Wedding Lying to caterer/flourist

[Gwyn]

There is supposed to be this great book with wedding advice. I, of course, cannot remember the name but it has rave reviews from amazon...anyway...

One of the things that it recommends is, when getting price quotes from cateres/flourist, to say its a reunion or something other then a wedding. This is to avoid the big price gouge they slap on when they hear the words "wedding"

Has anyone actually done this? I mean, wouldnt the people know exactly what it is for once they delivered and be angey (maybe even refuse serivce). I mean granted the prices should be the same so it shouldnt matter but, still, it seems a little weird to me.

Any thoughts/experiences?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Was it Bridal Bargains? I saw this tip as well. I think the point they were trying to make is get as much info as you can about their full line of offerings before negotiating the contract. So you go in and tell them it's a reunion or anniversary. They tell you their offerings for that. Then you use that to negotiate your wedding contract. That way you have the opportunity to really see what they offer for all different events and budgets versus just their cookie cutter wedding packages.

I don't think I would allow the vendor to think they were working one event and then change it at the last minute. I don't appreciate bait and switch tactics from vendors so I don't think it's right to do it in return to them. Besides, if your contract is for a "birthday party" and it turns out to be a wedding, you might be in breach of contract and they can refuse to do the event at the last minute or charge you more for breaking the contract.

 

[Independent Gal]

You don't have to lie, just don't give too many details. And they can't be angry at you that you didn't give them a chance to CHEAT you!! (Which is what it is if they charge you more because of the type of event...what sense does that make?).

What I did was I said 'I'm hosting an event for about 80 people on a Sunday in April at place X... I want a full sit down dinner... can you send me some menu options?'

That gives them all the information they need to give you a quote, and it contains not one single lie. Once you get the quote in writing you can say 'wedding' as often as you want! They can't suddenly change the prices on you.

Trickier with a florist. But with the exception of your bouquet, you can still say 'I'll need 10 centerpieces for an event I'm hosting. My budget is X. What could you do for me?' and then just get a ballpark of how much those cost. Then adjust accordingly for the bouquet.

With florists, I think you have to start from teh budget and say 'What are my options?'

Also, make sure EVERYONE knows you're shopping around. They're less likely to inflate prices if they know you'll see what the competition is charging.

 

[Gwyn]

Yes I think that is what it was called!!

Hmm maybe that is what they meant....

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Sorry, I edited my post after I posted it.

 

[neatfreak]

I wouldn't recommend lying to them. No need to tick them off. However, you can call around and ask for price estimates for the type of centerpiece/meal, etc. you're looking for without mentioning what kind of event it is. Then, once you have price quotes you like, go in and meet with the vendor, and at that point tell them it's for your wedding. They will have to stick to their original quotes.

I wouldn't lie about it...but I am always hesitant of vendors who ask what type of event it is before they will give price quotes.

 

[Mandarine]

In my experience they won''t give you an estimate until you tell them what kind of event it is. It''s sad but true.

I didn''t lie about it, but what I did in one place (that we ended up not using) was to have my FI call and ask pretending this was some sort of school reunion or someting. The price was actually different. In the end I didn''t use them and I''m not sure how I would have "used" that info anyway without saying it was us that had called..lol.

I think it is actually better just to go heads-toheads and negotiate. Be honest, never tell them what you are willing to pay or the lowest you will go (they will stop negotiating once they get to your lowest number...even though they might have gone lower!). We have been able to negotiate everything down....with one exception: The church! haha...neither of us know how to negotiate there...hehe.

Good luck )

M~

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I can understand the reasoning--we all know that when we say "wedding" dollar bills appear in the vendors eyes (complete with the "cha ching" noise like in cartoons .

When I got in touch with the caterer I just told him I was having an "event" and asked for a menu. This was easy because we''re having a clam bake and there is really just one set price regardless of what type of event it is. We were still able to negotiate, though.

We''re not doing floral centerpieces, so all I needed from the florist was a couple of boquets and a couple of boutenierres--there was no hiding a wedding there, haha. The price she quoted was under my budget, but I negotiated anyway and it worked.

I think you''ll probably get more success by sticking to your budget rather than lying--I mean, eventually both are going to find out it''s a wedding. I have a good friend who''s getting married and she stuck to her food budget and the caterer came down by about 40%, which was pretty significant. I think so long as you don''t have your heart set on one caterer or florist and can walk away if they don''t come down to your budget, then you''ll be fine!

 

[Fancy605]

Maybe it''s just me, but the caterer I used has a catering menu for ALL events regardless of the type. The cost is not effected whether it is a wedding, party, business thing, or whatever else you could think of. Instead of lying to a vendor who is looking to get greedy off of weddings, I would simply look for a caterer who offers one set list of pricing for ALL types of events. That seems to be the norm in my area, but maybe it is different elsewhere.

 

[Gwyn]

See, that is kind of what I was thinking. I have not bought the book but a person at work recommended it and mentioned the whole "tell them its a reunion" thing. I thought it would be pretty weird, glad to see that I am not the only one. For me it is not really an issue since I am going through a hotel for both ceremony and reception but I am glad to see that this bit of advice didnt sit well with others as well

Though I think Hudson Hawk may be right and that they really meant say you are doing one thing to get an amount to negotiate with.

For the one person who had her husband call, was it a big difference in price?