Whoo-hoo!
July 29th, 2008 @ 1:35 pm by Mrs. Sundae
I am so happy and relieved to say that, less than two months before the wedding, we finally have a band! I really don’t think there are words to describe what a relief this is. When our original band canceled, I started madly contacting whoever I could find and almost everyone was booked. Panic ensued and then some decisions had to be made. When we first started planning we decided that the three most important things to us (and therefore where we would spend the majority of our budget) were a great venue, a photographer, and a band. And there we were without one of the “big three.”
Being this close to the wedding, our budget is pretty much set in stone. All of our vendors are booked, contracts have been signed, so there is really not much room to cut things out or scale back to free up more money. But when we started scrambling to find a new band, we were hard pressed to find one at all, let alone find someone who was both available and in our price range.
So here is where I dispense some more of my sage advice (stop laughing). Seriously… listen carefully… lean in close… everything is negotiable!!
There is a way to go about asking for a better price without coming of as a unappreciative cheapskate. Just be nice, be honest about your situation, and be sure to communicate how much you would like to work with that particular vendor.
“Our budget is really kind of tight but we so admire what you do and would welcome the opportunity to work with you.”
Some people will definitely say no, which is completely fine, but most of the people we spoke with were willing to work with us. I was honest about our band canceling on us and about our budget not having much wiggle room this close to the wedding. The band we booked does still cost more than our original band, but we were able to come up with some extra money and they were really reasonable and worked with us on price. The level of professionalism they have is astounding - something we were hard pressed to find elsewhere.
And here is the really outrageous part - about an hour after signing the contract with our new band, the original band came back to say that they “might” be getting back together. The email actually said “Good News!” and then went on to state that it’s not 100% sure but that they would know in a few days. Um, seriously? What would make me trust you after all of this? I said as much in my reply, although not nearly as nicely.
I felt a little guilty negotiating at first out of fear I might seem ungrateful. But really it’s the ultimate compliment - we’re dying to work with you, how can we make this happen?!
Have any of you negotiated prices? Have you been successful?
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10 Responses to “Whoo-hoo!”
We negotiated with our florist. We want top of the line flowers + need tonssss of them for ceremony, reception, cocktail hour, bridal party of a zillion etc. Since we are already spending a lot more than the average couple (and more than her usual clients) we had her throw in a few extra things for us and she is totally excited to do so! i am super happy !
Congrats on the band! Our first also canceled, so I feel your pain.
I accidentally discovered that you can negotiate wedding gown prices. When I found one I liked, but hesitated, the salesperson dropped the price by a couple hundred dollars. It worked - I bought!
NWR, but you can definitely negotiate mattress prices!!! Just keep humming and hawwing, and the price will keep dropping.
I actually was able to negotiate with our venue. I got them down $4.90 per head which with over 200 people adds up quickly. I also got them to cut the valet parking price in half which I thought was really accomodating.
I negotiated with our photographer on accident. I was asking about boudoir sessions and how much they cost extra. I decided that as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t justify that extra couple hundred dollars when we had already splurged on the photographer. I told her that, and she said she has so much fun doing them, that she would toss it in for free! I then profusely apologized if I gave her the impression that I was negotiating b/c the day before a photog friend (non-wedding unfortunately) explained to me that it could be VERY insulting to negotiate with a photog! But she laughed and said not to worry, that she wasn’t insulted, just excited to work with me! SWEET! =)
YAY! and good for you 
We negotiated with most of our vendors. And you say exactly what you posted:
We’d love to work with you but your rate/quote is higher than our budget. Our budget is x. Is there any way we can make this work?
And it worked!!! Flattery will get you quite far. 
Good luck!
I know engagement rings are not something normally negotiated (or maybe they are?) but my FI and I accidentally negotiated mine. We went to the store and after finding a setting I LOVED we said “Now, we don’t have to buy the diamond here, right?” The woman gave us a funny look and said “Well, no. But why would you want to do that?” My FI went a few days later to buy it and the woman shaved off a bit from the stone!
Hey could I bother you? I am also a chicago girl getting married in LG… next summer. Can you let me know who the band was and how it went? I’d really appreciate it!!!
Mrs. Sundae, Chicago/Lake Geneva, WI
Age and Occupation: 28, Knowledge Manager
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Investment Advisor
Engagement Date: July 20, 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: February 5, 2008
Venue: The Abbey Resort
About Me: It’s hard to believe that by the time Mr. Sundae and I get married we will have been together for almost ten years. When we first met in college we split dollar pitchers and now we share the mortgage payments. Despite our love for the city we are looking forward to tying the knot in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
I saved $500 off photography and $105 off the DJ. That’s $605 more for the honeymoon!