HIDDEN COSTS?! The REAL Reasons Vendors are Vague AF

Interesting how things are different in my province. Most photographers list their packages on their website. There are numerous floweriest with pricing on their websites, catering companies list their prices for different packages, venues list prices based on size of party, many can bundle an officiant, floweriest, wedding planning/cordinator, photographer catering, and corkage fee, even horse drawn carriages, hair and make-up their websites are updates based on inflation and availability.

When I booked professional movers their prices were online for an estimate: charge by weight, distance and amount of manual labour time. While they give estimates on their websites, the bill is based on this listed above.

I recently booked my tables, chairs, and catering service ware, did it all online, price is based on days needing it, could have gotten delivery but since it is 2 hours out of town it would have cost $400 extra plus fuel surcharge, yes they listed added prices for delivering out of town and which towns they deliver to.

I avoid the service people who don't list their prices online, as they tend to me the ones with hidden fees and a good sign they are not professionals and/or their prices are sky high compared to their competitors.

Ok

I was thinking why doesn’t Jamie list her prices, but this makes sense. 😊 🤗

First I want to say thank you! Your videos are so helpful. Second, is it inappropriate or rude for me to ask venues if they have some type of discount for teachers? I saw a few venues in my area offer small discounts or even add two free early hours to venue time and just wondered if that would be okay to ask about or if that’s too much to ask of a venue.

Great video, as always! Lots of useful information. Thank You!

Jamie – do you have any advice on starting a wedding planning business? I have lots experience as a florist and cake decorator but I want to use those skills and turn into a wedding planning/coordinating business. Thank you for your videos!

Aaaand it's also easier to Jack up the prices if people don't have anything to compare them to

I have a question for anyone who can help. My wedding is next year but I booked my venue and paid the deposit already. My venue manager was quick to reply to my emails but now totally ghosts me. Should I be worried? Or is it cause it’s 10 months away til my event? I’m planning on having no wedding planner so I’m doing all the research myself. (>_<) help!

I am from Germany and I bingewatch your videos – WHAT are those centerpieces you are always talking about? I did found a translation but that did not help me much

As annoying as it is that I can't view pricing and packages without having to reach out to a vendor, I understand now why they do it (initially I thought they just wanted brides/newly engaged couples to reach out so they can sell their services)

While I do agree generally with this video there’s also a lot of information out there about the ‘wedding tax’ and how vendors will use the fact that you don’t know a lot about the industry to charge you extra. Part of how they do that is by not displaying prices so you can’t compare. This isn’t all vendors but it’s a part of the industry

I completely understand how prices could vary but as an upcoming bride, it’s nice to know a ballpark figure. In Asia, they state the range of how much anything could cost. Usually it’s a fixed cost for event space rental or food. Would really be frustrating to have a back and fourth with prices 😱

Great insightful video! But would you say then that if vendors have a set price no matter what is a bad thing? Cause that's what I've been seeing here. Even venues charge the same rent no matter when it is! I just find that really weird.

I agree and understand why it's complicated/difficult to provide pricing online. However, as a current bride, I think it would be helpful for vendors to at least provide a typical range or minimum price. I feel terrible contacting vendors wasting their time just to find out in one email that they're completely out of my budget and then having to tell people over and over that I can't afford their services. Working full time, I don't have time for dozens of intro calls and meetings with vendors that won't pan out purely based on budget. At the same time there are vendors I haven't bothered to reach out to just assuming they will be out of reach financially. With the increase in online commerce culture, there has to be a happy medium. Most couples can understand that a price isn't guaranteed without a formal quote but at least both sides can save time by being transparent about price range during the research stage.

These videos are very informative, and I can appreciate the rationale behind why things are the way they are. I can even appreciate that a 300 person person, elegant style affair usually requires more than a 50 person diy affair. Admittedly though, this also make me wonder whether having a traditional wedding is even worth it (I'm not even close yet, just doing research for budgetary understanding). There's so much financial ambiguity that a cookie cutter elopement at like a vegas drive through shop sounds impersonal, but much better financially. No wonder brides get so stressed. It feels a lot like trying to shop for a car and dealing with car salespeople.

I have literally been bingeing all your videos since I started wedding planning. They're so well made, concise, informative, and fun! And of course this video came out right as I'm looking for a photographer and sending out so many inquiry emails just because I want to know their prices. Thank you for all these amazing videos! <3

Man I would love to do a consultation with you because I’m finding wedding planning so stressful but I feel like it probably wouldn’t be that helpful for me as I’m in Australia and things are a bit different here 😂 I wish I could find a wedding planner like you here!

This is all so incredibly true. My prices are different for San Diego vs Orange County vs Manhattan. I can't just list them online. I also like to know guest count (if they have 300 guests, I need a 3rd shooter), how much time they want, etc. in order to send the most accurate pricing. Above all, I do give starting prices in the initial email to ensure nobody's time is wasted (even though some people seem to ignore than and spend an hour call with me only to say I'm out of budget…totally not fun). I also think sometimes personality, how well you click, etc. is almost as important as price and I wouldn't have that phone call if I just sent over vague pricing immediately. It's so important to verbally connect to ensure both parties are a great fit for each other 🙂

I love you

PLEASEEEEE do a seating arrangement help guide – life saving – before i kill myself – video 😀