Is negotiating a thing?

It doesn't hurt to ask if they can work with you on the price. Of course, if you're asking them to do their normal package (or something very close to it) for way under their normal price, you may find yourself fired as a client. When I worked as a ceremony musician, people would try to put my group against other musicians in town, thinking we'd lower our prices. Of course, we're friends with the other musicians and we all work together for different things, so we just laugh and say, "sure, go with them, they're good!" when people ask us to work for less than our time is worth.

On the other hand, if they came to us and said, "Our budget for music is $X, can you do anything for us?" then we would do our best to come up with a package that fit our needs as professionals and their needs as a couple. It's all in how you approach it! And do understand that they may not be willing or able to work with you. If your wedding is in the busy season on a day when they'd have to turn down a full-price wedding to work with you, the answer is much more likely to be no than on a weeknight, or during the slow season.

It's not that it's rude. It's just that for any established professional, they are not going to give you the same service at a lower price. So, for example, we got a lower price on our photographer--but that was by having our wedding on a Tuesday, having the photographer just for the ceremony (not the reception), and getting just a disk with the edited images rather than prints or albums. Saying, "We want your usual package, but we want to pay a lot less for it" wouldn't have worked.

I negotiated everything.. specially if you are looking at few vendors.. go with what works best for you guys

I was able to lower my ceremony space fee. All we did was ask.

My DJ is throwing in the ceremony time for no additional fees. He's worked at our venue before and knows the routine and he actually volunteered. When talking about timing and pricing we stated we really wanted the sound system for the ceremony as well but couldn't increase our budget and he was super amazing about it.

I made sure to ask every vendor I contacted if they offered any special rates or perks for off-season weddings. Since your wedding is in the off-season, you have this option. Also, no matter what season you're getting married in, you can always ask if they will match another vendor's quote or if they are offering any promotions at the moment.

Keep in mind, some vendors will say no, that they never offer discounts or do "price matching," so it's up to you to determine if those specific vendor's services are worth it or if you can get the same style and quality for another price. This IS their livelihood, after all, and they have a right to charge whatever they believe their services are worth.

Vendors who say yes can offer a variety of perks or discounts; they could give you a flat-rate cost or percentage off, or include an extra service or product for free, they might offer an extra hour, etc. Unless you have another quote, i wouldn't bring up specific prices--like i wouldn't say " you charge $3500, can you bring it down to $3000?" Because that devalues their services, like you're saying they're not worth their rates. But if you have another quote, you can say "we are in negotiations with another vendor who is offering their services for $3000. Is it possible for you to match that rate or close to it?" Or "another vendor has the same rate but includes [extra thing] in their package. Would you consider including that for us?" This shows that the only thing stopping you from booking them is one thing that another potential vendor offers and you give them the option of deciding if it's worth it to offer it to you in order to get your business.

You've got to be tactful and polite about it and not push it if they say no. It's not like haggling for better price on a mattress. Remember this is what they do for a living and they still need to make a profit at the end of the day to feed their families and pay their rent!!!

Things I got free/discounted/matched just by asking about off-season discounts and/or promotional offers: DJ threw in the cocktail hour and dance floor lighting for free. Photographer did a free upgrade from an 8x8 album to a 10x10 album and gave us a 10% discount on the overall package. Makeup artist gave me a free blowout. Videographer matched the price of another quote and threw in the raw footage at no extra charge.

These are great! Thanks ladies! I'll be sure to ask politely- I complete understand this is their living and their income and I respect that, I just think it never hurts to ask.

Absolutely ask! Our venue was all-inclusive. I was able to lock in 2015 prices for our 2017 wedding. During that time, the per person cost went up $75! We would not have been able to afford the venue at today's rates. I also got $100 knocked off for my dress too. Always ask.

Negotiate everything. We checked out 5 different venues and narrowed it down to the two that were within our budget.

Both worked with us. However one was better than the other just cause of time...

