Vendor Pricing Rant (specifically DOCs)

Hi @Happy in Hawaii... remember me? Have you thought about contacting our very own former bride Lynzey? She switched over to the vendor side of things after she got married because she loved it so much. I'm sure I have her info somewhere if you want it. Lemme know!

PS - I had so much fun planning, if you need any help on the San Diego side of things, you know I'll be happy to help!

My venue includes my coordinator in their wedding package; so I am just using theirs. I suggest asking the venue if they recommend anyone (I would think that if they require one they must have some that they work with.

All I can add to this, is I think it is PREPOSTEROUS that the DOC's I have connected with, expect such an ungodly amount to simply come out the DAY OF my wedding, and assist with pretty mundane tasks. I am not asking them to plan, execute, contact vendors, maintain my budget, etc. I simply want someone who can come HELP...ASSIST ME with decorating and etc, under my instruction. If they think that merits $100 an hour charges...pfffft! Oh...and then they want to tack on several additional hours. So my 10 a.m. to midnight gig turned into a 8a.m. to 2a.m. gig, at $100 hour. No way.

I have also found DOC's to be the LEAST negotiable. Every other vendor so far, has negotiated to some degree...either a "confirm now and save xx amount" or meeting a competitors price.

Wow, I'm glad to have gotten so much feedback on this topic, both from brides who have also found this frustrating and the vendor perspective. I understand that the vendors need to stay competitive but it seems like a waste of everyone's time if I email and then they take the time to respond and I find it's over my budget so then I either have to take more time to say "no, sorry" or they end up wasting their time on three more emails to see if I'm still interested! I am definitely willing to not just go with the cheapest person either, I saw a groupon for a DOC that offered $250 off of a $500 package. It just seemed like it would be too risky as much as I'd love that price. I know you'll get what you pay for but just because of a good connection with the vendor I probably won't pay way more than my budget. Just a starting price is all I'd like!

@KristnH, thanks for chiming in, I need your help with vendors in San Diego, wanna be my wedding planner? Or you could be my DOC and that would solve everything!!! I actually did think of Lynzey after getting so frustrated clicking on one person after another. I think I may actually contact her, I know she's further north so I don't know if she'd mind coming all the way to San Diego. I think I found her page, I'll see if I can contact her through there. I think I'll definitely be coming to you though on a lot of other recommendations, we're just trying to figure out photographers right now and DOCs. Thank goodness we have a ton of time!

@Kat, That's good to know about the DOCs being the least negotiable, it is a bit ridiculous how much some of them charge to do tasks that don't require a ton of training.

I thought also about having a friend be my DOC but I'd rather my friends enjoy the day.

Have you tried Thumbtack? It lets you put in some basic details (including your price range) and lets vendors contact you who meet your criteria. I used it to get some quotes on flowers and found it really useful. Good luck.

Sorry edited for spelling- it's hard at 4:45

If you are in San Diego here is a list of some DOC's http://www.sandiegoweddings.com/directory/bridal-consultants-coordinators/

I always received quotes. Instead of just asking for information I asked very specifically for their package prices and wouldn't commit to a meeting until they did so. I also told them my wedding date, my needs, and location right away. I never had anyone not give me a price when I provided this information.

Thanks so much Wendy A I'm gonna try that out now.

Awkward... But what's a DOC?

Day-of-coordinator. We are paying a friend who does it as a side job for $300

Thank you!

I contacted maybe 12 doc's and 4 or 5 wouldn't give prices over the phone. They wanted to actually meet! Ain't nobody got time for that! In the end I didn't use a doc. I was really bummed because I really needed one.

My DOC was $600 and I found her on craigslist! Make sure you read as many reviews as you can. And yes, everyone is right, you will have to email each one individually to find out their prices.

PRO TIP: In your initial email state your budget. It will save you a lot of hassle if you can just rule people out right away! ex: "Hi (blah blah wedding details) and my budget is $500 for a day-of planner. Do you think that is something you can work with?"

I list base prices on my website ... I personally did this to filter out brides who would not be able to afford my services...they are however BASE prices.

Each and every wedding planner/coordinator has different rates based on different things.

Me personally, I base all my prices 100% on a client's guest count...so in order for me to give an actual quote, I would need to know a potential client's estimated number of guests first. Many coordinators I know base their prices on a percentage of your overall budget....which is why prices fluctuate (as someone mentioned above).

This is what I tell my own friends and family:

1) People sell things on CL because they are desperate. Ask yourself why they are so desperate?

2) You only get married once, so if you'r gonna do it... do it right. Read others sob stories for proof.

3) Many vendors (myself included) do not list prices because we want to get you on the phone.

Hi Happy in Hawaii. If you want any help with vendors and such definitely let me know! I loved every one of my vendors, so just let me know what ya need!!

And in all seriousness - if you want a planner or DOC person I would absolutely love to fill that role for you. My BA is actually for event planning, and I had so much planning my wedding that I'm sad it's over! My MOH has the same degree as me too, so she could help!!

Seriously - PM your email and we can chat a little. I really would love to help you!

I had the same issue with photographers where I had to email each one for a quote, and they wanted to "meet" first before giving me a price. Time is valuable for you and the vendor so meeting with someone just to find out later that you can't afford them is frustrating!

In regards to DOC, I originally started my research on thumbtack.com where local services send you approximate quotes for their services. I found my wedding coordinator through there and the contact log made it easy to speak directly to the vendors through the site without them "spamming" your email with promotional materials.

Base prices should at least be listed. Not listing a price of some sort is a waste of the vendor's and client's time. Let's say you and client "click" and then you bust out with your price. It's 4 times what the client can afford. She just wasted your time and you ultimately wasted her by not posting at least the SOMETHING on your site.

I ran into this with photographers constantly when we were still thinking about doing a wedding in the States. It was absolutely frustrating to have to email 20 vendors a day just to find out what they charge. I also don't want to hear crap that it's because prices change. It is so much easier to update prices on a website than it is to update a PDF flier. If you are worried that you are going to piss off current clients because you're about to lower the price for the off-season or something, just use a disclaimer that prices are subject to change. People aren't stupid, it happens.

I can be your DOC