The Dreaded Family Discount Question

by Kristin Binford - Successful Venue Owner and Secret Sharer

 

You Know It's Coming.... What Would You Charge "Me"

Opening a Wedding Venue

Hey Venue Owners!

Coming to you today with what may be one of your least favorite questions.

"How do I charge friends and family?"

If you are like many venue owners, this is an uncomfortable conversation to say the least. 

 

Problems With Discounts

First I should say I am a generous and loving person, but discounting is a slippery slope. If you've followed me on Instagram (@weddingvenueowner) you know I am not an advocate of discounting. 

But, what about for the people you know and love?

...I still don't recommend it. 

When you discount for one person, the word gets out and you become the place that people believe they can negotiate with - not what you want. 

Where do you draw the line? Do you discount for you daughters best friend? What about your kids third grade teachers daughter? What about for the chamber of commerce presidents daughter? 

Drawing the line becomes a real challenge. 

 

Have a Plan Before It Becomes a Problem

We have three tiers of pricing:

  • Our Published Rate - 99% of our weddings and events at Haue Valley fall in this category. We price appropriately for the market. We provide real value and we don't feel guilty because it's fair.

  • Our Employee Rate - Employees at one of our family businesses each receive ONE wedding at a discounted rate. (Meaning if they have 12 grandchildren they better pick their favorite!)

  • Free - If we feel strongly enough about a cause we will offer the space for free. So in essence, our pricing for everyone except team members is full price or free. We make sure to set the expectation that we love to give back to the community, but that we have a limited number of free dates to give away each calendar year. If we host a charity event, we also make sure they know that "free" is a one year offer. We are not making the offer of free for annual events each year.

 

Join The Conversation

How do you treat family and friends pricing? Join me on Instagram @weddingvenueowner or on Facebook to join the conversation.

 

 

 

Kristin Binford