When it comes to planning your wedding, your budget is the single factor that will determine if you can or cannot do anything. As a couple you want to focus your spending on things that are important to you. You also don’t want to be taken advantage of and is why some blogs may recommend lying about if you are having a wedding or not. Please don’t lie to DC Wedding Vendors.
I recently talked about how social media can ruin your wedding and see I need to add listening to some blogs to this list. While wedding blogs mean good and well, most of the writers are not Wedding Planners or wedding pros. Sure they know about the industry and may want to help you cut costs, but lying isn’t advice any of us should be offering.
Here’s why some may tell you to withhold the “I’m having a wedding,” when reaching out to wedding venues and vendors. They believe at the very mention of the word “wedding,” you will automatically be charged more. You are a couple with a big budget and are in a rush to get to the alter. We are hungry, evil, wedding professionals who just want your money and don’t care about you. None of this is true.
Am I bias to this answer because I’m a DC Wedding Planner? Yes, but let me explain why lying about the fact that you’re having a wedding WRONG.
Why Shouldn’t You Lie To DC Wedding Vendors
Weddings are not and will never be similar to any other event. Wedding planning can span anywhere between 8 to 16 months depending on demands. Take a wedding cake for example. The deliverable for a birthday cake is far different from that of a wedding cake. Most birthday parties have less people in attendance. Because of this you may not get a cake tasting session like you would with a wedding. Most birthday cakes are not as intricate as that of a wedding cake. This means more time and effort is put into a wedding cake of 250 people vs that of a 50 person birthday cake.
Are there intricate birthday cakes out there? Absolutely there are and their price will reflect according to that. People fail to understand that it’s not just about the product. It’s the labor and material costs that also go into weddings. There are a lot of extra things that are provided to weddings that are not to regular parties like delivering a wedding cake. When have you ever seen or heard a couple picking up their own cake?
The Difference In Cost Between A Wedding and Event
Dinner in Wine Cellar – Andrew Roby Events
How Do You Save Cost Without Lying?
My first recommendations is to not go DIY thinking that will save your money. It surely will not save you time especially if you don’t have a lot of support. Talk to your wedding vendors and ask them for ways to save.
- A Florist can recommend flowers that give the same affect that you want vs paying for the more expensive version. They may also recommend locally grown or in season flowers you actually may like.
- Bridal Salons have sample sales all the time which are at a reduced price from any other gown. These are dresses sold at reduce prices to give them room for new gowns coming in. Remember these will not be the same gowns you are seeing in this month’s wedding magazines.
- If you are in love with a MD Wedding Vendor who is out of your budget, ask your Wedding Planner (hopefully us) to recommend vendors who are in your range.
- Consider a different wedding day besides Saturday or during off-season. Off-season is between November and March which is slow for most of us DC Wedding Experts. Most DC wedding venues offer Friday and Sunday at a discount to couples.
- Consider a different approach to your wedding catering costs. Do you really need a full bar or could you be fine with beer and wine or a specialty drink?
- Reduce your guest count. The more people you invite to your wedding the more you will pay to have them there.
Download our FREE Wedding Blue Print To Help You Save Costs
In Conclusion
There are so many ways that budget friendly wedding couples can stay within budget. Lying about whether or not you are having a wedding can result in a voided contract where you lose money. It can also result in services not being rendered because vendors never knew you were having a wedding. As the Best DC Wedding Planner, I want to assure you that we are not here to scam you out of anything. Our fees are created solely for weddings to ensure we offer you what you deserve.