Weddings are expensive! We understand that and know whatever your budget is you’ll want to receive the best value for your money. As a full service wedding planner, we are conscientious about costs and do not believe that higher budgets necessarily create more meaningful experiences.
As luxury wedding planners, we are your advocates and will guide you to make wise and cost conscious choices. At times we are even able to offset our own costs! We will also be transparent with you when we feel you are cutting costs in ways that may impact the overall quality of your event and cost you more money in the long run.
This post will answer the question, "Can a wedding planner ask for vendor discounts or negotiate rates for you?" Keep on reading to find out!
How We Stick to Your Wedding Budget
Here the main ways in which we as full service wedding planners are able to help you stick to your budget:
We save you countless hours of research, emails, phone calls and work. Time is money after all! Are you working full time? If you do not have a planner, you’ll be working on your wedding during your business hours AND after hours.
We are an Austin wedding planner, so we are experts in the wedding market here! We know what things cost and will help you budget accordingly prior to booking any vendors. We know what you will most likely be able to spend per vendor and therefore can create a realistic budget and also help you prioritize expenses. We will get an idea of what wedding elements are important to you, and where you should invest and get more "bang for your buck."
We will connect you to professional and talented vendors that meet your needs within your price range.
Planning mistakes and inexperienced decisions can be costly. We know exactly what to watch out for. For instance, the less expensive venue you are looking at booking may end up costing you more money in the long run since you will have to light the entire area and pay for extra hours to set up.
We will make recommendations on any changes that can bring the cost down without affecting the overall quality of your event.
Do Wedding Planners Get You Vendor Discounts?
We are sometimes asked if we as full service wedding planners can help negotiate vendor rates on our clients' behalf. I believe this idea comes from wedding blogs and the like offering tips and tricks for asking for discounted rates or upgraded services with vendors.
First, let me clarify that we do have discussions with vendors regarding your needs and budget and work towards a contract that meets your requirements. What we do not do however, is negotiate for discounted rates. Despite the amount of blogs on this subject (I think people are looking for copy to fill editorials), this really isn't customary within the industry (unlike auto dealerships) and leads to awkward conversations between you and your potential vendors.
Consider the scenario of going into a local restaurant and saying "I really like the look of your steak. I know it says the cost is $20 but I have only budgeted $15 to spend on dinner. If I eat at your restaurant, will you offer me a discount or perhaps throw in a free dessert?"
Potential Downfalls of Vendor Discounts
If a vendor ends up giving you a discount, this can actually have a very negative impact on the overall quality of your event for the following reasons:
Vendors have carefully priced their services based on market value, their experience, hours, labor, supplies and overall cost of running their business. If you approach a vendor and ask for a discount it communicates that you do not feel that their services, talent and time are worth what they are charging. You as the client are clearly just trying to save money, however, you are asking your vendor to take a pay cut. Imagine that your boss came to you and said “We would like you to do the same amount of work next year for for 20% less than you earned this year." You would most likely try to find another job and would not likely be as invested in your work after that. The same applies to your vendors.
You will have a harder time finding good vendors. If a vendor has a choice between working with a client who will pay them fully for their time and talents and one who wants a discount, you can imagine who they will want to work with.
If for some reason the vendor ends up giving you a discount you most likely will not receive the same service for a lower price, you'll instead receive reduced service. For instance if your photographer is $4k for 8 hours, and he/she gave you a discount of $400, you won’t receive $4k and 8 hours worth of service. You’ll receive 8 hours on the day of and $3600 worth of service somehow because that is what you paid for! This may not be a conscious choice, but it happens.
It's demoralizing to feel as if you are not being paid fully for your time and services. You don't want pushback from your vendors because they feel as if you have tapped them out. You want a vendor team that is energized and enthusiastic about your wedding day! I’ve even seen photographers stay longer than contracted for and bakers bake extra layers for sweet brides. Vendors who are paid what they are worth and feel valued perform the best. It’s human nature!
The Lovely Day Approach to Wedding Budgets
How then do we work with vendors in regards to pricing? First, we set a per budget category then approach vendors that fit your budget and needs. If you you have a $4000 floral budget max, we won't refer you to the florist you saw on Instagram that has a $10,000 minimum.
If your budget and desires don't line up, we will work with you to achieve something you are happy with or making needed budget changes. If you have a $2500 floral budget and want to replicate the florals at Harry and Meghan's wedding, then we will have a discussion about increasing your budget or creating the essence of what you are going for in a more affordable way. Of course that's a complete exaggeration, but the point being we want you to be knowledgeable prior to reaching out to vendors about what to expect in regards to pricing.
If a vendor offers special rates or discounts to sweeten the deal, say early booking or seasonal rates, then by all means, we will take them up on it!
Lastly, while wedding planners may receive certain discounts for our clients here or there, we do not sell our value based on how many discounts we have. We price our services based on our experience, knowledge, time and labor. Our value is derived from the time and stress we save you and professional guidance we offer throughout your planning process.
About Lovely Day Events
Lovely Day Events is a full service wedding planner based in the heart of Austin, Texas.
We are a team of creative and professional wedding planners, who specialize in planning sophisticated, fun, and highly personal celebrations for our busy and modern clients.
If you would like more information about our Event Management package, hit the button below. We are excited to meet you!