Hi, and welcome back to my A to Z of wedding planning. I’m Andri Benson, Always Andri Wedding Design. And today we’re carrying on with N for negotiation, wedding supplier negotiations.
No time to watch the video, read the transcript below:
Wedding Supplier Negotiations
So I just wanted to talk a bit about wedding supplier negotiations. Mainly from when you’re planning your wedding, and there’s this big thing that you need to be thinking about- budget and money. What’s the best deals you can get? How can you save money? You often see it in the press, you’ve got to haggle down your wedding suppliers, and all this sort of thing. So, I wanted to talk about my tips, my thoughts on the subject of wedding supplier negotiations, and what I think you should and maybe shouldn’t be doing.
Do your research.
Firstly, when you’re going into any kind of wedding supplier negotiations, or talking to your wedding venue, you really need to do your research and your homework. Know what kind of prices are in your area for that particular venue, that particular supplier. If you know what kind of service they provide, then you get a better understanding of what their prices should be. You don’t want to go in just presuming that the price is X, when actually realistically it’s more likely Y.
I think I’ve probably mentioned this before, when you are doing your research into costs, I would disregard the average weddings costs in wedding magazines, because they are a national average. You really need to think about what the average is, or the prices are, within your area. So, London for example does tend to be a lot more expensive than other areas.
Wedding tax myth
Also, I would go in there not instantly presuming that because you’ve said wedding, they’re going to instantly charge you more. I think that’s a bit of a myth, and I think it does a disservice to lots of wedding planners and wedding suppliers generally. There’s a lot of work and a lot of effort that goes into weddings. We have to deal with a lot of expectations of what you should and shouldn’t be having. And so suppliers do price very much accordingly, what the service should and shouldn’t be as it were. So, I think just don’t go in there presuming they’re charging the worst. A good reputable supplier will be charging you the correct amount of money.
Can they add value?
Also, I would say when you’re going into your wedding supplier negotiations and you’ve done your research, you know what’s available, I would say rather than always trying to negotiate discount, think about what they can add to the service, can they throw in some extras? Then they feel like they’re adding value, they’re not feeling hard done by because you’ve asked for a discount. And then you also feel a bit better, because you think you’ve got a bit extra. And I think going knowing what the options might be gives you a lot more negotiation room.
Be flexible
Do think about being flexible. Venues is a big one where it really helps to be flexible in terms of the date, the time of year you want to get married. If you’re going in there wanting to get married on a Saturday in August and asking for a discount, that’s unlikely to happen, because that’s a prime date for them. But if you’re out of season, maybe a midweek day, I think if you’re willing to be flexible, they’ll be willing to be more flexible too.
Make the supplier feel wanted
Also, make that supplier or venue feel like you actually want them. And you’re not just scrabbling around or haggling for a discount. If the supplier really feels that you want to work with them, that you genuinely are in love with their work or their venue, I think again, they’ll probably be a lot more accommodating. So you really can show them that you want them. We want to be loved as suppliers.
Good wedding for their portfolio?
Also, are you having an interesting wedding? Is it something really creative? Is it a destination wedding? Something again that’s quite appealing to the supplier in question, if they feel like it’s a good portfolio ready kind of wedding, then again they might be more willing to negotiate a discount or add on more value.
So, just really think about being honest and authentic. Go tell them what the facts are, really feel that you want that supplier at hand, and be flexible. So there you go, that’s my little quick tips on negotiation. Remember, it’s not all about the discounts, it’s as much about thinking of ways you can add more value too. I hope that was helpful, and I’ll be back again next week with more tips. Take care.
Need help with wedding supplier negotiations? My full wedding planning service ensures that every aspect of your wedding will be precisely organised and perfectly executed. For more information on my creative, individual planning service, do please get in touch today!