As a wedding planner, you’ll find that some brides seem hesitant to tell you how much their wedding budgets are. Sometimes this is due to fear, that if they tell you will charge more, but more often it’s because they don’t know how much what they want might cost and how to allocate their money.
In the an article in Special Events magazine, top wedding planners were asked how they uncover a bride’s budget.
Here are 3 tips that you can take from their answers:
1) Start with a budget proposal
One top planner gives a proposal based on the bride’s vision so she knows from the very start how much it could cost. From there the planner offers different levels of service based on the budget.
2) Pose a question with a hypothetical budget amount
For example, ask a bride if she would consider it acceptable if the catering for her wedding was $xx,xxx. If the bride is shocked and considers it too high, ask what would be acceptable for her budget. Be able to give examples of the costs of venues, food, flowers, event rentals, and other items, so you can help a bride understand if her numbers are realistic, and let her know what you might able to do within her budget.
3) Instill trust
One top planner works first to build trust so a bride knows she is not interested in knowing the budget to get all of her money. She talks to the bride and if she feels the bride is a good fit for her services, she is willing to help her get as much as possible for her money. (Brides are usually more trusting when they have been referred to you by a friend or former happy client.)
For insights into the wedding planning business, read my previous post “6 Ways Top Wedding Planners Prove They Are Worth What They Charge.”
