All inclusive package vs booking vendors separately?

It definitely depends. Sometimes all inclusive is the better way to go, sometimes they are not. I would compare the total price of the all inclusive to separate vendors and see what the difference is.

You could always just do your own research around the area and see what vendor prices look like if you were to do them separately! I think all inclusive is great, especially if you aren't a huge fan of the whole planning process. It may be really helpful having someone do it for you if it's not something you're really passionate about doing.

I would look into other vendors just from a price standpoint, and weigh out the pros and cons and compare prices!

When we were choosing a planner, we narrowed it down to our top 2 planners...one was a traditional planner that helped us select each individual vendor, and the other called themselves a “little wedding factory” where they charge a flat price and almost every single thing they did was in-house (flowers, cake, catering, decor, DJ, and coordination). When we got quotes from the all-inclusive, it was just one flat fee for all of it, they didn’t give a breakdown because they didn’t want to “reveal the exclusive discounts we were given on each vendor” and when we did a meeting with them to see if they were a good fit, it truly did feel like a factory, and I felt like a number rather than a person. They specialized in taking care of every single detail for you so all that the bride+groom have to do on the day is show up and enjoy, but I wanted to have more control over the process and have less of a cookie-cutter experience (these folks plan 10-15 weddings per DAY and use so many of the same elements they all end up looking almost identical). My FH also made a spreadsheet comparing the all-inclusive price to some of the other vendor quotes we’d already received and we got a better deal doing the vendors individually and picking + choosing them ourselves.



Ultimately it comes down to personal preference! Some brides probably LOVE being able to put literally every detail into someone else’s hands and not worry about anything other than showing up, but that wasn’t for me lol. If that sounds stress relieving and wonderful for you, though, then that may be the perfect option!

Yes and no. We visited a venue who offered an all-inclusive package and included all of the food, alcohol, florals, DJ, and cake that seemed like it was a really good deal. We were between that venue and the one we actually chose and our venue that we chose had everything included that the other venue did minus the DJ. We did the math and figured out that the cost for the DJ at the all-inclusive came out to $4,000, which is CRAZY for a DJ. So we opted out. Just make comparisons and do the math!

Our venue now recommended a bunch of vendors as most places do and we got a discount on our floral arrangements because the two companies work together so much. Our venue actually includes centerpieces from this florist in their price, so the florist discounted us for all the other florals we used and we ended up paying a LOT less than most florists charge. So to me, that's definitely worth it if you like the vendors!

When I first started planning, I had no idea all inclusive vendors existed. Fh and I was all set to hire a bunch of separate vendors and try to get them to work together like one. Then one day before I was going to book the venue I came across n al inclusive venue and let me tell you it was the best decision for us. It probably was a bit more expensive but for all of the right reasons. We were finally getting quality vendors and an experience rather than booking based off who fell within the budget. And fh and I found out if we just increased what we were saving per paycheck we could completely afford it. Now we don’t have to settle on a photographer and only get 3 hours of shots, we now get 8 hours and an acrylic album and thank you cards, now we don’t have to settle on the DJs we were looking into who had serious attitude problems and we get them for longer than the 4 hours we were settling on due to price. And we no longer have to worry about sticking up on alcohol in our already cramped apartment and never knowing if we have enough. Everything is handled through the venue, that comes with an entire team of consultants and attendants to make the day run smooth. Also if we would have gone with the original venue we would have been searching for a new venue anyway because Covid closed its doors. Our new venue counts as a catering venue as well so they have remained opened. Personally, for the quality we are receiving the slight increase in expense is worth it for us. Juggling a lot of vendors can be stressful and during covid makes it more so.

We went with all inclusive (minus cake and decor - they have some we can use) but only after pricing other vendors to get an idea.
Ours is reasonable pricing, but one other all inclusive we looked at was totally over priced!

Late to the party, but we did the same thing. In pricing the individual vendors and comparing it to the all inclusive cost, we decided all inclusive was the way to go. I was able to compare costs by asking for their vendor list and calling to make deals directly. All in, it's probably a $2 - $3,500 difference between all inclusive and individual bookings. After decorating and cleaning up after countless family & friend's weddings, I decided all inclusive was the way to go so that we (and our families) could enjoy the day and not worry about the details/coordination.