5 FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2022
CHARLES CITY PRESS • WEDDING & BRIDAL GUIDE
Negotiating prices with wedding vendors
‘Plus one’ etiquette for wedding guests
Any guest who is engaged or is in a serious long- term relationship It can be challenging to know the relationship status of everyone who will be invited to the wedding, but chances are you’ll have a good idea of those people closest to you. Include a plus one for guests who are engaged or in long-term relationships. Consider guests who may not know others Weddings often are times when childhood friends reconnect, or people who haven’t seen each other in a while come together. If there’s a good chance someone who is single and is invited to the wedding may not know anyone else there except the couple, extend a plus one as a courtesy. Include the wedding party All members of the wedding party should be offered the option of bringing a date to the wedding. Apart from these guidelines, couples can establish any other rules, such as no plus ones for guests under a certain age or those who are not in serious relationships. The Knot also says it is polite to find out who the plus one will be so that wedding reception seating cards include that person’s name instead of “and guest.”
By Melissa Erickson More Content Now M aking a wedding guest list is seldom an easy task. Couples often find that many people are worthy of an invitation, which can make creating a guest list tricky for those with budgets in mind. According to data from the online wedding resource The Knot, the average wedding catering cost per guest is roughly $70. However, catering costs will vary depending on the reception venue, the number of guests, the foods chosen, and the region of the country where the wedding takes place. When creating their guest lists, couples may wonder if they have to offer all guests the option of bringing a “plus one” to the occasion. As with other wedding day etiquette questions, the plus one concept is not set in stone. Any guest who is married It’s typically standard to invite a couple as a whole to the wedding, even if you’ve never met the spouse. This often comes up when inviting work friends, according to Vogue magazine. Even if you have never interacted with a coworker’s spouse, etiquette dictates that all married guests be allowed to bring their spouses along.
Metro Editorial Library A couple’s wedding day is likely to be the most expensive party they ever host. The average cost of a wedding is $33,931, according to The Knot’s 2019 Real Wedding Study. However that final cost can vary widely depending on where the wedding is held. In fact, in 2019, New Jersey was the most expensive state for getting hitched, at an average cost of $53,400, followed closely by Rhode Island at $49,800. The average cost of a Canadian wedding, according to the life- style resource Slice, is around $31,000. Engaging in a dialogue with prospective vendors can help couples curtail the cost of their weddings. That’s especially so during the pan- demic, as so many businesses have faced financial uncertainty due to the global pandemic. Vendors who already have been operating under less-than- ideal circumstances may be more flexible with their pricing schedules. Then again, struggling business may have to increase prices to cover losses. Negotiation may be necessary as couples look to get married without breaking the bank. Be open and honest Negotiating with vendors should not be mis- taken for aggressive haggling as one might do at a garage sale or auction. Rather, it’s more about having a discussion about what can be modified
to work with the budget. A vendor may not be able to dramatically drop his price, but may be accommodating in another respect. For exam- ple, florists may be able to throw in an extra floral arrangement or a DJ may agree to stick around for an extra hour at no additional cost. Be gracious Letting a vendor know you’re a fan of their work or have received glowing recom- mendations from past customers may make them more inclined to work with you if the budget doesn’t quite align with the pricing. Find work-arounds Even if the price seems out of reach, there are ways to negotiate with vendors to get things close and where all parties are in agreement. For example, a florist may be able to make sugges- tions on another type of bloom that looks similar to the desired flower but at a fraction of the cost. Vendors may be willing to discount some costs if the couple handles some of the work themselves, such as picking up and delivering materials to the reception or ceremony sites or handling alterations. Couples should speak freely with wed- ding vendors and discuss what they can spend after some careful research in regard to what standard services and products cost.
Wedding Barn & Reception Venue at the Floyd County Fairgrounds H
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8FEEJOHTt3FDFQUJPOT t"OOJWFSTBSJFT 'BNJMZ(BUIFSJOHTNPSF For more information call 641-228-1300 visit FloydCountyFair.org E-Mail: floydcountyyec@gmail.com Full Service Options including decor & linen available.
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