How to Negotiate Your Wedding Reception Costs

Not everyone has the kind of negotiation skills that it takes to convince somebody to drop the prices of things. While that may not be so much of an issue in certain cases, it would really help to know how to do so, when planning a wedding.

A great wedding that isn't very expensive isn't so hard to achieve, provided you have the skills that it takes. What we're talking about here is how to negotiate wedding reception costs. Everyone is aware of the number of factors involved in a wedding. The venue, the caterer, the photographer, maybe even a wedding planner, everything is expense in itself.

In fact, with regards to hiring and cost of a wedding planner, that alone could be a large contributing factor to increasing the amount of money you could land up spending on the actual affair. But as mentioned before, that is not the only cost involved. So to find out more, go on reading.

Let's take a look at all the areas where you could possibly save some money, and yet have a really great wedding...

The most important thing that comes into play when working with the wedding venue is the fact that the later you book the place, the higher the chances of paying more are.

You may have always had a certain venue in mind for your wedding, and unless you realize that it is way out of your budget, and what you can afford, there is no reason for you to give up what you had in mind. Here's the deal though.

As mentioned before, book well in advance. You may not think of it as being necessary, but a last minute booking could lead you into paying a lot more than you had anticipated, thus adding up to way more than you had intended to spend.

Talking terms with your wedding caterer is the next task in the list of ways to keep the reception within a reasonable budget. You cannot compromise on the variety offered as part of the menu, nor can you compromise on the quality of the food going to be served.

What you can however be sensible about is the number of items served. You do not have to go overboard and scrimp off what you serve, but it most definitely is okay to serve a limited number of items when it comes to appetizers and dessert.

Also, do not hesitate to put forth your suggestions and ask that it be done, because at the end of the day, if the caterer has been hired for his services, it must be up to the standard that you would like.

It goes without saying that the wedding ceremony would be incomplete without pictures that capture every moment of that joyous occasion. So where's the problem? Here's where... A good photographer could charge way more than you ever thought possible.

Then again, there are areas where costs can be cut down. Several photographers charge by the hour or will give you a lump sum of what they're expecting, depending on the number of hours you would like them to be present and clicking pictures.

Once that's been decided, you may also want to find out if the photographer's charges include prints, albums, and all else that you would normally expect. If it doesn't seem feasible to hire a certain photographer because of the cost factor, look for someone who charges less, but ensure that their work is good and worth what you will be paying.

Mentioned are the top three spots that contribute towards making weddings an expensive affair. But that's not all. Other contributing factors are the DJ / band, wedding cake services, gifts for the bridal party, weekend weddings (weekday weddings cost less).

Take a good look at all that's been said, and hopefully the tips may help. At the end of the day, just make sure you love what you have, because on your big day, the last thing that you should have to do is compromise.