Wedding Blog
The other day, I was getting my teeth cleaned. (That really has almost nothing to do with the story, except that the hygienist who cleans my teeth is always super chatty, and usually asks me questions while that sharp pointy hook thing is in my mouth, painfully scraping away at my gumline. This makes it pretty hard to answer, as you might imagine.) The point is, I’m sitting there, and she’s scraping away, asking me questions about our wedding. She was going through her usual line of questioning, with me trying to utter a “mmhmm” for an affirmative response or a ”nunhuh” for a negative response. She then asked me a question that nobody has asked me, thus far, in our planning. She said, “So…with your wedding in this economy, you must be getting great deals, hey?”
Hmm. Well, not exactly, Ms. Hygienist.
While car dealerships are offering fantastic deals right now with cash back and 0% financing for 60 months, the wedding industry (to me) seems to be a bit immune from the economic crisis. We have gotten some deals on things for our wedding, but that’s because we’re having it on an “off” day — not on a Saturday. Now, I understand that wedding vendors need to make money just like everyone else – it’s their job and it’s how they feed themselves and their families (see Nancy Liu Chin’s recent Weddingbee PRO post – she does a great job of outlining the financial reality that a lot of wedding vendors face). But, I get the feeling that some vendors aren’t exactly struggling, either.
Several DJs and florists that I contacted back when we were looking were already completely booked, or weren’t accepting any more appointments. The DJ that we ended up selecting said that he was glad that we weren’t having our wedding on a Saturday, because they were already booked from May through September. While he might have been exaggerating a teensy bit, I’ve gotten a lot of “sorry, we’re booked” responses. One cake designer that I contacted wasn’t accepting orders at all – of any kind – any time in 2010 because she was already so busy.
As you can imagine, when vendors are already booked up and spaces are filling fast, brides-to-be don’t feel like they’re in a position to haggle over price. Sometimes they’re just grateful to be getting a space! Granted, some vendors are a lot more popular with brides than others, which means that spaces can fill up fast, regardless of the economic environment. But, I get the sense that vendors are just as busy, and brides are the ones who are trying to make economic sense out of it all. Cutting expensive letterpress invitations so that they can afford the photographer of their dreams, for example. Nixing the chair covers so that they can have a more delicious cake. Doing away with favors completely so that they can invite more people to the fete.
I know that Mr. French Fries and I have had to make some strategic budgetary moves – we prioritized in the beginning and are sticking to what we thought was important: food/drink and photography. To keep our budget in check, my dream dress was purchased on the Weddingbee classifieds. We’re DIYing a lot of our decor. Letterpress invites are just not in the cards for us – I’ll be making them myself, instead. I’m okay with all of that, though, because we won’t be in debt after our wedding. And regardless of what the current economic conditions are, that’s the smartest decision of all.
What have you done to keep your budget in check? Have you gotten any deals as a result of this economy?
|
Share this post: Immune?
Funny thing with the wedding industry…it doesn’t seem (at least when I was planning) to be impacted. I got NO deals because of the economy!
Having said that, we did try to be smart and, like you (bravo to your goal!), we had no debt after the wedding. You go, miss lady!
We actually have had really good luck with the economy but I think it helps that (1) we’re having a wedding in December which isn’t the most booked time of year, (2) a lot of companies are scrapping their holiday parties and some vendors are finding themselves with more free time than usual, and (3) we started planning in the midst of the worst of the economic crisis, when a lot of places were feeling desperate. I actually think we *might* have gotten our reception at cost, it was so affordable. Of course, we’re on the east coast where vendors are a dime a dozen too, and there is a lot of competition, so that may be making a big difference for us.
But like you, we’re skipping letterpress (heart breaking and yet somehow totally rewarding to have found an alternative that I loved) and its kind of become a game for me to make the budget work.
I agree that keeping yourself in a financially good place is the best decision of all. After the wedding is over and you find yourself with some resources to achieve other life goals, I think it will feel even MORE worth it. And personally, I think it is so gratifying to have to try harder to make a wedding meaningful and personal on a budget- if you had unlimited budget and could just buy everything you wanted, it might be pretty but it would never be as personal or as memorable!
I agree - I haven’t gotten deals in this economy either. We’ve set our priorities carefully, though - we went cheap on video but were unwilling to budge when it came to venue, photographer, etc.
