How to Help Your Clients Save Money on Their Wedding Budgets

One of the main reasons a bride will choose to hire a wedding planner is because they expect the wedding planner to save them money to make their budget go further. In fact, great wedding planners are able to save the bride and groom more than they charge for their planning fee, making for some very happy newlyweds!

Here's a few tips you can use to help your clients save some money:

-Suggest they hold the wedding during the "off-peak" season-
Months like May, June, July, September, & October are VERY popular wedding months. That means venues and vendors often charge premium prices for weddings held during these times. Many times venues or vendors will have off-peak specials that can save the brides hundreds (sometimes even thousands) of dollars. Since weddings are hard to come by during months like December, January, and February, vendors are willing to greatly lower the prices of their packages just to fill up their schedule. If a bridal couple has a tight budget, being flexible on the actual wedding date can help them save a lot of money and make their wedding budget go further.

-Ditch the liquor-
Hard liquor, especially top shelf liquor, can cost a pretty penny by the time the final bill arrives. Instead, the bride can opt for a wine & beer bar which can help trim a large cost from the budget, especially if the guest list is quite large. If the bride and groom still wish to serve hard liquor but their budget is pretty tight, suggest having them simply serve a signature cocktail. This means guests can still indulge in a drink with hard liquor, but in a much more affordable manner for the bride and groom.

-Choose decor wisely-
The floral budget for a wedding can quickly get out of control, but if you help the bride and groom choose wisely, the wedding bouquets and centerpieces can still look amazing without costing an arm and leg. Here's the key: choose flowers that are in season and grown locally. Tropical or out-of-season flowers can cost a lot more due to the need to ship them in from another location. Instead, opt for flowers that are grown locally to help save hundreds on the floral bill. Also, focus mainly on the centerpieces because that is what the guests will see most of the night. If the budget is tight, opt for clusters of piller or votive candles placed on the gift table, staircase, or window sills instead of extra floral arrangements to help save money.

-Choose a venue that offers all-in-one services-
If the bride and groom choose a venue that offers a ceremony site along with all of the linens, plates, flatware, glasses and basic decor for the reception can help save more money than choosing a banquet hall where the bride and groom will have to supply all of these items themselves. Not only is it less work, but it can help their budget go further.

Before you take on your first clients, research the best ways in your area to help save your clients the most money without cutting out their style or theme.

Vendor Contract Negotiation

One of the biggest reasons a couple chooses to hire a wedding planner is because the wedding planners can use their industry connections & relationships, and an excellent ability at negotiating to get the couple a lower price on vendor services and packages. Here's a look at some tips for contract negotiation to help get your clients the best price possible:

Negotiate with the Right Person:
If the general manager of a venue is the person in charge of setting prices and making decisions on discounts, go straight to them. Even if you have established a good relationship with the venue design coordinator, it's harder to say "no" directly to a wedding planner who may indeed bring in more business than it is for the general manager to have the venue design coordinator just pass the "no" message on to you.

Be Knowledgable:
Before you enter into negotiation with a vendor over package and service prices, make sure you have a good understanding of the industry standard and the quality of work/amount of experience the vendor has. This will help you get a better understanding of if the price the vendor is suggesting is fair or not. Compare prices of other local vendors providing the same service and go from there.

Get Creative:
If the vendor seems to be stuck on the price they are offering, you may need to get creative. Try to get them to "throw in" something that won't cost them much for free. Or ask for a off-season discount- many vendors have special seasonal discounts during winter or the slower months of wedding season.

Be Ready to Deal:
You may have more negotiating power if you have something to offer in return. You can offer to place them on your "Preferred Vendors" list which may be displayed on your website or in your brochures/marketing materials. You may also say you can partner with them for a Bridal Show booth which will help you split the costs.

Be the Perfect Planner for Today's Bridal Couples

Each decade brings with it new trends and traditions related to weddings. Over the past few years weddings have become more one-of-a-kind and are breaking the mold of what was once considered to be age-old traditions.

Technology has played a major role in the transformation of today's brides and grooms and as a wedding planner, it's your duty to stay on top of trends and new traditions to help create a unique event that is tailored specifically for each one of your diverse clientele.

For starters, Bridal couples now use the internet to gather ideas, inspiration, and information on wedding planning. They typically will no longer rely on bridal magazines or the telephone book for locating local vendors or learning about new trends. This means you must make a presence on the internet whether it's through your website, or even a blog that offers brides free information on what's going on in the industry. When they establish your authority and wedding expertise, they will be more willing to choose you as the person to turn their wedding dreams into reality.

Bridal couples are opting for more unique and non-traditional details and themes. More couples are combining different cultural traditions, color combinations, and food and drink options that would never have been used 25 to 50 years ago. The need and desire to be unique and different will allow you to expand your creative side and have fun doing things you may have never done before.

Many couples are also opting for Green Wedding Options. Many brides and grooms have become more environmentally conscious and want to use decor, favors, or venues that are beneficial to the environment. It will be best to research local Green Wedding practices so you can offer ideas and advice for couples who need inspiration for holding a planet friendly wedding.

Also browse through monthly wedding magazines, high-profile wedding planning blogs, or even attend local seminars that detail the new trends and traditions that will be brought up over the next few years. Brides today expect you to be knowledgeable, flexible, and understanding in the desire to be unique and socially & environmentally conscious. Stay on top of these trends and ideas and be ready and willing to share them with your bridal couple.