There’s been a lot of noise recently about how suppliers add money onto quotes when the M (marriage) or W (wedding) word enters into the conversation. We are seeing articles and social media posts suggesting that it is a good idea to pretend that your big day is simply a party to save money; while saving money right now is on everyone’s minds it is NOT a good idea to do this. We are going to share the risks of doing this and how it could affect your wedding day.
But first, to be clear, wedding suppliers DO NOT inflate quotes because of the W word. They work tirelessly for hours and hours to create your cake, flowers, dress, etc. These are handmade items that take genuine skill and years of training that cost money. They have overheads too that have skyrocketed recently meaning that the price of energy, eggs and ribbon (to name a few!) cost more than they did a year ago. Weddings take so much extra work; from consultation, to bespoke designs, to ensuring that it is delivered on time. To put it in a nutshell – suppliers aren’t ready to retire to a private island because of all their “inflated prices”. It is just a media spin (lie) at the expense of the small businesses and creatives.
Here are just a few risks of lying to your wedding suppliers:
Your wedding won’t run to time (and you may even run out of time)
Weddings need to run like clockwork so that everything happens at the right time so you can leave the venue at the end of the night at the right time. This starts from the second you wake up; you need your hair and makeup artist to arrive in enough time to work their magic on the bride and often bridesmaids and mothers too. Creating a look that lasts until midnight takes time especially mixed with your giddiness and nerves. A wedding pro will know how much time this takes and create a look that lasts. They’ll also know how to manage interruptions, they’ll have the right kit and know how to do all this quietly so you can enjoy this special time.
Sarah Bloor from Pin Up Curl shares her thoughts, “Standard occasion hair and makeup has less time allocated, and often, different products. We work hard to make sure wedding hair is perfect from all angles and holds all day. Longer time is allocated for this plus a trial takes place a while before the actual day for us to work with the hair, and decide what techniques will be best and what products. It’s rare for a trial to take place for standard occasion hair. So if you don’t tell us it’s a wedding your hair and makeup won’t look how you want!”
Florists, cake makers, stylists and anyone else delivering to the venue will also be experienced on what needs to be done and when. A wedding comes with more pressure than a party does; wedding suppliers understand this and will ensure it runs like clockwork. Plus wedding flowers and cake take longer to create…and time is money.
Your decor, flowers and cake could be damaged
If you tell the wedding vendor it is simply a party they will not deliver the item to the venue and ensure it is displayed properly. Kate Tynan from The Cake Business Club shares her thoughts on this and how your cake would be affected:
“The cake wouldn’t be delivered, it would have to be collected so could get damaged. The venue wouldn’t know who the cake had come from and most want to see your insurance and you’d need to provide full allergen information to the venue. Also information about how the cake is to be cut and any nonedible elements that would have to be removed. If the cake was having fresh flowers added, you wouldn’t be able to liaise with the florist to coordinate arrival times and exactly what you needed. Also, the flowers would not be added in a food-safe way. The cake for a wedding is usually tiered and would have to be assembled on-site. This has to be done by the cake maker due to the risk of stability. Careful handling is needed.”
You may not get what you want
When you work with a wedding supplier consultation times are worked into the quote. This includes talking through your designs, cake tasting, makeup and hair trials and all this takes time and experience. The reason you do this is so that you get exactly your dream wedding on the day.
Kate shares: “You wouldn’t be able to have a cake tasting or a design consultation as these are only for wedding clients. You’d miss out on the extra lovely touches suppliers give to their wedding couples to go the extra mile. A relationship between a couple and a supplier is built on mutual trust. If you start off the journey with a lie, that trust is already broken. The supplier would feel hurt and lied to and may cancel the order.”
You may not be insured
Some venues and wedding vendors may require specific insurance coverage or permits for weddings due to the higher liability associated with these events. Not disclosing that it’s a wedding could result in voided contracts or potential legal issues in case of accidents or damages.
Your wedding may melt/wilt/droop!
Sounds silly right? But do you want a melting cake and wilting flowers?
Kate continues, “If it was a hot day, as a professional, you’d know exactly how best to handle the cake/flowers for a wedding and would advise accordingly. Possibly involving a later delivery and setup. Or a different position for the cake. If you didn’t know it was for a wedding, all manner of things could go wrong!”
Weddings can be unpredictable, and having experienced professionals on hand can make all the difference in resolving any unexpected issues that may arise, such as wardrobe malfunctions, inclement weather, or last-minute changes.
You may not have enough staff to run the wedding
Without informing wedding vendors and venues in particular that it’s a wedding, they may not allocate the appropriate resources or staff for the event, leading to logistical issues and potentially below par service.
Guests may not have such a great time!
Weddings often have unique elements such as ceremonies, speeches, and special traditions that guests expect and look forward to. If these elements are omitted or not properly planned for, it can lead to dissatisfaction. I mean who wants a collapsing cake?
Your supplier could leave you stranded on the day
This is a biggie! If they turn up and discover they have been lied to they may well turn around and leave. Harsh but true.
If you need to save money consider these ideas instead:
- Ask yourself if there’s anything you can do without
- Can you invite fewer people?
- Can you make the wedding shorter?
- Can you borrow or hire rather than buying?
- Can you add DIY details?
You’ll find more ideas in our article How to save money without impacting suppliers and the planet
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