Money Talk! Wedding Vendors and Brides and Grooms, All!
Sometimes, well...I should say more often than not, money can be a difficult subject to talk about. Often it is considered to be a taboo subject, but when it comes to weddings it is a must-have conversation.
From a wedding vendor's perspective
When planning a wedding one of the first questions that couples will often ask is "How much does it cost?" Many times it is because they don't know of any other place to start a conversation. So as wedding vendors, sometimes we need to take a chill pill. My answer is that everything is so customized that an answer can only be developed after I've spoken with a potential client.
So depending upon how you word it or the tone of voice you use, this is how wedding vendors could interpret that question! Vendors will feel like this person wants to bleed them dry and don't really care about how much work they would put in to do a good job for them! They can tend to feel that a couple is just price shopping and is not recognizing how their work could be completely different from another vendor's work.
From a wedding couple's perspective
So where does the subject of money become awkward to a potential client? It probably would be when a wedding vendor is asking, "What is your budget?" This also is a very important question, but often it is feared by brides and grooms to mean, "They're going to take it all if we tell them!" That's not true. The budget determines what you can do and will force people to set their priorities.
From both sides now...
The wedding industry sometimes gets accused of raising the prices for the "W" word. I don't see that happening among vendors I know. It is true that weddings are much more involved and complicated than other types of events, and they definitely have a more emotions involved than other types of events. I think that in reality, it just feels to couples planning a wedding that everything costs a fortune because they are discovering that there are so many details that need to be taken care of and paid for than they ever imagined. As in any consumer transaction, if you are respectful and appreciative, you will probably have a much better experience. Quite possibly they'll throw in some extras. If you approach a vendor with a defensive or aggressive attitude, they might just tell you to take your business elsewhere. If they are going to be working with a grumpy client for a year, they would probably just as soon not have your business.
The average couple has no idea how much time goes into what professionals do for a wedding. They don't just show up on a wedding day. How could they and why should they? They haven't done this before and even if they have, things change constantly. As with any profession, you are paying for a skill which is preceded by education, investments of time and money and followed by many hours of hard work. One thing that I say with 90% certainty, wedding vendors are doing what they love to do. That is priceless! Also remember that they are running a business and wearing so many hats like any other business owner. Seldom, does a wedding vendor get rich doing what they do.
A good thing to remember is that if everything was easy, always possible, took little time and we could learn everything there is to possibly learn, there wouldn't be any industries out there. The same holds true for the wedding industry.
One thing that we must never forget as wedding vendors. It isn't just another bride, another groom, another mother, sister or friend we are dealing with. This is a very emotional and probably one of the most anticipated day in their lives so far. We can't always show our emotions but that doesn't mean that we can't show how much we care.
Wishing you the Greatest of Days!
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