I've had a number of inquiries lately for multiple services bundled together, and thought I should share some thoughts from a planner's perspective on the pros and cons of this. Not only have these inquiries been for multiple services packaged into one deal, but they've been with short notice, and they've been on seriously strict budgets.
All three of these factors are a real recipe for disaster. From a Bride's perspective, I totally get it. The fewer people you have to deal with when planning a wedding, the sooner it's all booked and put behind you, and the fewer people you have to keep track of. BUT, when you start combining more than 2 services, you put yourself at greater risk of having a REALLY botched day should anything go wrong. Here's what I mean:
On the pro side, combining services with one vendor, can result in them throwing you a steeper discount, because the vendor's margin is suddenly spread across more work. This means they get a larger ticket of revenue, you get more services, and presumably, at a much better price. You have 1 vendor to touch base with in the month preceding your big day, instead of 4 or 5. And you can leverage the seriously broad creative talent that this industry has to offer you. You can ensure that by having decor, wedding day coordination and say florals all done by the same vendor, that they will carry a similar look and feel, because they've been designed, assembled, delivered and set up by the same person. A consistent look and feel gives that extra look of panache that your guests will sit back and enjoy while they partake in the fabulous meal you've organized for them. Who could ask for anything more, right?
On the con side, when you give more than one service to a single vendor, your risk increases (if that business is a small one), should anything go horribly awry and they can't deliver on your big day. Secondly, depending on what services you have contracted with them, depending on their business size, you could see a degradation of quality in what is delivered. Finally, if you know that 1 plus 1 plus 1 equals 3, don't expect that by asking a vendor to provide three services, that it won't be costing you for 3 services. Every thing you ask a vendor to do is going to cost your vendor money, labour and time. By being in business, they expect to make a profit (even if they expect a small profit), but they definitely don't open a business to lose their own money. And finally, if you're asking one vendor to perform most of the services for your big day, where are the checks and balances if something goes wrong or is done incorrectly? Hopefully you have bigger and more important things on your mind on your wedding day, than policing your single vendor. You need to understand how much risk you're willing to accept on your wedding day.
If you're asking your vendor to give you everything at wholesale cost, what's ultimately in it for them? Everyone loves word of mouth advertising - testimonials are the best marketing tool one can get, but not every job can be at a loss for the hopes of a great testimonial - nor should they be. Consider what it would be like if you went in to the office every day, and all your employer did was pay you for a portion of the gas you used to commute in to the office and back home again. It wouldn't be worth your time right? And would you do a good job for that employer? Probably not. Where would be your motivation?
As a rule of thumb, when I'm asked to do more than one service, as a vendor, I'm super excited about it. It means I can show more of my creativity, and more than anything else, it gives me more to do (I'm a bit crazy this way - if I'm not stretched to my limits, I don't seem to be content). But I also make it a rule, not to book more than 2 services that require me to execute on the wedding day. I'm more than happy to combine preparatory services, or things that can be done and delivered in advance of the wedding, but I know how big a labour pool I have to draw from, and I want everything I deliver to be of the utmost quality.
As a small independent business owner, I hate saying "no" to any job. And while it would have to be a major catastrophe for me not to execute on a job, a major catastrophe is always a risk. If I have committed to doing day of coordination, floral centrepieces, pew bows, and table decor and anything were to happen to me, how much of my client's day would be potentially ruined? It's something I consider, even if my potential client's have said they're okay with it. I have people I can call for day of coordination or odd jobs here and there, but the disruption that this would all cause, would be incredible, and hugely disappointing for any bride and groom. And my risk would be that if the couple weren't already aware of my predicament, the first assumption would be that I outsourced the work, and that I didn't deliver to my commitments in the way that they trusted I would. This is not the impression any small business owner would want to leave a client with.
If a company has said yes to booking multiple critical services quickly, this should give you enough pause to ask at least one follow up question: Is the company big enough, and does it have enough people employed within it, to execute all of those services on the day of your wedding, regardless if the person committing to it is there to oversee it or not? And if the vendor is willing to do a job at a loss, ask yourself and ask them why? Maybe it's a good answer, and maybe you've won the lucky draw of being that special couple who's getting the freebie for the hopes of a great review...and if you are - do the vendor a big favour in return, and give them the review. No deal is a good deal if it's not a win win for everyone! But maybe they're saying yes, just to get the next job too. As a customer, I want to work with vendors who are just as careful with my money as I am, and who care just as much about my day as any of my guests would.
Which brings me to my final point (and it's made only with the intent to save future brides from taking on or seeking out awful risks). If you want steep discounts, and you want the convenience and simplicity of a single point of ownership, work with a planner. Working with a planner will help you to divide the work load in a way that's comfortable for you, and it will give you the single point of contact you're looking for, for whatever combination of services are suitable to you. By hiring the planner, they take on responsibility for managing the vendor relationship, and the vendor's execution on your big day. And yes, they can help you make that 1 plus 1 plus 1 scenario, to become a total of 2.5 instead of 3.
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