Negotiating Prices & Haggling

mashling

Hi everyone,

I'm getting married next year and just starting to get organised. I'm trying to be as realistic as possible with regards to the budget - I've heard that when it comes to weddings the price of everything is negotiable - but is this true? Are sticker prices exaggerated and haggling expected?

Take photographers for example - is the price of a package on a website/brochure the final price, or is there generally wiggle room? Is there a mark that you can overstep?

My problem is that I'm terrible at haggling. How do people go about the whole process? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Tigger

Always haggle but be prepared to walk away

D3PO

everything is up for negotiation.

we have negotiated on everything (bar bridesmaids dresses coz we bought them online )

rings, car, cake, venue, wedding dress, photographer you name it we have haggled on and got deals on

Moonbeam

I found the photographer was a set price but I got extras included in it.
The hotel I found the hotel had a fixed price but I negotiated m own package for their price:)
The prices hotel give is normally not what you will pay unless it is a summer weekend wedding and start with the most basic package and add and subtract what you want.
We got a brilliant deal on the rings.

Half the time you don't need to haggle they just do deals based on what you want and when you want it.

kkcatlou

I thought I might bump up this post, as I've a few questions regarding negotiating....how far and with whom do people think it's acceptable to negotiate?

Obviously with the venue/ hotel/ caterers, photographer, band, DJ, dress...but after that when is it rude?

My Mam is a wedding florist, and it's very rare that people try to negotiate with her. Her prices and quality are excellent though and most of her work comes from word of mouth.

We just got quoted a price from the hairdresser for example - OH thinks I should try negotiate as it is quite dear, but I'm not sure it's appropriate?!

pwurple

I did it with most stuff. With florist, it wasn't that I tried to haggle the price down, just asked to include something extra without a charge. Like an extra buttonhole, bit of ribbon tie on the bouquet, something small like that.

Hairdresser, tricky. Ask to include a child maybe?

clint_silver

kkcatlou wrote: »

I thought I might bump up this post, as I've a few questions regarding negotiating....how far and with whom do people think it's acceptable to negotiate?

Obviously with the venue/ hotel/ caterers, photographer, band, DJ, dress...but after that when is it rude?

My Mam is a wedding florist, and it's very rare that people try to negotiate with her. Her prices and quality are excellent though and most of her work comes from word of mouth.

We just got quoted a price from the hairdresser for example - OH thinks I should try negotiate as it is quite dear, but I'm not sure it's appropriate?!

It depends for me as a service providor. We can only be in one place at a time. A summer Saturday 18 months from now and we can afford to be strict with prices as we know we'll have many enquiries about the date. A Thursday in offpeak season like November or January with 3-4 months notice will lead to a lot of bargaining power.

Birdie086

We used contacts to book most things so got discounts that way.

A friends mam who does novetly is doing our wedding cake at cost.

The photographer is family friend and very close friend of one our bridemaids so is doing the photos at a fraction of usual cost.

Booked the band via a family friend so we are not being charged the usual extra for New Years Eve wedding.

If we decide to get wedding cars they will be booked via my uncle in law at 50% less than usual.

No flowers for church as it at christmas time and getting a friend of my mams to do my flowers at cost price.

The invites through a local business on the street where I work.

Got a discount on bridemaids dressess as I know the guy int he shop really.

It seems most hotels in the city have improved their wedding packages and as a result so has ours - now half the food for the afters is already included in our package. We went for mid priced package and will be spending 2 to 5 euro a head to tailor the package - a lot cheaper that the high end package.

So while we didnt have to do a whole of haggling(thank god - I am useless), we did get a lot of help through people we knew. Some of it was unexpected - people can be really kind.