Do you ever lower your Wedding fee rates?

I've got a bride that has contacted me and I've talked to her very briefly and emailed my wedding

package list to her. I didn't hear from her for a bit so I emailed her and told her if my packages didn't fit

her needs that I could customize a package for her. I'm afraid she has taken that to mean I'll come off

my price, because she emailed me back saying that she was on an extremely tight budget. I've kind of

gone around the block to ask this question, do you ever offer someone a discounted deal? This

wedding is only about seven weeks away so it is very unlikely that another wedding will come up for

that date. I don't want word to get out that you can haggle with me on my price. In the past I've offered

a little more with a package, but I've never dropped my price. I questioning myself though would I

rather sit at home and make nothing or work for 75% of my normal fee. Any advice would be

appreciated.

This is entirely up to you. If you do work for a lower price, though, it is unreasonable to expect to be able to control the spread of that info. Even though you tell the bride not to tell others you came down so much, it may get around, so you'll have to be prepared to give a good reason why you did so and aren't willing to do so again when the bride's best friend asks you about it.

You could find out which baking shop is making the cake. If the baker is offering 1/2 a wedding cake, then you can go along with a "less expensive" wedding photo package. If you are in business, then try to stay in business. (Chances are good - with this bride - that you may have 'fun' in getting paid when the wedding day is over, and you are looking for the rest of her payment.)

Bob,

 

When I was a wedding photographer, almost every bride took my package where I took 150 photos and printed everything in 5 x 7 or 8 x 10, and I was there 2hours before, and through to the end of the reception. That was my full package. I had given the previews and choose mode with the standard 40-50 photos. Now people with digital can take a huge number, but back then we had to be somewhat careful. And besides, I was shoot 30 and 15 roll VPS3 in a medium format camera, so I needed to make every shot count, and avoid too many film changes. My printer guy pulled me aside one day and told me that unlike all the other real pros in the area, 97% of my photos were completely sellable, and he would give me a deal by running everything in either of those two sizes.

 

That was my standard package and after I started offering it, and showing it in the various TAP and other albums, almost nobody chose something different.

 

ALMOST.....

 

I did have a couple of budget groups where I did the 5x 7 or 8 x 10, without the reception, or with the formals, and 1 hour of the reception, or some variation of that. In this variation I would charge by the hour, not by the job. This allowed brides and a really tight budget to make a choice.

 

Also, there was the special deal wedding. Once in a while I would run across an exceptionally photogenic bride who looked like a Brides Magazine Model. If these young ladies needed a budget process, I might offer some really special deal at cost for an 11 x 14 or 16 x 20. This wasn't because i like to shoot pretty girls but because every photographer likes to have special photos to display. It was mostly mercenary for the business. You can make that decision at the time.

 

Hope this helps....

 

Eric

When did you last put your rates up? More than a year ago? More than 6 months ago?

 

There is only one way to stay in business (long term) if the business model is a `discount business`: that is to have very slim margins, slimmer overheads and more turnover than any of the other players in the discount market.

 

On the other hand there is a school of thought which creeps into those business owners who have more a `service focus` or higher priced business model: and that is when there is a sale pending but not finalized to consider lowering the sale price, because they believe `any sale is still a sale`: this is the point where you are at, right now.

 

The problem you have, is reconciling the latter (for a `one off` time), because you really do not want your business to go the `discount` route, full time.

 

Hmm: Dilemma.

 

There are many options, personally, I would immediately contact the Bride, and, in regard to her `tight budget`, inform her politely, how lucky she is, as all your standard rates went up X% on the 1st May, (and I would put them up).

 

But, as is your normal business courtesy, each year, you are keeping the old rates for any clients you have seen within the past two months.

 

I would then leave it at that.

 

So long as it is already quite clear that you do not hold a day open without a deposit (retainer, holding fee, etc), and another booking comes up for that day (be it social or business) then I would accept or reject it on its merits.

 

WW

We ask what the bride what her budget for photography is. If it is low we send out another shooter. If it's high Craig and myself go out. We go out it's around $3000 and up. If it's a lower budget like $1500 Craig or myself will do the formals and let the shooters take over at the reception. That way we can book 4 plus weddings a weekend and know that the main formals will be fine. We spend a great amount of time teaching the shooters how to set up multiple lighting and are very good at covering the receptions. Sometimes we will let an actual shooter take on the whole wedding if he's qualified and he then gets a percentage of the profits. He has a base of $500 plus reorders, whch is 30 percent.

 

So make good friends with other photographers and then you never have to say no to any wedding.