Be firm with them. If they want your business they'll be willing to work with ya

You might have some luck in February, but you're also in VD week, so I wouldn't expect much on the flower front.

Usually, if you want a discount, you give something up. Or you pay the same and get something thrown in because they're there anyway. But honestly, would that work for you? If you could come to work in your sweats, would you take less money? I didn't think so.

If they offer you a discount for cash, this is a big red flag, not the same as paying everything up front, which saves us paperwork and adds to cash flow.

It never hurts to ask; but for many dates, if you don't feel the price is worth it, someone else will. And I can tell you that every vendor and venue has a price that they will not go below. Most venues, the ones in demand, have a minimum dollar amount they need to bring in on any given date.

And honestly, I'd love an example of a vendor that raises prices from 100's to thousands in a month.

Dont you have a contract..they cant up price if you do

Negotiate EVERYTHING! I negotiated my wedding dress! Pair your sincere appreciation of their work with a realistic picture of your budget. The worst they can say is no! But "we really love your work and would be thrilled to work with you! $____ is going to be hard for us to swing. Is there any way you would consider $____?" goes a long way! If it's a product rather than a service, pretend you need to be persuaded and make them sell it to you! I really loved a dress that was $1600. Way out of my budget (I didn't tell them what my budget was). I asked what it would cost if I bought it off of the rack. $1400. Nope, there's a tear here and a stain here - no way anybody is going to take this off of your hands for $200 less than a fresh dress. Try again. Again - the worst they can say is no!

It depends how you approach it. Your chances are better because you're in off season, but if I sense someone is trying to play me, I don't do it. For example, they overspent on the venue and other things and want me to bear the sins of their budgeting mistakes, or they don't value what I do...or someone looking for a cheaper price and doesn't bother looking at much else.

If someone values what I do and wants my approach, and is willing to discuss it, and be prepared to cut certain things out, I do what I can to accommodate. Especially if they are nice, and conversations are engaging. I'd never do this for someone with choppy communication as it shows they don't value my time and aren't willing to put the work into it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no.

Like my fiancé says, if you don't ask you'll never know! I'm a horrible negotiator but he's the best. It does make me uncomfortable at times but it has gotten us a few discounts.

We were able to negotiate (talk and ask) about alot of things. Money is tight and most vendors know that, but be prepared to also negotiate or cut some services..

For example: I was super nervous when FH was asking the photographer for a "custom" package but only custom to our budget. He was great and really worked with us but we also lost just a little bit of the orignal package. It is all about budget and priorities and seeing where you can make cutes. But all we had to do was ask. Also keep the questions to a realistic number, that may work for them too. Our package was 3,400 and we got them down to 3,000.

My fee depends on how far I have to travel. Bring your ceremony closer to me and yes I'll charge less. Rehearsals are extra and most of my couples don't need one, so it is not automatically included -- it is an extra charge, again depending on far I have to travel.

My rate stays the same regardless of day of the week or month of the year or number of guests. I'm still putting in the same amount of time.

OP, if you're getting married in the South, February is not off-season -- August & Sept. are.

I think it depends on the vendor. A couple of friends who are photographers are insulted by haggling. They charge the price that they feel is fair, and if it's too high you can book someone else. Same with MUA's and hair stylists.

Would I negotiate with my caterer to charge me less for an upgraded appetizer? Or the chair rental company? Or even the bridal shop to price match a gown? Yep.

Fine to negotiate, the worst they can do is say no. If anyone raised their prices that much, I would walk. Sounds to me like they "low-balled" their first estimate.

Once the contract is signed, they can't go up....with no contract in place, it can happen.

In some cases, it can work - I think certain vendors are less willing to change their pricing (like photographers). I told one venue their ceremony price was too high for us ($2,000 to set up 75 chairs in the grass right outside the building? no thanks) and they emailed back with $800. I ended up not going with that venue because I felt like they were nickel and diming for everything.