Ask Liz: Wedding STD. It's Not Going Away.

Understand how it works so you can make it work for you. Photo: Great Officiants.

Dear Liz,

Our wedding is next June. I’m trying to get a lot of logistics and payments out of the way before the holidays, and I asked all of our vendors for updated invoices. Now I’m kind of in shock – just about every invoice is costing hundreds more than I estimated, including our rentals, which I thought was going to be more of a fixed cost. I didn’t know that rentals were taxed, and I don’t know where a service charge is coming from on any of these invoices. What’s going on, and is there something I can do to stop this from happening?

Signed, 

Dirty Deals

Dear Dirty,

I know. You get a quote, then the invoice turns out to be hundreds or thousands more. If your budget is not so flexible, that could be a problem. And even if it doesn’t matter so much, it can still feel like a mean trick. STD – Service, Tax and Delivery – They’ll keep coming up and they’re not going away! The thing to remember is that’s it not just a horrible Wedding World surcharge. Honestly, they exist in the “Real” World, too, you just aren’t noticing. You pay tax on every physical product you purchase, which here in California is almost 10%. Your vendors are business owners who have to pay taxes, and they pass that on to you. Everyone else does that, too, from the gas station  to the Chinese take out place down the street. If you get flowers delivered, or furniture, or, hell, something from Amazon, you’re going to pay a delivery fee. Depending on your vendor, “delivery” might translate as “travel” And, service? My couples often ask if that’s like a gratuity that they’re forced to pay, but not exactly. Think of it this way – If you eat at a restaurant, the cost of paying your servers is incorporated into the cost of your meal. They don’t tabulate that directly on your bill, but you are paying for the service staff. It’s laid out more clearly in wedding catering – there is a specific number of people that you have to pay for. Some venues/caterers will add an extra gratuity in that, too. Again, here in Los Angeles, Delivery and service are usually another 20% of your bill, on top of your bill.

So, what can you do?

Get ahead of the frustration. First, once you start talking price, always, ALWAYS ask if that includes tax, service, and delivery, and if not, what that should be.  Personally, I just automatically add 30% in my head because that’s hardly ever wrong, and if it’s less? YAY.  Step back and figure out if you can or want to pay that. If the answer is no, ask your vendor – or your planner – how to lower it. You can’t get past it, so find out how to make it work for you. Everything is figure-outable.

So, what’s irritating you right now with it’s service, tax and delivery costs?  If you have any questions or want advice, let me know in the comments below…

See you at the end of the aisle,

Liz Coopersmith
Silver Charm Events