If you are going through the wedding planning process, perhaps you are getting ready to start, you meet with vendors like us and you realize something in the back of your mind, weddings are expensive.

I mean let’s face it, you’re going to spend a lot of money on your day, some just a few thousand bucks, others the price of a new car and for a select few, weddings that are more than $100,000 plus!

But more importantly, there is something that every single couple wants for their wedding day and today we’re going to talk more about what it is and how to use that to your advantage when booking wedding vendors.

What is the most important thing couples seek when hiring wedding vendors?

It’s true.

When couples are meeting with vendors, they are looking at your cost, what you have to offer, the quality of your products or services, but in the back of their mind, they WANT an experience that will make them feel like a million bucks.

It’s important for couples to have a wonderful wedding experience no matter their budget.

So, how can couples use ‘a great experience’ to their advantage?

I have a couple of tidbits of knowledge about that.

First, when you are meeting with wedding vendors, ask them this “We are looking for a great experience for our wedding day, what can you provide to help make it a great experience?”

Why should you ask that?

Simple.

It’s NOT a standard question and you’re getting to the heart of the matter, seeing what they say that will help you obtain the best experience possible.

You’ll get a wide array of answers to the question at hand, but look beyond what wedding vendors do (like wedding photos or wedding cake for example) and look for an answer that will justify you hiring them.

One of the things I tell couples when I generally meet with them is that we provide an overall experience with our brand.

“We don’t just offer wedding photos and videos, we build memories that you can relive for the rest of your lives. Beyond that, we treat you like a family member all throughout the wedding process and afterwards, we are still there for you should anything ever happen to your wedding media for 10 years after the fact.” - Joshua Gabrielson

What about price, isn’t price important?

Ah, the question most vendors steer away from.

Let me put it to you this way, WHAT is your wedding day worth to you for that product or service?

Yes, price is a factor, but its not the most important thing to consider when booking a wedding vendor.

I will tell you a little secret about business for those out there seeking vendors and for those vendors reading the blog and it’s this.

“When value exceeds the cost of a product or service, you’d be stupid to not make a purchase.”

And its true, we tend to buy things that have a good price and that offer good value, like a BOGO or sale or value-added services as part of the price.

Take a look at this example and tell me what you would choose?

Without knowing more about the vendor, without seeing the overall quality or their personality more than 64% said they would choose vendor A at the time of this writing.

Because vendor A offers more value for less, couples steer towards the better value.

There is a correlation to price and quality and thats something to be aware of too.

You don’t want to under pay for a service and get cheap results that you will not be happy with and you also don’t want to over pay for great results when you can get them slightly less.

If you do, you’ll be unhappy and no one wants that!

You want to find a happy medium where price and quality merge with great value.

Not all wedding vendors meet that criteria and those that do are hard to find.

Its embedded in our mindsets that the more you pay for something, the better it will generally be and thats true, to a point. At a certain price point, vendors tend to provide better quality, but it plateaus towards the top of the spectrum.

How do I find the right wedding vendor?

Research is the key.

Start with your budget and create a range plus or minus 10-15%.

From that, find 3-5 vendors that meet that price range.

Next, connect with them via email, text or in person.

Ask them good questions and see what experience they can offer you.

Look at value and compare them to all the others.

From there you should be able narrow down and pick the vendor that best suites you.