Why are wedding vendors so expensive?

Once you start wedding planning, the first thing you’ll want to do is start looking at vendor options. You’ll look at photographers, videographers, planners, venues- all the things.

But you’ll soon figure out that these vendors are not cheap. And when this realization hits you, you may be a little shocked or even a little disappointed. You’re probably thinking, “Why in the world is it so expensive to get married?” or “Why do I have to pay thousands of dollars to hire these vendors?”

And those are all very reasonable questions, but I’m here to explain exactly why wedding vendors charge what they charge.

Let’s dive in.

A little disclaimer before we get started: this post is not about picking vendors that match your budget, this post is just to explain why vendors charge what they do. We’ll cover finding high-quality vendors that fit your budget in an upcoming post!

#1: Vendors work many, many more hours than what you see on wedding day.

Wedding vendors work on each wedding WAYY longer than just what you see on wedding day. As an example, our most basic Day-of Coordination package, includes 3 weeks worth of work. That means three weeks worth of consult calls, countless emails with vendors, timeline creation, final walkthrough meetings, design set up, panning out logistics with vendors, reading through contracts, the list goes on and on.

So basically three weeks worth of work is charged a set package fee, no matter how many hours we actually work. And that preparation time does not even count the hours spent physically working on wedding day. Just for reference- I don’t think I’ve ever worked a wedding less than 12 hours. My wedding days are usually about 16 hours.

Again, this is just my BASIC package. My Month-of Coordination Package is six weeks worth of work, my Partial Planning Package is six months worth of work and my Complete Planning Package is more times than not, over a year’s worth of work.

I know other vendors work close to this amount of time as well. Photographers and videographers spend days prepping for weddings to make sure they have the timeline down and will be in the right positions to get the best shots. Then, they spend weeks editing so that your wedding photos and video is absolutely perfect. And again, that’s not counting the hours spent on their feet on wedding days.

DJ’s and bands prep your playlist and make sure they are on the same page with your coordinator or venue. Your baker spends hours baking your cake, and your venue goes out of their way to set up your wedding decor and layout. In other words, you’re paying for much more than just what you see on wedding day.

#2: We pour our heart and soul into your wedding.

We pour our heart and soul into every wedding that we do, and I know other vendors do as well. That means if there’s a hiccup while planning, I’m probably thinking about it 10 times more than you are. Honestly, most of the time your vendors fix hiccups and issues that go on without the brides and grooms even knowing.

We even think of you when we see cool things at other weddings or are scrolling on Pinterest.

Sometimes I’ll be scrolling along and I’ll be like, “oh my goodness, Ashley would love these flowers!” or “these table numbers would go perfectly with Sarah’s centerpieces!”

We are thinking about your wedding more than you think.

And on wedding day, we will do pretty much anything to make sure your wedding is beautiful and seamless. Refer to this list by my friends at the Every Last Detail Blog: 101Things a Wedding Planner Will do that You Would Never Know About.

#3: This is our Livelihood

Gone are the days when wedding vendors could view their wedding pro business as a small side job. While some of us probably still have full or part-time jobs to supplement our income, our wedding pro business is definitely another full time job. Especially for wedding planners. There is just no way you can plan wedding just a few hours per week. And I know this from experience.

To serve you best, your wedding vendors have to be able to spend time preparing for your wedding (and others). So this means that they probably are either losing sleep or they have cut their job hours in half or take their wedding pro business full time. As a result, their income and livelihood come from this business.

So the rates they are charging you are not frivolous or unnecessary. This is their job and they are going to deliver something spectacular to you, while also feeding their families.

#4: They save you time, stress, and money

Hiring high-quality vendors will save you so much in the long run. If you hire a low quality vendor and they mess something up or do not offer a key service needed to execute your wedding, you are #1, going to be super stressed, #2, going to have to spend time fixing the issue or hiring another vendor, and #3, probably wind up spending more money!

High quality vendors will also be there for you to bounce ideas off of or ask questions about other vendors, therefore saving you some mistakes in the long run.

PSA:

Please know that not every wedding industry pro is going to quote you a fair price. In order to avoid outrageous or unfair vendor quotes, educate yourself about the vendor. Does this vendor provide incomparable value? Do they run their business with integrity and fairness? And do you think they will do everything in their power to execute your day perfectly? The list goes on and on, but it’s so important to do your research. If you believe the price quoted was fair after considering the 4 Tips mentioned above and asking detailed questions, you’ve found yourself a high-quality vendor and they are worth the price.

You can check out some average prices for vendors here to see if you’re on track : 4 Steps to Set & Stick to a Realistic Wedding Budget

To Wrap Up

High quality wedding pros truly care about your wedding, spend countless hours working to make it possible, but also have to make a living. So just keep this in mind when looking at vendor price quotes!

If you need help or question the accuracy of a vendor quote, please let me know. I’m here to help!

Happy Wedding Planning!

xoxo,
Sammy

Interested in having the Jackson & June team plan, coordinate, or design your wedding day? Find out more information here!