Why Don’t Wedding Vendors List Pricing? I Pissed a Lot of People Off With This Question.

This is the story of how I managed to piss off a whole gaggle of wedding vendors with one facebook post.

But first, a bit of backstory.

I’m planning my wedding. Like many folks planning their weddings, I am still working and going about my life. I also decided it was a good time to take on some extra ambitious goals and do even more during this time (not my brightest idea but we are here so it’s fine). Basically, I’m a busy bee.

One of the things that makes wedding planning the most difficult, lengthiest, stress-induced tasks is finding vendors. To make it easier and find a likeminded community, I’ve joined a few wedding facebook groups out there. With regards to vendors, there are so many options out there for wedding things. How am I supposed to know the difference between folding chairs, chiavari chairs, and versailles chairs?? And what if I actually don’t care?! But hands down, the worst part of searching for vendors has been the pricing aspect. *queue some whiny music*

So I expressed my opinion. And I had NO clue I was in for the treat of getting bombarded with comments from angry vendors.

Now before I get any further, I would like to express something here. I absolutely understand that not everyone has set pricing (I feel like my post addressed this but whatever). I know that not every industry has custom packages. But all I was saying is that some sort of number is helpful, because at the end of the day, there’s a huge difference between $1000 in flowers and $40,000 in flowers.

I’m going to share some comments below, and while I could give you my opinion on each one, I’m going to share my final thoughts until the end. Please leave a comment with your thoughts as well.

From Vendors:

“If they price shop then they are not the client for me. Because I ain’t cheap.”

“You judging based on the prices you see, vs. work. Since I took my pricing down 3 years ago, I been getting way more leads and couples actually complement my work”

“I get where you’re coming from and as someone who’s prices vary on travel cost due to being an elopement photographer (because I’m sorry but if someone wants me to come to XYZ and I have to fly to get there I’m not going to come out of pocket to do a job someone is asking me to do. They pay my wages + travel), therefore to tackle this, I have put “starting at” . It’s been very effective.”

“Never post pricing. Prices change and also if you do list pricing then they just see a price and move on, you have no identity. i have sold many brides who said we are “out of their budget”. because I show them the value of going with our team. 175 weddings this year, it seems to work!”

“*Prices starting at $______

This also helps”

“With all due respect, I am personally looking for clients that also see my value. I’m not lookin to just make money and run.

I can say with great certainty as a business owner that unless it’s their unique strategy in acquiring clients, the target market for an experienced photographer is not often “brides on a budget”.

I would also even venture to say that you may potentially be doing yourself a disservice by skipping on a photographer who doesn’t list their pricing.

Sometimes I speak with a bride that happens to be on a budget that doesn’t quite meet my typical price point, however because I believe everyone deserves good quality, artistic wedding photos that they are in love with, I make exceptions when the bride seems like someone I would enjoy working with.

Many photographers don’t have their pricing listed because they care about creating the relationship to their client. Not listing pricing requires the client to reach out to them directly, initiating conversation (in which the photographer has the ability to respond by sending a uniform pdf document with extensive information regarding all pricing— if they are an experienced photographer, they have a system in place!). In a day where anyone can buy a camera and pay $20/month for a website domain, everyone is calling themselves a photographer these days. If you have the ability to book your photographer without even speaking on personal details of your day first, that is a red flag.

Some amateur photographers do great work and only charge $1500. There are also experienced photographers that charge $4500 that I would never in a million years book for my own wedding. There are plenty of photographers at all different price points, and all different skill levels, so you are still bound to find someone that’s a good fit for you and your needs even if you are on a budget.

But not all photographers want just any client.

Especially for the ones who see their art as an extension of self.

Just wanted to offer a different perspective. I find many people, perhaps subconsciously, don’t value my job and therefore believe my pricing should fit their needs. (Of course not insinuating you feel this way, but just want to illustrate the experience of a professional who has been in the industry for about 8 years.)

A bride that comes to me with a lower budget and an attitude will always get a “no thank you” from me because I’ve been in the industry too long to subject myself to someone who doesn’t align with me human-to-human, or understand the value I provide in the first place.”

“Photographers who don’t want to work with price shoppers don’t put their prices on their websites. If the only deciding reason a bride to be is willing to talk to me is because they like my pricing, with my work being secondary or inconsequential, we aren’t the right fit. How can I possibly have the perfect package already created for you and listed publicly when I have no idea what you need or want for your wedding day? Unless of course the expectation is a cookie cutter photography service where everyone is forced into the same package, (which, personally, is not what what we offer). A starting price for what? A 2 hour elopement or an 8 hour wedding with 2 photographers and a photobooth? There are just too many factors for me to have a starting price.

For me, it comes down to wanting to work with clients who value connection, proper documentation, the assurity of professionalism and art more than the price tag. Not everyone does that, but some people do, and they’re the clients that photographers like me are targeting. Instead of me giving you a menu of pricing for every service we offer and you picking it apart and piecing it back together like a special order at Burger King, we talk about what YOU want, not about the packages I want to sell you. After I have a clear understanding of your needs, I can give you a price based on your specific parameters. It’s minimal effort on both ends to jump on a 20 minute zoom call to get to know each other, and it’s so much more personal (and effective) than an inanimate pdf price sheet. If price is the most important thing to you and you find a photographer whose work you love that doesn’t list pricing, you can always email them to set a consultation appointment but lead the email with your budget constraints. They’ll tell you if they can work within that range.”

From Brides:

“I agree especially on the wedding websites you put all your info and budget and they still want you to fill out all these forms before even giving you a price”

“I did this with so many photobooth companies today!! I didn't have the time to message 10 of them, so I picked one of the few with pricing listed on the website”

Final Thoughts:

I never thought this would be such a giant (or heated) debate. I honestly was shocked. I cannot think of a single industry where asking for prices would ruffle so many feathers.

So here are my final thoughts and takeaways:

• In a competitive industry, the path of least resistance is important. If you are making it more difficult for people to work with you, then they will simply go to the next competitor.

• One of the things that I said over and over in the comments was that this particular facebook group was often filled with posts from brides on a particular budget. So all of these “luxury” photographers were in the wrong group. I stand by that. This is the biggest takeaway from this post for me, and hopefully for you too…. The importance of the ideal client. I talk a lot about ideal clients… I even have a whole guide explaining how to figure out who your ideal client is. And the thing about ideal clients is that you want to go where they are and you want to listen to them.

• I would like to stuff the word “luxury” in a garbage can and set it on fire. This word is SO overused in entrepreneur spaces and I am sick of it. We can’t all be luxury. (I’ll probably have a blog about this in the future)

• Unless you are charging $40,000, I stand by the fact that you should have your prices listed.

• The word budget gets such a bad rap. Every wedding planner has some sort of budget (unless you literally don’t, in which case you’re probably not on this blog or in the Facebook group but rather in Barbados attending socialite events). Having a budget is not a bad thing, in fact, I would argue that it’s a good thing. You are prepared and able to pay for services.

• My final point has more to do with being a bride than anything else, but I honestly feel saddened by the fact that so many business owners in this industry make this day about their businesses and their “art”. Weddings are the one day that is about the couple, and I can’t but help feel taken advantage of when vendors are more focused on their legacy than actually serving the client. I totally understand that these are businesses, after all, I’m an entrepreneur myself. But the thing is, for me, a website is more than just one client. It’s something that creates wild shifts for them. Wedding photos outlast time. They are sacred, and I wish vendors were more aware of the impact the day has on the couple rather than just some money.

So that’s the story of how I pissed off a TON of wedding vendors. What do you think? Was my request unreasonable? Let me know what you think in the comments.

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