What can be negotiated?

[zoebartlett]

I was just reading surfgirl''s thread and Gypsy mentioned that you can negotiate with the vendors. I didn''t want to threadjack, but where can you negotiate and how exactly would you do it?

Here are the vendors I''m assuming you might be able to negotiate with but I have no idea how:

Photographer
Florist


What about a caterer? The officiant (if you''re not getting married in a church)? Bridal salon? I can''t think of anything else but if I''m missing something, please add it on.

 

[kimberlina13]

My fiance''s favorite saying is that everything is negotiable. The biggest thing is that with any vendor, we always asked if they would discount us if we paid cash instead of credit cards, and usually they were willing to give the fee they would have had to pay if we used credit card to pay. Look at the various packages offered, and if there is anything you don''t want to use, ask if that would bring the price down any, or if you could apply to something else. For example, with my photographer, I didn''t want to do the bridal portraits, so she''s using that part and applying it to the price of a parents'' album. Just be sure that you give whoever you see your budget guidelines, and if they''re not willing to waiver at all, then you''ll have to be willing to walk away and let them come after you. It''s like buying a car really. HTH

 

[Skippy123]

I negotiated the cake, flowers and DJ; oh and the reception. If you try it the worst they can say is no. I wasn''t pushy but it worked

 

[Kit]

If you are spending a lot of $$ with a vendor they will often throw things in for free...also tell a vendor that their quote is over what you have budgeted for but you really want to give them your business, sometimes they''ll oblige...get a quote from two different vendors and then go to the one you like if they are higher, tell them their competitor offered it for less, and ask for that price...