#1 Money Saving Tip For Brides

Everyone wants to save money on a wedding!  And there are a myriad of ways to do that. But THE number one money saving tip I've learned of is... keep your wedding a secret.

No, not from your friends and family! But from your vendors! Think about it... of all the services you hire and items you buy, which vendors really need to know it's for a wedding?? Just a few come to mind: the minister, the florist, the cake maker and the the dress shop. Beyond that, no one needs to know it's for a wedding. What's left can often be a big chunk of your wedding budget: the location, the caterer and entertainment.

So what's the advantage here? Let me explain how I came to know this fantastic money saving tip: I used to be an on staff production manager for a very busy commercial production house. A large portion of a PM's job is to negotiate contracts with vendors. I shared an office with two other PM's who were engaged to one another and planning their wedding.

The girl would play "naive Susie" on the phone...gushing about her nuptials as she got price quotes on every detail that was included and what was extra. Her intended would turn around and call the same vendor with pretty much the same details (number of people, menu items, etc). Only he would refer to the event as "a party." Their quotes from the same vendor would often be hundreds of dollars apart!

Bridezilla Rubber Stamp by Sweet Stampen

The fact of the matter is...many vendors simply charge more for a wedding. And I'm certain the reason is "the Bridezilla factor"! Many brides see the wedding as the day to be "all about me." (Er.... what about your new husband?) Or their chance to be a princess. They act like spoiled brats and treat their vendors like slaves.

It's the same with my own business. If someone is easy peasy to deal with and is a regular, I toss in freebies and offer discounts. But I have one customer that, while she does spend quite a lot, is always unhappy. She returns stuff from every other order. She changes her mind while we are in production. And when I was so sick after Christmas, I started hearing from other wholesale customers that my items were being sold on ebay! This woman was over ordering using her wholesale discount to sell my stuff at rock bottom prices!  Freebies I had tossed in her box on good faith that they would be used for samples in her shop were also being sold for next to nothing. Let's just say that when someone who is that much of a PITA ain't gonna get a discount... I don't care how often she asks! 

So... bridezillas, PLEASE DON'T USE THIS TIP! It will backfire in your face!  In the end, my friends saved thousands on their wedding. Only the band complained.  My friends were quick to point out that they were in "the business" and ending up tossing a few hundred more to the boys in the band. I wouldn't have done that. I would have had the number to the local consumer reporter on speed dial. If the band walked, I would've plugged in my ipod... a very un-bridezilla move.

As long as you remain pleasant to deal with and state your truth (It IS just a party!), you should be able to save lots of money!