I have gotten, oh… ZERO deals due to the economy. Like you, though, I HAVE gotten deals because our wedding is not on a sunday. Surprisingly, we really lucked out on finding more affordable vendors. Our location is SUPER inexpensive, our DJ and caterer are pretty reasonable, and I got my dress at a great price. That, of course, has afforded us the opportunity to splurge on the things that are really important to us, like the photographer and videographer, above all else, we didn’t want to skimp on our memories, so we found ways to Tim Gunn it! (make it work)
No deals here either. But, I do live in a small town and was able to score pretty decently on our venue, DJ, and cake. Our priorities were also food/drink and photography!
We are still hearing that our food was amazing! My parents were insistent to have the spendiest/tastiest buffet, but I suppose it was worth it. 
I think setting a budget to begin with - even if it is an unattainable goal for us specifically - has really helped me personally to be a little more creative in how I get things done. And for some vendors we’ve even been able to get just what we wanted for less than our conservative budget. Shopping around always helps.
There are very few things that I’ve paid full price on - I attribute it both to the economy and having a January wedding. I don’t think you can expect vendors to offer a deal though either. My planner or the Lambster have negotiated on everything. I think it is true too that the demand for certain wedding related services has not gone down - so why would their prices? Simple economics of supply and demand at work there.
No deals here either. Chicago vendors seem immune to the economic crisis. I was just looking at my budget and we need to cut $1000 out somewhere… I dont know where, but somewhere!
You know, I have received some FANTASTIC deals. I think it’s all about timing and how saavy you try to be. Or heck, maybe it’s just good luck.
My FH and I have been engaged for almost 3 years now, we wanted to wait a bit before we got married, but once we decided it was “go time” I started to plan as frugally and as far ahead as possible. We live in the DC area which means ridiculous minimums on vendors and venues. Minimums I flat out couldn’t afford no matter what the economy was like.
The recession was full force when we started planning and I think some venues and vendors were unsure how things would pan out. I managed to secure the venue, caterer and a few other main things at discount because (in my opinion) people just didn’t know and they’d rather make a deal in advance than risk it.
I put ads on craigslist for a photographer willing to work with a “recessionista bride” and while I received HUNDREDS of responses from some real creepsters, people who took offense to my innocent request, or photogs with flat out bad quality, I did get one response that was a needle in a haystack - but that’s allllll I needed. He was PERFECT. In fact, when I see new posts from him on my RSS reader I am still amazed how I managed to snag such an A-MAZ-ZA-ZING guy at my price point.
I also snagged our wedding planner on the weddingbee classifieds. She was starting out her business, needed clients and references and made a deal - again, she is so so perfect for us. And again I am amazed at how we got so lucky. LOVE her.
There ARE deals to be had. There ARE people willing to work for you and there ARE ways to make it happen. Trust me. Just never be afraid to ask or give it a try. Especially if you go in with the right attitude. I think if you are nice and genuine and act as though you understand the value of their service but need some wiggle room, most people will be willing to budge.
And sometimes you just have to realize you can’t have it all. That helps too. 
Yeah, I think that hygienist is a little out of the loop…no matter the economy, people get married!
Um yeah, no deals here either… but like many of you, we are trying to make some smart decisions to stay within our budget. The only response I’ve gotten from vendors when I bring up the rough economic times is usually “We have a payment plan”. Thanks, but I’ll still have to shell out the same amount of money in the end anyways.
Nope, no deals here. I also have no idea how to haggle, and it makes me uncomfortable, so I just take the price they offer and go with it. I am getting married during a popular month though, and on a Saturday, so oh well.
Though we haven’t found oodles of deals, the recession is PERFECT for getting DIY ideas!! More and more brides are getting creative and coming up with fabulous alternatives to the usual expensive traditions.
And though we haven’t found a lot of recession deals, we are looking at newer people on the scene–a relatively new wedding site, a photog just starting out on her own after apprenticing, etc. And when we want to find the real pros for things like the food, then we can always find room in the budget by rolling up our sleeves and getting to work on creative ideas inspired by our fellow recessionista brides and grooms!
Have you found a photographer yet?? I was recently married in your area and had a great new up and coming photographer shoot my wedding - so she’s not uber expensive, yet!, but her pictures were gorgeous!
