It was while planning my own intimate wedding ceremony and reception that I learned using the word “wedding!” would immediately change a vendor’s attitude and ultimately raise the price.
For example, the site rental at my dream venue was $300. This was just to rent the space that approximately 8 people would be standing in during the ceremony. The instant I mentioned wedding, the price changed. “$7,000 minimum for weddings” I was told, and this happened on more than one occasion. A site rental was listed as a couple hundred bucks. A wedding of the same size and in the same space was a couple thousand. Large scale events with more foot traffic would justify a price increase, but for 8 people? I learned to adjust how I phrased my inquiries. “Ceremony with photography” I called it. “Intimate dinner with champagne toasts and a cake” I relayed to the restaurants. It may sound absurd, but it kept venues from charging the inflated wedding prices.
I practiced similar word play when shopping for a wedding dress. A wedding dress doesn’t need to come from an expensive bridal boutique. It doesn’t even need to be white! I kept both these facts in mind while shopping for the perfect dress. My requests to sales people and online search engines included such things like “evening gown” or “bridesmaid dress” or even “prom dress”. All resulted in beautiful and most oftentimes cheaper wedding dress options. Saying “I need a full length white evening gown” will get you almost the exact same style dresses as “I’m getting married”, but at a lower price.
A little do-it-yourself action while not mentioning the word ‘wedding’ can save money on flowers. A bouquet of roses from the florist is around $25. Cut the stems, wrap with ribbon, and you’ve got a beautiful bouquet for your wedding. Ask the florist to do the same thing for you and it could cost more than $100. I actually bought my roses at the grocery store the morning of my wedding. A little tape, and a little ribbon, and no one knew it didn’t come from a professional. The request of “I’d like a dozen white roses” is significantly cheaper than “I’d like a white rose bouquet for my wedding.”
“How boring!” some of you might be saying. “Are you really telling me not to announce to every single human being I meet that I’m getting married?” Not at all! By all means, gush away to friends and family; show off that ring to strangers on the bus. But when it comes to dealing with and ordering from vendors, get creative with your wording and it could trim the budget.