Wedding vendors and not sending prices

That is extremely common unfortunately. It’s a tactic they use to lure brides in because it is commonly known that brides in general very rarely question anything and will pay whatever they are quoted without blinking. An honest ethical vendor will be upfront with pricing on their website before you contact them. All packages are negotiable so if they aren’t willing to do that, it’s a red flag.


For us, if they did not mention a ballpark price range of services available on the website, they got scratched from the list.

View Quoted Comment That's pretty much what we were thinking! I am a photographer so I am appalled at how some of these vendors are treating their brides and grooms now that I'm on the 'other side of the contract'.

View Quoted Comment That’s exactly how we approached it! We lucked out with all of our top vendors were up front with pricing, but when it came down to our top 2 venues the one we did not go with was not transparent about pricing. He just kept saying “it’s usually about $100-$115 per person all together” but wouldn’t send us an estimate at all! But the venue we ended up choosing was very clear on what’s included and what isn’t included.

This is why I have learned to ask for a blank contract as soon as they want me to book them. The blank contract should show all fees that may affect the final total. I also ask for proposals and if they don’t give me one I don’t book them. It’s honestly amazing how many vendors I have asked for blank contracts or proposals and their response has been “no one has ever asked for that before” lol

One venue we went to was like that. She told us the price of the venue but then she kept saying if we don't have a day of coordinator and she had to help at all she would charge us by the hour, if we need to borrow a couple of decorations then their was an add-on price (not say what the price was).

Luckily one venue we went to was upfront with us on the cost of everything. We went with them.

If I contacted someone for prices and they gave me the run around, I just went on to the next. If you can't be transparent with me from the start, then I don't want to do business with you 🤷‍♀️. Sure, I may have missed out on some great vendors but I found lovely people who were straightforward and did great work, so I don't think I missed much by not playing those fishing games.

Agreed - prices should just be listed on website right away - so annoying.

I wish the whole wedding industry was more transparent about pricing, to be honest. It would make planning so much easier, and I think the majority of couples have a set budget in mind. In our search for the perfect venue, I emailed several venues about information before deciding which ones to visit. I wanted to know what was offered before falling in love with a place. I was very clear when I reached out what information I wanted and that included pricing. Only one or two didn't send pricing info, and I emailed them back right away saying there was no pricing included and if they could please send it. Anyone who is not willing to send pricing at that point is not someone you want to work with anyway.

As I've been doing research and looking into possible vendors (haven't booked yet, still in the planning phase), I've been choosing my Top 1 vendors based on the fact that most of the ones I've found don't list prices. I know I could request a bunch of prices (and I may still anyways - I know my fiancé is more thorough with things like that, so he'll want me to at least look a little more), but I trust companies far more when they are upfront about pricing and have it on their website.

... Maybe it's because I became a certified Life Coach last year, and our coaching trainers taught us that this is just good practice in the coaching business, to include prices on your website.

From planning our wedding couple years ago to my wife opening her own wedding planning business, I can tell you there are couple vendor types. You have something like photography, DJ, band, venue. These, should give you a ballpark price no proble. They work by the hour and by the outcome (how many pictures do you want?) Sometimes things like travel may also play into that. Then, you have other vendors such as florists, wedding planners, cake bakeries, designers, etc. These vendors can give you a low-end and sometimes a high-end price (although sometimes seeing a high-end price detracts some customers). As for the actual price, until they have a consultation to ask exactly what you want, they may not be able to give you a price. Their work is based on both complexity and hours. Some do it based on hourly rate, but that's not always fair to you as a customer. For instance, 5 hours baking a cake is not equivalent to 5 hours doing extremely intricate decor. 5 hours on the phone is not equivalent to 5 hours putting together invitations. I absolutely agree that each vendor should have at least a rought price range, but not giving you the exact price is sometimes in your best interests as well as theirs.