You know the saying…you get what you pay for? Well, that absolutely applies to your special day too. My advice, don’t bargain shop your wedding.

My husband and I recently remodeled our main living areas in our home (kitchen, dining, living room). We bought a new-to-us house last year which was kept to its original 1960s design; and our kitchen layout was very inconvenient to cook in. While we both love to cook and we eat about 95% of our meals at home, it became daunting and stressful everytime we prepared a meal. So, it is no surprise that we were SO excited to begin our remodel (which I will share this full story soon) and get our dream kitchen.

As with any big adult purchase though, we had to plan financially for this undertaking. So we created a budget and planned to stick to it.

One of the ways we were aiming to cut corners on price tag was with our appliances. We knew we wanted top of the line chef style gear, but we also knew our budget was slimmed down in this area to accommodate for other design elements that were necessary. Luckily for us, we had many months to appliance shop, so my husband scoured the internet (he is a pro at Google!) and ended up finding us deals on the high end appliances we desired. We were THRILLED with the prices we got and we were SUPER excited to begin using our new kitchen toys.

However, once our kitchen was complete and our appliances installed, things took a turn…and we were both reminded that you get what you pay for.

Lesson #1: Our Fridge. Wes found our fridge as a floor model at a local outlet store. They showed us pictures of the piece and it looked just fine from what was shared, so we gladly purchased this product at a deeply discounted price. Well, the fridge arrived and it was not what we were promised. Shocker! It was dinged in areas not disclosed to us and the gorgeous handles were heavily damaged. We immediately called the store and they said our only option was to decline the delivery and get our money back. Well, we didn’t want to do that because we had gotten such a good deal and didn’t have it in our budget to buy brand new. So we accepted the damaged fridge and decided we could live with the dings and resolved to order new handles. Long story short, these handles cost A LOT. Putting our price point at almost the cost of a brand new appliance. Yikes! We ended up getting the new handles any way and took it as a lesson learned. Bargain shopping is not always your best friend…especially when it comes to luxury.

Lesson #2: Our Stove. We designed our kitchen around our 8 burner gorgeous stove. It is a beauty!!! Well, another long story short…we found the appliance at a discounted rate on a site we never heard of. While the stove mainly works, the temperature gauge does not. So we have to play a guessing game each time we bake something. Wes had tried countless times to get in touch with the retailer to request a service appointment, and the communication had been awful! After months of persistently contacting them, they finally sent us a new thermometer for the oven and told us WE HAD TO INSTALL IT OURSELVES. What?! We are not appliance professionals. So as I am writing this piece, Wes is performing surgery on our stove to try and fix it. What a mess! The lesson learned here, again, be wary of a bargain when purchasing a luxury item or experience. Also, communication and knowing what you can expect when purchasing a big ticket item is key.

So let me relate this to your wedding….INVEST IN GOOD VENDORS THAT…

• Are excellent communicators and won’t leave you stranded, guessing or unsure of what to expect.
• Choose vendors that come recommended. While searching the internet is a great resource, it does not always prove effective when hiring your wedding team. Remember, finding a vendor that is recommended by someone you know is never a bad thing.
• Select a vendor that doesn’t highlight their price point as their best selling feature. I totally get wanting to stick to your budget (also, we should talk about budget and allocating funds…), but finding the best price does not equate to best quality, best service, best experience.

Your wedding is a day you dream of, you plan for and you create expectations for. You don’t get a redo. So do yourself a favor and research your vendors, read their reviews, get recommendations (whether from friends or your wedding team/venue), and ask questions that matter to you. For example, ask your photo team: What is your delivery time for photos? Will I get a preview while I wait for the full gallery, and if so, when can I expect this? I am booking you a year in advance, when can I plan to hear from you along the way?

So please do take note from my experience because as a wedding professional, I can also say my appliance dilemma applies to your planning experience. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the “shoulda, coulda, wouldas” from prospects or clients (that had issues with other vendors or previous photographers).

So on that sentiment, I hope you find the right wedding team for you! And if my company can be of service, I would love to hear from you, learn about your special day and create an experience tailored to you both!

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