After interviewing wedding vendors A, B and C, you’ve decided on lucky vendor C. What about A and B, though? Will they just get the hint when you stop replying to their e-mails? Probably, but there’s a simpler, kinder and more straightforward way to decline their services.
The Best Piece of Advice You’ll Get (aka I’m not that into you.)
While is it sort of like matchmaking for women going to all these meetings, You won’t hurt the vendor’s feelings, by saying no. As a matter of fact we prefer it. Wedding professionals are just that – professional. They understand that you’re likely considering two or more vendors for each aspect of your wedding, which means somebody’s bound to be turned down. Makeup artists, photographers and florists also know that not every single bride is a good fit for their business. It’s okay to say no.
But whatever you do, don’t…
…leave them hanging! Not responding at all is the worst “response” you can give! Remember, the vendor has put time, and effort into working up a price quote and communicating with you. This is doubly true if you have met with them in person. We here at Pinxit put a lot into our in-person consults. So even if your answer is “no,” the vendor needs to know that they should remove you from their list of inquiries, and focus on different brides for your wedding date.
2 Stress-Free Steps to Turning Down a Vendor
1. E-mail them to let them know you’ve chosen a different route.
2. Explain why you made this choice. This will help the wedding vendor correct anything that may be standing in their own way, like prices that are too high for your budget, a personal approach that’s putting brides off or different services that needs to be offered.
Sample E-mail
We’re going to make this as simple as possible for you. Here’s a standard e-mail layout you can use – just fill in the blanks and send it along!
Hi [Vendor Name],Thank you so much for the proposal and for taking time to speak with us! We’ve decided to move forward with another [vendor type] that best suits our wedding. Thanks again![Your Name] and [Your Fiance’s Name
But when ever possible list a specific reason, replace “wedding” in the last sentence with “budget,” “style,” “personality,” or whatever it is that clicks best with vendor C. Most vendors will ask, and if you can answer in your initial email you will lower the chances of them replying with more than a polite “Thank you and congrats again!”
4 “Don’ts” of Declining a Wedding Vendor
1. Don’t avoid their questions. Vendors aren’t asking you why you went with someone else and who you chose because they want to change your mind. Instead, wedding vendors want to know what’s happening in their local market so they can improve their own business. If you really don’t want to clue them in to why you made your choice, just say, “I’d prefer not to say.”
2. Don’t keep sending the vendor to voicemail. They’re not calling because they want to bug you, they’re simply following up on your inquiry. Remember, some brides are so busy planning their wedding that many vendors have closed deals by being persistent.
3. Don’t apologize! You’re not actually doing anything wrong, even if it’s never easy to say “no” to someone. As much as we love our jobs and want to work for you, this is business for the vendor, even if it’s a love-filled romantic day for you.
4. Don’t say “I wish we could have worked with you.” if that’s not really the case, some vendors view that as a invitation to negotiate and may prolong the conversation and if that’s not what you want its best to keep things as short and brief as possible.
Choosing your wedding team is a awesome feeling and while letting the people you’ve chosen not to work with know is likely the least fun part of wedding planning it really is the kindest thing you can do.
til next time!
