Venue negotiations

Our venue gave a military discount, but that's it. They do discounts for unbooked dates for the summer in April, but we booked 15 months out. They had people booking that far in advance & paying full price so negotiation wasn't an option.

I think some venues can work with you in other ways. For instance mine wasn't flexible with the menu in terms of me being able to negotiate it down but they were flexible with other add on options that we're negotiable

We were able to haggle a bit with the DJ and photographer, but everything else was firmly priced.

I think it really may depend on if you have a hand to play or not. Are you booking in off-season? Are you military or first responder? Were you a referral from a member? For instance if you're booking a golf club or VFW, did someone refer you?

I think venues don't negotiate too much, especially if they are a popular venue and stay continually booked throughout the year. If it is an all inclusive (food, decor, tables) there may be some wiggle room. Otherwise, it's usually fixed to the pricing and contract.

If they're an up and coming vendor like a photographer or a DJ who needs help building their profile, I can see some negotiating. More popular vendors book years in advance and don't need to negotiate with clients who want to low ball them.

I was in love with this one venue. My mind was set...until I got their contract. Alot of it contradicted what the sales manager said during the site visit (I filmed it). For example, she quoted us a lower price for the hotel block; the contract had a higher price. When I brought this to her attention, she fixed it. Acted like she had done us a favor and pulled strings to get us a lower rate. She also told us that having a day-of coordinator was optional; the contract stated that a day-of was required and that we would still be subject to $75 per hour if they had to do any additional planning on our behalf. And you can bet they would have found a way to bill us for several hours or more.

Those are just two examples. My point is, some venues will give you a contract and if you don't go through it with a fine-tooth comb you're basically stuck with what you get if you dont know any better.

Ultimately, we chose to go with another venue whose contract aligned with everything that was told to us during the site visit. Of course, you can go back and forth negotiating, but for us, it felt very underhanded and we were concerned that they would nickel and dime us in the end and put us over our budget.

It definitely depends on their demand. If it's an off season and not a lot of people are booking them or if they're an up-and-coming venue where not a lot of people know about them yet, negotiating could be an option. If they're a super popular venue where people are booking years in advance, there probably won't be any negotiating because they could get someone to book with them pretty easily. The exception could be if they're having a sale because they can't book a date.

There’s a little wiggle room, not much because they’re providing a service that usually goes beyond whatever they’re providing than just the “time” at your wedding. But some might offer you a discount for a 1) small event/elopement, 2) off-season or weekday rate, 3) military, 4) if they’re new to weddings and hope for a great online review and use of your wedding photos

Definitely depends on the vendor/venue and can’t hurt to ask! We found that going to bridal shows was a great way to get a deal. Many vendors (like DJs, bakeries, limo companies, photographers, etc) offered discounts if you booked an appointment at the show to meet with them later, or if you put down a deposit that day. If you’re getting married on a weekday or during the off season some may be more flexible.

View Quoted Comment Sounds a lot like the venue we’re working with now. I LOVE it but they are going back on things they said during the site visit and I’m concerned.

I don't think that venues should be flexible - they should be transparent with their prices, but if you want to have your wedding there, than you pay the same prices. I haven't haggled with any our vendors, I chose vendors that were in our pricing bracket & if someone was outside, I was honest & said thanks - that is more than we wanted to send. For our florist, I gave them a budget, and a overall thought - and they worked within the budget for the flowers... but we did use cheaper flowers.