Last updated on February 5th, 2024 at 09:52 pm

Finding a wedding venue to lock down your wedding date is one of the first steps for many couples when planning a wedding. The reality is that venues are expensive and often take up a good portion of a couple’s wedding budget. The “normal” wedding venue can cost anywhere from $3000 – $20,000+. With this high cost many couples wonder “Will wedding venues negotiate on price?

Will Wedding Venues Negotiate Price | A guide to saving money and landing the perfect venue

I wish there was a straight answer to this question but it really depends on the venue. For many venues, there is no need to negotiate prices especially if it is a more popular venue. Venues can easily fill up dates years in advance, so they often don’t mess around with negotiations. However with that being said here are some tips to getting a venue’s price down, even if they don’t want to budge on price.

Smaller and Newer Venues

One of the beauties of Montana is that new venues are popping up every day. These can range to an old family homestead like Roberta’s Place or a massive space like the Grizzley Creek Ranch in Paradise Valley. I highly encourage couples, if they don’t have their heart set on a venue to look around, and maybe find something a bit newer. These venues tend to be less busy and may be willing to negotiate more on price. One important thing to note when thinking through venues is that it’s not always cheaper to choose the cheaper venue. Some newer venues will require you to rent more items than if you went with an established venue eating up what you saved by negotiating a lower price.

Can you save by Bundling?

Sometimes you may not be able to negotiate a lower price, but you are able to bundle more together ultimately saving in the long run. See what sort of rentals a venue offers, if they include a day of coordinator, or if there is a discount by using their food service. While you aren’t necessarily saving on your venue you may save on your wedding as a whole.

Will Wedding Venues Negotiate on Price? Weekday Weddings and Off Season Weddings

This is one of the best tricks in saving a bit on your wedding venue and on your wedding as a whole. If you aren’t set on having a weekend wedding or are open to getting married in the winter you can save big here! For many venues and wedding vendors weekends come at a premium. This is when most couples are looking to book and if a vendor is not booked on a weekend they usually try to get out and enjoy Montana’s short summers. I know for myself when a couple is willing to book a weekday, I am much more likely to budge on price. The same goes for winter weddings. 

Since a winter wedding is less popular and is fairly slow for many wedding venues, they may be willing to cut you an off-season deal. Honestly, I wish more couples would inquire about winter weddings. One they are absolutely stunning and two it lets me as a wedding photographer have less of an intense summer schedule.

The Size of the wedding

In your negotiations with a venue, try to be realistic with your guest list size. It can feel exciting imagining everyone you love being at your wedding, but this does come with an added cost. Depending on the venue having a larger wedding may cost more due to the staff needed for a larger wedding. This is especially true if you are looking at a weekday or holiday wedding. 

Often, it is harder for guests to get off work for a weekday wedding or a wedding close to a holiday. I will never forget a wedding I photographed close to Christmas where ⅔’s of the guest list didn’t show up. By not having a realistic expectation of who would come they spent thousands of dollars more on the venue, food, rentals, and decor.

Conclusion

Ultimately it is a mixed bag if a venue will negotiate on price, but by looking for newer venues, seeing what you can bundle, having a weekday or off-season wedding, and narrowing down the guest list you can find substantial savings for your wedding! Still looking for the right photographer? Let’s talk! I customize all my collections for my couples so they get exactly what they are looking for!