I think I actually did get a deal on the venue, but not because of the economy, but because of Ike. Galveston was affected very badly by the Hurricane and I think the Historic Foundation lowered prices to get business back. Other than that, no deals for us either…
**The biggest one was moving the wedding from a Saturday to a Sunday
**Photography- We had to go with an amateur photographer that I’m VERY iffy about. But its either that or no photographer period.
**We’re also not having a bridal party to avoid having to get corsages, bouquets, and bridal presents for them
**I wish I’d known about Wedding Bee Classifieds before searching for my dress, that would have saved me SO MUCH money.
People get married no matter what, and girls still have the princess aspirations! I haven’t really started looking at vendors, but I’d imagine that with the horse racing industry hurting like it is, they’re doing alot fewer events here in Lexington, which means more deals for me!
Blech, I have gotten ZERO good deals on anything throughout the wedding planning…My budget has almost doubled!
The best economic decision I’ve made is having the wedding in Texas. Catering is $5.50 a plate. It’s BBQ buffet, but still. I wouldn’t even want to imagine what it is out here in California.
We didn’t get any deals from the economy! We did make some decisions that helped us, like having a friend dj (just making the announcements, Mr. T made the playlist) and doing tons of DIY projects.
We’ve had to adjust our budget, expectations, and DIY list based on the cost of things. We’re getting married in the most prime part of wedding season (but it is between summer school sessions!), so no deals here…
I think we’ve followed in your footsteps, FF, and made it a point to NOT spend on what we don’t value.
I’m sad about skipping letterpress, but I think even if the economy weren’t in the toilet we would have to forgo some of the cute details. Ha! We don’t want to be in debt either, so we’re doing only what we can do right now. The end result will be the same. Married!
I have gotten great deals! Where in the past people werent willing to negotiate since they knew that brides wanted everything thrown in, now that the economy has soured, tons of stuff have been thrown in for free. I got free engagement pics, free bouts, discount of centerpieces, brought down prices of the dj…etc. Maybe its because I am getting married in NJ where there is an overabundance of halls and within close proximity to the city. My friend got married at a posh place in manhattan and got a fantastic deal because they were desperate to book. I think it helps if you go to places that would be hit harder since they normally cost more but with the big spenders not spending, they are willing to have more wiggle room.
I also agree with shesgotchutzpah in keeping expectations realistic. I know realistically that I cant go to the New York Public Library and expect a deal because they dont need it. They have people that are willing to pay the high price. They dont need to work with me. However, there are a lot of other places in NY/NJ area that cater to the more middle ground budgets of the area and were willing to work with us more because they saw other couples who would normally come to them deciding to downsize or delay the big wedding.
We’ve gotten deals, but not because of the economy- because we got creative with what we wanted and similar to others we prioritized what we were going to spend our money on. If the economy was booming we would be doing the same thing, cause that’s just how we are: shopping for deals, DIYing, and trying not to fall into the wedding industry trap of “you gotta have X”. That’s how we roll.
We’ve gotten one deal- on our reception site, but that was because we were going to avoid the $6500 food/bev minimum by just ordering off the dinner menu ($1500 minumum), so the “deal” was to lower the minimum to $4250 food/bev minimum which is a great deal for what we’re getting, but double what we had budgeted, and we would never have gotten half that stuff anyone. I don’t think it’s so much b/c of the economy as it was to get us to actually spend more money, and because there are a lot of wedding venues in the immediate area.
Agreed! There aren’t THAT many deals out there to be had… But I agree. Eating after the wedding is more important than having those chair covers or letterpress (that ppl might actually *gasp* throw away!)
After reading shesgotchutzpah’s post I have to say I ran into WAY more vendors who wouldn’t make a deal now because they thought they could get a bigger, more expensive wedding later on than vendors who would make deals because they were afraid they werent going to book anything else. That being said- I should also mention we started looking/booking 16 months to a year out. A lot of people think shooping early will get you the best deals, but that isnt always the case. We’ve seen better prices, and more specials at 9-7 months out.
The only “deal” we’ve gotten so far is the 100 free postcards on Vistaprint for our save the dates! I am going to try and negotiate on my dress next weekend though … but yeah, mostly we’re saving money by researching a LOT, not bargaining with vendors. One recession-related thing that’s helping us out is lower airfares - some of our guests will have to travel, and it’s allowed us to think about some cool honeymoon itineraries.
