The Car with Three Wheels // Price Isn't Everything

Which would you rather buy?

Car #1: $9,000

This car looks pretty from the outside, but has four tires that are about to blow at any second. The engine of the car is in unknown condition.

Car #2: $9,000

This car has the same exterior as car #1, but only comes with three tires in brand new condition. The engine of the car is in unknown condition.

Car #3: $10,000

The same exterior as Car #1 and Car #2, but all tires are brand new AND the engine is brand new.

If everyone were to think like this when choosing their wedding vendors, we would rarely hear those crazy stories about vendors not showing up or just being perfect on paper (or online) but terrible face-to-face. Sounds like some sort of Catfish episode, huh?

So of course, we would choose Car #3. While we may be paying $1,000 more up front, the likelihood of our new car not needing repairs any time soon is far higher than that of Car #1 and Car #2.

And while Car #1 has four tires and Car #2 only has three, it is better to have to pay the extra for a brand new fourth tire, than to be nervous about all four tires blowing, having to pay for four new tires and possibly a new engine, and risk getting into a terrible car accident!

Well when choosing your wedding vendors, it's not far from this.

Price vs Value

I used to be the Catering Manager at a wedding venue and time and time again, brides would say to me "Well the venue down the street quoted me for $10,000 and you're quoting me for $12,000" so I will be going with them. Personally, I always offered to look at their quote and compare the two together.

And each and every time, the "venue down the street" was offering a lower price, but they didn't include the linens, the tables and chairs, the chair covers, and the upgraded meal.

And with that, we know that we cannot just look at the price.

What is value?

Value is what you are getting for the price you are paying. So let's put this into wedding terms:

A photographer is offering you 10 hours of coverage but she is just not a nice person to be around. Her work is beautiful and you can see yourself hanging her photos in your new home. You can definitely put up with her grumpiness because her package price is $2,500, which is lower than your budget.

The next photographer you meet with is instantly your best friend. He is offering 10 hours of coverage on the wedding day and the photos are just to die for! Like how couldn't you print and hang every single one in your home? And you've made a new friend to hang out with on the weekends! His package price is $3,500.

Eek! $1,000 is a lot of money and I like the first photographer's work, so I'll go with her.

WRONG.

Of course it all comes down to your budget, but as you can see, the price isn't always better.

So forget about the price, and look at the value. And then determine whether you can make the price work.

Are you going to enjoy being around this person on your wedding day? Are you confident they will be able to deliver what you are asking for? What kind of flowers are they offering? Will you get your photos/video back in the time frame given? Will the photos be edited instead of raw? Will the meal be upgraded?

It's all about that value.

Shopping for Value

Christopher Todd Studios

Budget, budget, budget.

We drill this word into your brain over and over from the second you get engaged, all the way through the wedding day. Planning a wedding revolves around that budget, and that is why we stress it's importance so much! There is nothing worse than owing an additional $7,000 or even $500 that you don't have to spend.

And with all of that, we have taught you to become so obsessed with budget, that oftentimes you forget about other aspects that are important. One of those being value.

First, I want to define the terms so you have a better understanding of where I am coming from.

Price vs. Value

Price: The number amount of currency that you are paying for a specific venue or vendor (example: $150)
Value: The items or services you are receiving in comparison to the price you are paying...the "bang for your buck" (example: $150 for a bouquet with peonies OR $150 for a bouquet of carnations)

As you can see, there is a clear difference between price and value, and because we put so much emphasis on price, couples always think in terms of price rather than value.

And here is where that can go wrong...

Florist X

You have a $2000 budget for all of your floral for your wedding, but it sure would be nice to get it all for less than that, wouldn't it?

You find Florist X online, request a quote, and voila! Everything you want is quoted for a total of $1,500. Now that sure is a deal! But just to make sure you are getting the best price possible, you contact another florist.

Florist Y

You get your second quote from Florist Y, and the quote is $2,100 for everything. Of course, since it is over budget, you are going to choose Florist X over Florist Y because the #1 rule you've learned is to not go over your designated budget! So with a price that fits, Florist X is it!

The Problem

It is your wedding day and Florist X shows up an hour late, your floral is nothing what you expected, your favorite peonies are nowhere to be found, and you are missing three boutonnieres and your toss bouquet.

At least you were able to cut your budget down, right??

Wrong.

I don't think there is any bride out there (or at least very few) who would agree that it was worth the $600 that was saved between the two quotes you received. Although you got a better price, you should've taken a better look at the value you were going to be receiving for that price. As it turns out, Florist Y would've been more expensive but would've been there on time so you could take photos with your bouquet, provided more floral than expected, and was an absolute pleasure to work with throughout the process!

Now that's value!

Although the extra $100 over budget may have seemed crazy at the time, there are always ways to cut in other areas to ensure the total budget stays as is. And even if not, $100 would've been well worth the hassle. So when searching for your vendors, although you need to take a look at the price to ensure your entire wedding budget stays put, it is time to put your emphasis on value, to ensure the process and the outcome are all and more than you wished for.