Today on the blog, I’m going to get a bit real and I’m going to tackle a bit of a sensitive subject, but I’m doing it because I love you, I’m your honourary bridesmaid after all!
First, I want to disclaim – I totally get that your budget is a real thing, especially in this day and age and especially in this economy. And I also totally understand that this is your wedding – your big day, your dream day. You want to fulfill every fantasy, and you want it to go off without a hitch, and you want it to go down in the history books!
For all of us, every single one of us, usually the major complication to making dreams a reality is our wedding budgets. While every member of the wedding community understands the need for balance between the two, there are a few reasons why asking wedding vendors for a discount isn’t as appropriate as you might believe.
The majority of wedding professionals have a base price point that will cover the average materials and time to produce the quality of work you want for your wedding. If your wedding is more complicated and requires more man hours, it will cost more. By asking wedding professionals for a discount, you’re asking them to earn less per hour. You are devaluing their time and experience. What would your response be if someone asked you to work for less? Would you be willing to go above and beyond for that person or would you feel you were being taken advantage of?
Almost every professional in our community is a small business owner – locally run, locally operated, supporting other local business and keeping your dollars within our city and our country. Wedding professionals are already offering you the most competitive rate they can for their work, experience, and expertise. Calgary is a robust market, where brides have lots of options when choosing their wedding professionals and the flexibility to find the right professionals to work with.
Professionals often base their prices on what the market will bear. When I say what the market will bear, I mean they take into account the cost of living and the cost of running their business (the price of office space, minimum wage, etc.) A wedding planner in Vancouver will not cost the same as Calgary or the same as a wedding planner in Regina. Don’t base your price expectations on what your friend paid in another city.
There is a time, and a place where you can find a great deal on your dream vendors – for example, every September, Bridal Expo Calgary hosts Southern Alberta’s biggest gown sale, where bridal salons come together, and hundreds of gowns are available for up to 70% off! Often, exhibitors at trade shows like Bridal Expo and Wedding Fair will offer a special incentive to book with them at the show, and those are great places to get a feel for what the market will bear. Joining Buy and Sell Groups on Facebook and Reddit is also a great place to find good deals on things like rentals and decor – often wedding vendors will offer any specials or discounts they are offering.
Your wedding professionals are the ones that make sure your day goes smoothly – even if there are hiccups, their job is to solve those problems before you even realize those exist. Take it from me, that in itself is worth the every penny on your wedding day.
