Vendors that are reluctant to give quotes

I would call and let them know your situation. Let them know when your next trip will be and that if they are within your budget you will visit. Just tell them you need more specifics on cost and what's included. You could also suggest a Skype call if you want a more face-to-face interaction.

I’m not sure if it’s “proper” etiquette, but I went with something like “my budget requires that I keep this portion under [x amount], does that sound like something you can reasonably do?” And everyone was super willing to at least say yes or no, even if they couldn’t give an exact number.

We are planning our wedding from 2 hours away, not terrible but I didn’t want to drive if I didn’t have to. Like every wedding planner wanted to meet me in person for a “personalized quote” and I simply responded “I am planning this wedding from a distance and am unable to take the day off work for an in person consultation. My budget is x, is this something realistic? If so can we set up a phone consultation or Skype?”

Recently, I had this situation come up, I said, "I'm happy to meet in persome but will first need at least a price range to make sure we don't waste each other's time." Straight to tbe point.

I had this happen as well and it's kind of annoying. My venue is only half an hour away but I work 3rd shift. So I am asleep during most office hours. I would have to change my whole schedule to have a meeting during the week. Even when I explained this to a few vendors they still wouldn't even give me their base prices. So I just moved on to some one else.

It would be nice to get some incite from vendors on why they do this. I just thought it was a sales technique to get you face to face and try to sell you on their services.

This is so irritating to me! It's probably irrational but whatever. I noticed it a lot with photographers. Some don't put their prices on their website and all they say is contact us to schedule a consultation. Okay that's fine but if their base package is 4,000 and I only have a budget of 2,000 then why would I waste my time, even worse why would they want to waste theirs if I can't afford them?! There was even one who put all their packages on their website but didn't have their prices. Since there are so many photographers out there I told myself I wouldn't book someone like that based on principle. It worked out because the photographer we booked is amazing and was upfront about his pricing!

View Quoted Comment Also, I agree that this seems to be the best way to approach it. I was too busy ranting to actually help with your question, sorry!

I was very direct. I got married about 2 hours away. I only had a few vendors that wouldn't give me a quote initially, but then I explained I wasn't local and didn't want to waste their time or mine and then they would send a quote. I did everything through email first then called the ones I was interested in to get a feel for them.

Questionnaires help them provide you an accurate quote. Tell them you are out of state and that you cannot meet...You can talk over phone.

I’m surprised to hear this. I’ve never had this happen. Most of the quotes I received were actually via the WeddingWire app.

I had to deal with the same thing, since our venue is 3 hrs away.
Let them know that you aren't local, and want to make sure they're within your budget before you travel that far to meet them. As soon as I explained that, most were much more willing to work with me on a price quote.
It's pretty normal for caterers in particular to not give you a price until you tell then what you want on your menu. If you don't know where to start, tell them your budget and ask if they can create a package that fits it.