Let's face it: weddings are expensive! Who wouldn't want to save a little money or get some no-cost extras thrown in for their wedding? These are some tips on how to successfully negotiate with your wedding vendors.
The first tip is to be realistic. If you are making reasonable requests in a polite manner, your chances of success are much higher than the bride who is making outrageous demands and being disrespectful. When you decide to try to negotiate a better deal with a wedding vendor, it also helps to know exactly what your goal is. If you love the venue and are just hoping to get a few upgrades, that is a very different negotiating position than if you will have to walk away from a vendor if they cannot give you the price that you need.
The next tip is to have an understanding of the vendors that you are dealing with. The most exclusive country club in town is not going to care if you walk because they are not flexible; they already have a waiting list of brides who would happily take your place and pay full price. The same is also true of large chains, such as those where you might shop for bridesmaid dresses. They likely have very rigid policies that leave their employees little room for negotiation.
You will have a better chance of getting your vendors to work with your requests if they are smaller or are up-and-coming. For instance, a caterer who is just starting out will be more open to throwing in a few extras if it will make you happy and lead to a good reference later on. In some cases, vendors may be unwilling to give a discount off of their price, but might be open to giving you upgrades or extras at no additional cost. Examples include extra trays of appetizers from the caterer or an extra hour from your photographer or band.
Another good idea is to go into the negotiating process with something to offer in return. Did you know that for every credit card purchase they accept, a vendor has to pay a fee to the credit card, sometimes as high as 5% or more? One of your best chances of getting a vendor to knock down their price a little is to offer to pay in cash. If you are saving them money, they may be willing to help you save a bit too.
You also want to go into your negotiations from a position of strength (without being overbearing about it, of course). For instance, if you belong to a hotel loyalty program, you might be able to get V.I.P. treatment if you hold your reception in one of their hotels. When you are asking for favors, it helps if you can make a promise to help them in return,like booking the rooms for all of your guests to stay there.
Finally, you should be aware that not all vendors can or will negotiate on a case-by-case basis, but there may be other ways to get discounts from them. Many fine bridal shops, as an example, will be highly offended if you ask them to discount their gowns (and in fact, they can have a designer pull the line from their store for doing so), but they might be able to give you 10% off if you order your dress during a trunk show. Even if they cannot knock down the price of the bridal gown, many salons will offer you a small discount on your bridesmaid dresses if you purchase them all there as well.
If you are simply not able to get the deal that you are looking for from a wedding vendor, you may need to walk away and find another option. Brides often find that items like bridesmaid gifts can be much more affordable when purchased online, for instance. Often if you are buying a wedding item such as your bridesmaid gifts in a large quantity, you can also get perks like free shipping or special gift packaging. And when you are trying to get the best deal for your wedding, always remember the number one rule: it never hurts to ask.
How to Negotiate With Wedding Vendors
Guy has been writing about society and weddings for a long time. If you have a topic you would like to know about. Let us know at SilverlandJewelry.com, and visit us to shop for all of your bridesmaid gifts.
watch mobile phone Buy New Zimmermann Sport Front Disc Brake Cheap Beck Arnley 104 1256 Transmission Mount Best