 

Everyone has a wedding budget so we want to know what it is and give the the best photos we can for the price.

I don't lower my rates i just offer a lower price for less time. For the budget minded brides I will offer $200 an hour no album included. It boils down to what your time is worth but you should pick an hourly rate because you will have couples that just need engagement sessions or just bridal due to the location of the wedding.

Thanks for all the insight. I'll keep you posted how it goes.

I offer different rates all the time, depending on the situation. For one thing in a year where I doubled my rates but have half the year already booked at the lower rate, I tell brides that they can refer friends to me and the friends can have the same rate. If I offer ANYBODY a rate lower than my posted rate, I enter the full price on the contract along with a "booking discount" or "courtesy discount" and emphasize that rates are always subject to change and the only way to lock in a price is with a retainer and signed contract. These "discounts" can actually be reported with taxes as such. It is ironic that some brides act like my posted rate is a "steal" and others act like that is twice their life savings. Sorry, but I am totally addicted to photographing weddings and want to shoot them ALL!

 

Ian

http://ibd-designs.com for full rate and policy info.

I'm with Jonathan Jones on this one.

 

If it makes sense to do the wedding - meaning you've got nothing else going on and would really like to shoot this couple's wedding - then negotiate a price.

 

But always take something away (time, proofs, or whatever) if you're coming down in price.

We negotiate almost every wedding these days...you simply start off at say a normal $4-3000 day and start subtracting hours and final package. Why lose a booking > you may get less money but, you work half as hard. We usually start by cutting out 80% of the reception coverage ..all the way down to handing them unprocessed film or a card. Many times > just about when you are packing up to leave -- they will find a way to pay the extra $ & ask you to stay.

Only seven weeks away? And she got back to you? Hold your nerve, man - it doesn't sound like there's anyone good lined up in the wings... I think I would go cool and leave it a few more weeks before giving anything away here (if at all).

 

Like anything else, you have to be prepared for folk to hear about your discounting if you do it.

 

Also be wary about hourly charging unless you get paid up front and stick like a demon to the time scale - you must emphasise to the B&G that if things run over time in the schedule you won't be staying on extra - unless someone gets their wallet out

 

And BTW - everyone's always on a budget of some sort. I bet she still has a dress, bouquet, cake, venue, meal, disco, favours.....

Last time I gave a lower price was for a family for whom this would be the third wedding after 2 barmitzva's. I offered the reduction as a thank you for staying loyal, they didn't ask for it. I work on a very tight budget for my packages. I think that like most people were I to offer enough extras to make up a package it would be considerably more expensive, ergo the package is already discounted by definition. The reason we offer a package at these prices is that we are assured upfront of the business rather than waiting and hoping, etc. In general my reply to a equest for a cheaper price is that my prices are extremely good for the service and I'm happy to supply them the phone numbers of other photographers should my prices remain out of their reach. It's polite and as I know that they want me for my style I've never lost a client yet.

I don't discount because at $1500 I feel I'm already in the lower bracket. However, if it were short notice I would be willing to go out for a shorter period of time (I normally do 6 hours) and reduce my fee.

 

Not that it's for everyone, but I never discount what I currently offer.

I have to say that this forum is the reason I finally found peace with doing wedding photos. Where I live the "high" rate is about $1300 for 6 hours of work. For years I charged less than half of that and friends of friends or relatives of friends expected discounts besides that. I decided to stop shooting weddings because it just was not worth the time and effort it took.

 

Then I read somewhere in this forum that one should not discount what they feel they are worth and I realized I don't do weddings for a living - I'm a newspaper photographer and also sell some in galleries. I decided to set a certain price for a day of shooting (not putting a time limit on it) and not negotiate the price.

 

I've not only booked quite a bit for the summer but have only had one person ask for a negotiation. I was very nice and said that I don't negotiate, suggested some local photographers, and wished her congratulations on her wedding.

 

The selling point, I realized a few days ago, was that I do not say "$1200 for 6 hours of work". I say $1200 and I'm there from the time you are getting ready until the important parts of the reception that you want recorded (with plenty of candids inbetween the regular photos). They love that. And you know what? I know that $1200 is nothing for most areas, but in figuring out my cost and time, it's not bad for here. Although I am raising to $1500 this next year

 

Unless they book with me before 2009, of course ;)

Lowering ones rates == means you are also lowering the hours or subtracting something from what your original price offered. If a $3000 package, we display, is "renegotiated" for a client on a ceiling price of $1500 wedding... >> that simply will yield half the hours and half the images.