directions and missed half the shots, an angry high school portrait photographer, etc. I've actually reshot some of these folks' photos, so in the long run there was really no savings.
Last of all, get it in writing. I can't stress the importance of reading your contract and making sure everything you discussed with each of your wedding vendors is in each of your contracts. Not only does this protect you, it also ensures that your vendors know exactly what they need to do to make your wedding the perfect day.
Here are some tips for working with your vendors:
1-Don't be afraid to be upfront about your budget. Some vendors won't be able to budge, but many can offer solutions to work at or close to your budget. Respectable vendors aren't going to inflate their costs based on the number you give, and will be willing to negotiate. Remember that like many other industries, there are hard and soft costs. Hard costs are the prices your vendor pays to produce an item for your wedding. For example, hard costs for me are albums, prints, and web hosting to name a few. Those things are firm and probably can't be negotiated. Soft costs may be what a vendor charges for his or her services - in my case, the time I spend shooting the wedding and all the time I spend after the wedding to get you your final product. This might be something that can be worked a little if the vendor has his or her own business, if your wedding isn't at a peak time, or if the vendor has a lot of other events that weekend.
2-It's always worth it to ask. Remember, the worst anyone can say is no, so go ahead and tell the florist, photographer, whomever, exactly what you desire. I find the vendors I love adore what they do for a living. When you look good, they look good.
3-Where should I spend the bulk of my money on my wedding? While that's a question only you can answer, think about what you're going to enjoy in the years to come. Is a wedding album important for you to share with family? Will you still be excited that you booked an awesome DJ or band five years from now? Is the big picture more important than the individual parts? For me and my husband, a live band was essential. We spent a large chunck of our budget on a British Invasion cover band that had people dancing till the very end. We still talk about it to this day.
4-"...but my wedding isn't the typical wedding." -I shoot a lot of weddings that are completely unique. For example, a surprise wedding in someone's house, a destination wedding in a meadow in Lake Tahoe, a 20 person affair with minimal wedding detail. Again, communication is the key here. These events may not price out in the same way as a typical day, so ask!
5-Am I going to have to hire someone I don't want in order to save money? No. You should never have to do this. Pursue the vendors you want, let them know you want them. I've had many people tell me that they didn't know how to negotiate, and as a result they were stuck with a photographer who was afraid of bugs at their outdoor wedding, a drunk who refused to follow directions and missed half the shots, an angry high school portrait photographer, etc. I've actually reshot some of these folks' photos, so in the long run there was really no savings.
Last of all, get it in writing. I can't stress the importance of reading your contract and making sure everything you discussed with each of your wedding vendors is in each of your contracts. Not only does this protect you, it also ensures that your vendors know exactly what they need to do to make your wedding the perfect day.
