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We didn't like this question either. I generally answered it by saying that we were trying to be as economical as possible, that we were paying for it ourselves, etc. If we were really pressed for a number, I always said lower than our true maximum--but not so low that the vendor would tell me to go elsewhere!
I haven't had any vendors ask what my budget is, but if they did I would say it's flexible. If they come back with a number close to what you were looking for, but still over, you can always say, well I was hoping to stay under X amount and perhaps they can work with that. If they come in under what you were thinking of spending, then it's perfect (or you can still say I was hoping to stay under X.) I'm surprised that they wouldn't just tell you what they charge, but I definitely wouldn't give them any of YOUR numbers until they tell you theirs!
It's an annoying dance that's for sure.
I mostly did what you're doing. I tried my best to get general pricing, then I told them exactly what specifics I did and did not want and quoted them a number a few hundred dollars less than what I was hoping to spend.
Worked well for food and worked okay for photography
Our venue prices were fixed and our flowers and cake are being done by friends, so those were really the 2 major ones.
Ewww, that's annoying. I haven't had a vendor ask me that yet. I asked for a price list first, and if I didn't get one, I moved on. I'd feel like I was getting duped otherwise. But I'd definitely give them a slight under-representation.
I dont tell vendors my budget. I ask them what their best price would be for their service and then i decide if I want it or not. As far as I'm concerned they dont need to know my budget
I would usually have a max I allotted but I would tell them my budget was what I wanted to really pay. They usually met it! But yes, they wouldn't usually go below that. So I suggest giving them a real number you'd be comfortable paying.
This question drives me insane!! I always tell them "it really just depends on how well I like your work". They are usually taken back by that comment and try a little harder to earn my business.
I never told a vendor what my budget was, I always told them it was tight, which it was.
If they think you have money to spend they will be less willing to negotiate.
I usually turn the question back on them, what are their packages. Then asking if they would be willing to lower the price at all, again tight budget. If not, could we take this out to reduce the price, etc?
I hated this question too. But I figured out a lot of vendors are trying to make sure that they aren't really far over your budget. They don't want to waste their time and yours if they charge twice what you think you should pay.
We told them about 5,000 and they stayed in our range. Thats with food, free drinks, linen, decor etc. We are paying for a few seperates but are staying in the safe range. They went over by like 50 cents ^_^ I am still within the $7,000 - $8,000 range after the extras, photographer, minister fees, guests presents etc. But my wedding is small and on a different scale for tradition (Japan) so I think some of the expense if it were cut ( $100 -$120 per person for food) would make it much better. However, thats unavoidable for me (culture!) so I hope you can make your budget work!!!!
i had a business totally ignore me after I said my budget just depends on certain situations and I wasnt sure at the time... Gotta love it.
Wow, I am glad I am not going this route. I'd probably say "NONE OF YOUR F&^$ BUSINESS." Like I wouldn't even be talking to you if I couldn't afford your packages.
Having a wedding at a private residence for the win!
I think they probably are trying to just make sure that you're on the same page and you're not each wasting your time if it won't work out, but for real... they don't need to know your budget.
If they can't give you a very specific price list of their services, I would move on and find a different vendor, but that's just me. All the vendors I picked, I picked because they had a specific pricing list for what all they offered. In this economy, though, I bet they'll at least try to be accommodating.
The only vendor that asked me that question was my florist, which makes sense because flowers can be really expensive, and they need to know so they can figure out types of flowers, and how big or small centerpieces need to be etc. Other than that, none of my other vendors have asked me that question. The only reason I could see them asking what your budget is, is because they may have a minumum amount that you have to spend. Where I live, there are places that have like a 25K or 35K minumum and if you can't meet that then they don't want to do business.
I think that's a weird question. Their prices shouldn't fluxuate based on your budget. To me it seems a little "how much can I charge this girl" ish?
The only time I would understand that question is with the florist, since you can play with the budget so many ways there, different flowers, different arrangements, etc. But if a DJ asked me that? uh, no. I would ask for a pricing list.
I just told them to tell me what their prices are. I never give out my budget to anyone because they are going to try to jack up their prices knowing you have the budget for it. If they give a price that's too high, tell them just that. It's just like car shopping - you don't want to tell the salesman what you're willing to pay, you try to get the best possible price.
I am glad so many of you share my frustrations! With the number of "What is your budget" questions I am getting, I thought I was the only one!
I really wish vendors would "get it" that brides like to look at their websites, see (or hear) their work, and see a "generalized" price list. I think Miss Sloth even blogged about this once. Sigh....if wishes were horses....
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Hi Bees! I would appreciate some advice! When a vendor asks "What is your budget?" what do you say? I have run across several vendors (in different areas...reception, photo, DJ, transportation, etc.) who have asked me what my budget was.
Maybe I am just overly cynical, but I feel like if I tell a vendor what my actual budget is, then there is no way I would be paying less than my budget for that item, and most likely a bit more. (Wedding industry crap...blah, blah, blah...even if you don't agree with me, I hope you can see where I am coming from).
So, my first shot is to try to get them to give me a general pricing sheet/guide....to see if they are even in our budget range. If that does not work, I usually tell them a number less than our actual budget and say "there may be a little wiggle room by $XX".
What do you guys do?
Keep in mind, I generally try to give the potential vendor as much info as possible (i.e. "I would like a DJ at XX venue for 6 hours - can you give me a general estimate?")