After interviewing wedding vendors A, B and C, youโve 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 thereโs a simpler, kinder and more straightforward way to decline their services.
The Best Piece of Advice Youโll Get (aka Iโm not that into you.)
While is it sort of like matchmaking for women going to all these meetings, You wonโt hurt the vendorโs feelings, by saying no. As a matter of fact we prefer it. Wedding professionals are just that – professional. They understand that youโre likely considering two or more vendors for each aspect of your wedding, which means somebodyโs bound to be turned down. Makeup artists, photographers and florists also know that not every single bride is a good fit for their business. Itโs okay to say no.
But whatever you do, donโtโฆ
โฆleave them hanging! Not responding at all is the worst โresponseโ 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 โno,โ 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 youโve 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 thatโs putting brides off or different services that needs to be offered.
Sample E-mail
Weโre going to make this as simple as possible for you. Hereโs 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! Weโve decided to move forward with another [vendor type] that best suits our wedding. Thanks again![Your Name] and [Your Fianceโs Name
But when ever possible list a specific reason, replace โweddingโ in the last sentence with โbudget,โ โstyle,โ โpersonality,โ 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 โThank you and congrats again!โ
4 โDonโtsโ of Declining a Wedding Vendor
1. Donโt avoid their questions. Vendors arenโt 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 whatโs happening in their local market so they can improve their own business. If you really donโt want to clue them in to why you made your choice, just say, โIโd prefer not to say.โ
2. Donโt keep sending the vendor to voicemail. Theyโre not calling because they want to bug you, theyโre 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. Donโt apologize! Youโre not actually doing anything wrong, even if itโs never easy to say โnoโ to someone. As much as we love our jobs and want to work for you, this is business for the vendor, even if itโs a love-filled romantic day for you.
4. Donโt say โI wish we could have worked with you.โ if thatโs not really the case, some vendors view that as a invitation to negotiate and may prolong the conversation and if thatโs 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 youโve 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!