The only deal we got was on the cake. Our bakery was known for being ridiculously expensive, but they’ve been losing business with the economy. I wasn’t even going to tempt myself with a tasting until they started advertising their new LOWER prices all over the place! When we priced them out, they came out the exact same as other bakeries.
We’re using a similar strategy as you, Miss FF - prioritizing! We made food & drink our #1, and as a result we’re having it at a country club. Makes negotiating with vendors hard - they hear our reception site and assume there is NO budget. Ummm, not the case - we just spent all of our $$ on the food!
We didn’t get any deals either. I am like Miss Frozen Yogurt…I just don’t have it in my to haggle, so maybe I missed the opportunity to save money but it sounds like overall, not too many deals are to be had.
BUT I have to say that we came in under budget and with savings left when all was said and done…you can be thrifty without haggling!
I rent space at a popular wedding venue in my area and I’m finding that not only am I more willing to negotiate for the business but many couples are willing to discuss alternative options such as ceremony and reception at the same site rather than moving guests from site to site; many are also open to actions stations in contrast to sit-down dinners for everyone. Being a museum, decor is not really necessary because the space is amazing on its own.
Is it the exception? Is it the rule? Who knows. The story will change every time because of different areas, different vendors and different wants/needs. If I couldn’t find someone to budge a bit, I’d move on.
I guess it all depends on how much YOU are willing to budge as well. We’re not exactly having the wedding we originally envisioned. It’s not as close to DC as I would prefer. We did go with a Sunday, afternoon wedding (albeit on a holiday weekend!) instead of the evening event we’d hoped for. But it did shave off SEVERAL thousands of dollars. My point is that there ARE deals to be had and depending on how much you are willing to sacrifice or think out the box, you CAN make it happen. Maybe it won’t be your “dream” wedding. But I surely didn’t have the cash for my “dream wedding” and had to rethink a few things. Do I like to haggle? Not at all. But I did and so far it has worked to my advantage. The worst they can say is no, right?
We haven’t found too many deals, but I have found ways to save by doing more DIY projects. The part of your post that I agree with the most is the “won’t be in debt after our wedding”, that’s exactly what we’re doing and I couldn’t be happier.
We didn’t get ANY deals just because of the bad economy. If anything, I think it hurt us because I felt like our venue had raised prices, possibly to recoup costs because the economy is so crappy here.
In response to Miss Moonbeam, I live in California and we briefly considered barbeque. The cheapest we found was almost $15 a plate. It seems like everything is expensive out here!
I totally agree that the wedding industry seems not to be feeling the pinch. : / I just know that I’ll be doing A LOT of DIY…but that’s not related to the economy, more that I’ll just be out of school and we’ll be paying for this shindig ourselves not too long before a move.
Actually, a few of the reception venues we went to were willing to bring their prices down a ton. They just didn’t have many weddings booked for spring—I’m not sure if that’s because of the economy or because not as many people get married in the spring!
I’ve got to say, I think this is a Milwaukee thing. I’m getting married in 2 weeks downtown Milwaukee and seriously was amazed at the cost of everything. I’ve lived in Chicago for 8 years now and things here are much cheaper or at least negotiable, always. Milwaukee seems to be lacking in resources so that doesn’t help. There aren’t many places that hold 300 guests for a reasonable price. A florist I called that I thought would be a better ‘deal’ but does amazing flowers, wasn’t sure they could handle a wedding so large and 7 bridesmaids, so I had to find a different one. Milwaukee doesn’t seem have many ‘reputable’ vendors, and the ones they do have, that are amazing, are booked OVER a year in advance! INSANE! In the end being ‘home’ for my wedding, and leaving my parents house the day of, meant more to me than anything. It was frustrating but I’m excited that it will be well worth it in the end!
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Miss French Fries, Milwaukee
Age and Occupation: 27, Paralegal
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 35, Investments Advisor
Engagement Date: September 20, 2008
Wedding Date: June 2010
Venue: Ceremony: Catholic Church, Reception: Hotel Ballroom
About Me: I'm a Midwestern girl who longs to live in a warmer climate (my feet would be happy in flip flops any day!). I love travel, impromptu napping, grilled cheese sandwiches, my iPhone, singing with reckless abandon in my car, and Mr. French Fries.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics