Advice for negotiating prices with venues?

You ALWAYS ask if there's wiggle room. Always. I was literally openmouthed reading the first few responses on here, because they're the opposite of most advice on here, and directly contradicts SO many WWers' experiences.

Almost every venue I contacted was willing to work with me - the few that weren't were either new (the owners were keen to recoup their investment and didn't know the market well) or the 2 most popular in the region and typically booked 2 years in advance. Everywhere else offered me something to book with them. Not always a monetary discount, but free upgrades or services

Don't come right out and ask for discounts. Instead, express interest (be specific about why you love the venue if you can) and then communicate your hesitation, whether it's on numbers to meet a minimum, the pricing of the drinks, etc. Typically, and especially if you're out of high season or booking way in advance, they'll offer to work with you or offer a sweetener. I got $500 knocked off my ceremony fee, half-price onsite rooms, and a few other things like wiggle room on the time limit thrown in, just for asking.

Always ask. The worst they can do is say no.

Lol okay guys. Just throw money away then. Everything is negotiable! The worst they will say is no.

I just said something like, "we were hoping to keep the price around X amount, is there anything you can do for us?" I wound up getting 10% off the price.

I did the same thing Staci did, and I got a huge discount on catering. I just asked if there was anything we could substitute or take out of the menu to bring the price down, and they brought the price down without removing anything. It never hurts to ask!

My family has been in the event planning industry for over 20 years and I have learned to absolutely negotiate prices/services when planning an event. I'm so surprised by a lot of these responses. We got married at a hotel, and I'm pretty sure they expect you to negotiate. We got a great food and bev min, no ceremony fee and they created a menu for us to fit our vision at a great price. I hate paying admin fees, venue fees etc. I want to pay for a product, and hotel food and beverages are priced to include the price of the space you are enjoying it in. We paid for food and beverages and of course the ++ (services charge and tax) which is an additional 30%. "wedding venues" might be different, but I think it's always worth asking. Good luck!

Definitely try to negotiate. See if you can get a discount by paying the minimum months before the final count is due, paying only full-price for the difference. Try to get upgraded side dishes or apps. Try upgrades to linens, centerpieces, late night snacks, etc. Believe me, you won't be the first bride to come in and try to negotiate at the venue, unless it is their first week in business.

I negotiated with every vendor and my venue! They want to sell that date so it can't hurt to ask. They waived the ceremony fee and took $40 off per person. It also helped that we were engaged in April and we're looking to book by the end of the year. Every dollar helps so it can't hurt to ask. They worst they can do is say no!

You can absolutely negotiate just be reasonable, at the end of the day they are still a business with employees that need a paycheck.

I negotiated a few small things that would have been added costs by getting rid of a few of their "included upgrades" that we just didn't need.

You can try, but if it's a venue that is in demand, they have set $$ they need to bring in on every date they expect to book. You might be able to pay less money for more people, less money for Thursday or less money for mornings. If you're trying to plan close in and they have a date open, they may book the room out for less.