Saving Money on Weddings : Can You Barter for Less Expensive Wedding Services?

Written by Marta Segal Block, GigMasters

In September GigMasters surveyed over 2,000 couples with weddings over the past ten years to see how they felt about different ways of saving money on weddings.

It won’t surprise anyone who is familiar with general trends in the economy that more and more couples are interested in saving money on their weddings. The Internet and the “sharing economy” are playing a huge part in people’s wedding planning. Well over 50% of couples with weddings in 2014 or later plan on purchasing gently used items for their wedding including dresses and accessories and just under 50% plan on selling items after their wedding.

Yet, one way the sharing economy has not truly affected wedding planning is when it comes to paying vendors. Almost 70% of the couples we surveyed were interested in finding a way to barter or swap services with vendors instead of traditional payment. However, only 4% were actually going to do so.

Why is it so hard to barter for wedding services?

Many people think bartering for wedding services should be easier than it is because they aren’t really aware of the true costs a vendor assumes.

Photo Credit: DJ Mike D Sounds and The Sound Crew

Those who are able to barter for services generally fall in to one of three categories:

1. They are friends with the wedding vendor

For one bride, her Mother-in-Law was a florist and did the flowers as a gift. In another case, the bride also worked as a wedding planner and many vendors gifted their services.

2. They are not hiring professional vendors

For example, one bride reported that her friend agreed to do the wedding photos if she bought a new lens for his camera. Another said a friend would be designing wedding invitations in exchange for airfare to the wedding.

3. The couple has high level services to exchange

One couple mentioned giving free legal services in exchange for wedding services, another redesigned a salon’s website in exchange for services. Still another groom developed a free app for a caterer.

This third category points to another reason many people can’t successfully barter for wedding services, they simply don’t have anything valuable to offer.

Photo Credit: Discosapien

Finally, until grocery stores and electric companies start bartering for services eventually, the vendor is going to need to earn actual money. No matter how valuable your services are, your chosen vendor may simply be bartered out.

Photo Credit: T.B.M Productions

Marta Segal Block has been writing about weddings for years. She currently serves as the Weddings Editor for GigMasters.com. Join the party and follow @GigMasters or @martasadvice on Twitter. You can learn about the GigMasters survey on money-saving trends here.

Looking for more fun ways to save money on weddings? Why not consider these awesome, affordable wedding video ideas from WeddingMix