Comments on: Your Wedding Is Not Nascar or the Times Square Ball Drop

By: daisyj

daisyj — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:24:26 +0000

And really, aside from the tackiness question, do you really want the primary impression your guests take away from the reception to be, “Huh, I guess they couldn’t afford that stuff”?

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 22:45:39 +0000

mkb: That strikes me as being akin to western wedding invitation wording (that lists the hosts, albeit in the context of said invitation) or having a thank you page in a wedding program.

By: mkb

mkb — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 04:04:18 +0000

Apparently listing the sponsors on the invitation is expected on a Filipino wedding invitation. However, these are usually people well known to the engaged, not vendors.

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:32:33 +0000

There’s nothing at all wrong with asking vendors for lower prices or whether they can make a package less expensive, Tara, and I hope my post didn’t imply that there is. Like it or not, wedding vendors are out to make as much money as they can… and many brides- and grooms-to-be only have so much money to spend. I always tell people that they should ask for whatever deals they think are appropriate. The worst thing a vendor can say is “No, I’m sorry but I don’t offer discounts,” and in many cases, the vendor will offer some kind of counter-deal to sweeten the original quoted price. You can’t really lose!

By: Tara

Tara — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 00:04:39 +0000

Even in the Simple Dollar article Gwen mentions, the commenters were pretty down on this vendor card idea. Among other things, one commenter who works bridal expos pointed out that everyone who comes through tries to negotiate some sort of discount, often in a similar way.

That said, I don’t see anything wrong with negotiating with vendors. We did it once, and truthfully — basically saying, “I love everything about your work and you deserve every penny of your usual fees. But we can’t quite afford your usual fees, and thought it couldn’t hurt to ask….?” In that case, the vendor let us book ahead for our 2008 wedding at her 2007 rates. And we did certainly spread the word about her talents (among friends and fellow brides, not at the reception!), but because we genuinely loved her, and not as “tit for tat” in return for the discount.

By: class factotum

class factotum — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:49:21 +0000

Where do people get these ideas? I went to an Easter sunrise service on the beach years ago (to a friend’s church) and was appalled when after the service, people were handing out iced tea and coupons next to a table stating that the service had been sponsored by the tea company. Could you get more tacky?

By: Twistie

Twistie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:52:35 +0000

A-freaking-men, NtB!

There are dozens of better ways to save money through careful excising of items that don’t mean a lot to the bride or the groom, DIY projects, getting help from talented friends, and careful comparison shopping for real bargains. Trust me, you can have a beautiful, fun, and completely dignified wedding on even a tiny shoestring budget. On the other hand, it doesn’t matter if you’re getting a grand, glitzy wedding for putting out those cards because people will remember and resent the advertising long after they forget that those cards allowed you to carry a more elaborate bouquet and serve a nicer cake.

Allowing advertisements at your weddng may save you some money, but creativity is far more effective, much more fun, and much less likely to offend others or make you feel uncomfortable with the results.

By: casablancabride

casablancabride — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:54:26 +0000

I couldn’t have said it better NtB.