Does the cost cutting tip of telling vendors you're having a party or family reunion really work?

I'm all for negotiating but I'm curious how this tactic worked for those who have attempted it.



Telling them it is a party or family reunion isn't technically lying because it is a party or family reunion. There happens to be a wedding going on as well. Some vendors won't even stay long enough to be able to tell. Tiered/stacked cakes for example are becoming popular for birthdays and such so they aren't limited only to weddings. People use florists and djs, etc for parties as well. So despite the fact that all things wedding are automatically 10x more expensive once you say "wedding", how are the services and products really that different for a wedding vs a party or event? Especially if you tell the vendor that you don't want or need the extra wedding stuff that they add on.

Does the cost cutting tip of telling vendors you're having a party or family reunion really work?
Personally, I found being honest with my vendors worked best. I never told them it was for anything other than a wedding; no way would I never have slipped up with that one.



If the vendors price was out of my range, I told them so. In today's economy, many vendors are willing to negotiate! I simply told them, "I would love to use your services, unfortunately your prices are out of my budget. Is there someone you might be able to recommend in a lesser price point?" This is where they will ask you about your budget %26amp; they will start working with you or refer you to someone else.



Example - my videographer shaved about $600 off of my price quote. He was running a special where if you booked you got an Ipod or PS3. I opted to not receive this "gift with purchase" and reduced the time I had him for. It was a win win for both of us.



Just be honest. You wouldn't want your vendor to lie to you, so start the relationship out that way.
Reply:For some vendors, when its not obvious, yes, this will work!



For example, my bakery. I got a small cake and cupcakes at half of what they wanted for a "wedding cake" and "wedding cupcakes"!! Now, clearly, it wasn't your traditional wedding cake, so it didn't really matter.



Also, you may be able to get centerpieces and some floral work done cheaper if its not identified as a "wedding centerpiece." But, its kind of hard to explain why you need a bouquet for a "family reunion."



Good luck!!
Reply:Do not tell your photographer or videographer this- as the poster above said, they will be unprepared and not able to deliver you the product that you'll expect.



I am not a fan of lying to vendors. How would you feel if they lied to you?
Reply:If you're having the party on a Friday or (especially) Saturday, you can forget about saving a lot of money. That is when the vendors get most of their work. You could save bunches of money by having the Wedding on any Sunday - Thursday, as long as it's not surrounding a holiday weekend when, again, they are naturally busy.



If you would like to see if there are cost savings, you could have a friend place a call on your behalf to a prospective vendor. Ask them how much a Saturday in (insert monty here) would cost for a party. Then, have someone else call the same vendor for a Wedding quote for a Saturday in the same month.



We tried this with our food vendor, and the prices were the same... which spoke volumes for them.



A BIG cost savings tip - consider favorite restaurants. Many have banquet rooms, or rooms that can be converted into banquet rooms. We got an amazing deal on a Sunday lunch Wedding at one of our favorite restaurants. Everyone loved the food, parking was abundant, and (best of all) we didn't have to ask friends/family to help clean up a venue when the party was over.



Good luck!
Reply:Although some tell you to do this, it doesn't really always work because vendors find out anyway. You're really better off being honest with them.



Regardless, you CAN negotiate with vendors--you just have to know how and to be patient and flexible. Certain things though, you CAN get away with--



*Cakes. If you are going for something less traditional, you can probably save money. Cupcakes are cheaper than wedding cakes and having your baker make a small tiered cake to cut and sheet cakes for serving (kept in the back) WILL save you money.

*Centerpieces are an easy way to save money. You don't necessarily have to tell the florist (if you are going the floral route) that it's for a wedding...you CAN tell them it's for a party. In addition, you can do non-floral CP's which can save you lots of money as well.

*DON'T try to use this "family party" tactic on a photographer or videographer--the packages are different and it's really not fair because it'll leave them unprepared.