A recent conversation I had with a bride brought up a common misconception in regards to hiring wedding vendors and I wanted to expand a bit on that here since it wasn't covered in that first post. While we were discussing options for which band the couple was going to hire, the bride remarked that the price split evenly between the band members was a great salary for them to walk away with.
Please know that the price you are paying your wedding vendors is NOT their salary. The fee they are charging doesn't go directly into their pockets - it includes overhead (rent, utilities, business licenses, equipment, postage, etc), taxes, employee salaries and benefits as well as other costs of running a business. So, for example, if your photographer is charging $7000 to document your wedding, that total amount is not going into their personal account. Their full fee is not their full paycheck - not even close.
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Excellent point, Liene!
Thank you for saying that. There is no easy way to tell someone that when they say "well (insert price) is a great paydoy for a days work.." that they are incorrect.
Thanks for posting this, Liene, because I think it is a really common misconception. There is a lot more overhead then people realize most times, from equipment to insurance to staff salaries -- no where close to the vendor's full paycheck at all!
What is interesting is that most people forget what happens to their pay cheques from working and do not apply that same principles to wedding vendors.
I mean, a pay cheque has taxes, health benefits, retirement before you even get it... then you go home and there are living costs etc... business owners have the cost of doing business.
I sometimes think it all comes down to the general "taking for granted" of having a job and if pay is late, dial ext. 2 for HR. Most know what their job is to earn guaranteed money, but not what the company has to do to make that money to pay them consistently.
Awesome post, Liene! And so very relevant to point out to brides!
Thanks for your continued wit & wisdom!
Thanks for pointing out that the price we charge is not what we are pocketing!! I too have had to explain this to brides and grooms.
awesome post! :)
Eloquently and aptly put! Thanks for pointing out a timelessly relevant old post worth reading and adding this clarification.
I can't believe people thought that all the money went in the vendors pocket in the first place...Hiring a band is completely different than hiring a room/hall etc.
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I STILL Want To Get Married Outside
That is such a good point...advertising, babysitters, storefronts, gas, EVERYTHING adds up! And if they are part of a band, probably a lot of that pay goes to a manager, and the band members get a set hourly rate...they probably see less than anyone thinks.
Thank you for educating people about these things. With the wedding mags encouraging do it yourself and giving silly ideas to save money, it is nice to have a balanced, practical, and logical voice out there!
Thanks Liene for bringing this topic up again. It is badly needed in the current economy. Thanks for your great advice always!
As a wife to a musician, it is certainly not their salary. If they got the gig from an agent, they pay up to 15% agent fee; rentals if required (PA, gear etc), gas etc. Likely the band had to learn some new material for your specific song list?
As a musicians wife, what they get from a wedding is stripped down quite a bit.
Fabulous post Liene!
I think this is true of pretty much any product or service. The amount you pay is not 100% profit to the provider, there are many costs associated with running a business that need to be covered.
so true! thanks for sharing.
My favorite as a coordinator is "that's like getting paid $100 and hour!" uh no....