How Do Vendors Politely Say Thanks, But No Thanks To A Bride?

July 28, 2009 - PRLog -- How to say NO to a Bridezilla

As a wedding service provider this is probably one of the hardest decisions we’ll ever have to make. How do you say No to a bride?

As a minister I have a few different outlooks on this. Most of the brides that I have worked with have been the most friendly and kind ladies I could ever meet. And then you have a few that even hearing their voice on the telephone is like nails on a chalkboard. So what do you do with the few who are far between?

1.) Trust your gut instinct. Sometimes this is hard when finances and money come into play. Just because someone is willing to pay your price, doesn’t mean a thing. If you have a bad feeling about working with someone, get out now before it’s too late and you can’t.

2.) If someone is questioning you about personal things and not your services, this can be a huge red flag that something is off. Try to steer the conversation back to your qualifications as a vendor. If this can’t be done, then this could be the competition trying to get information from you and you should politely decline to do the wedding and offer to refer them out to the competition.

3.) Simply say no. Anytime that you are working with the public you have to worry about two things. How you are perceived by individuals and how you are perceived by the public as a whole. By saying no and holding your ground, people can respect you if it is done tastefully and professionally.

4.) Sometimes a vendor and a bride are simply not a good fit. No when to bow out gracefully. Nothing is worse than having a vendor and a bride both angry on a wedding day and “trying” to work together. If you have done everything in your power to try and make the bride happy and it still hasn’t worked, refer her out to someone.

5.) Say you have a contract and then what do you do? Fulfill your contract and move on. Sometimes we have put ourselves as vendors into situations and then can’t back out of them ethically and legally. We also have to worry about people posting negative (and sometimes false!) reviews of us on the internet. If you have gotten contracted and are in too deep simply learn from the experience and make sure you don’t repeat it.

6.) Learn why you are afraid to say no. Some people don’t want to be mistaken the wrong way. Others simply want to make sure other people like them. As wedding vendors, we are there to provide a service to a bride. If they don’t like us they are more likely to say so. If you are afraid of getting a one bad review from someone who may not be liked by other people anyway, than 100 good reviews and knowing you offer a great service, ask yourself if it is really worth it. Is it worth another person making your life a living hell for possibly several months of a year?

7.) We all understand that a brides day is the most important of her life. However, we all also know that there is a fine line between professionalism and losing your cool, and none of us want to do that. If you feel that this bride may push you over the edge, get out before it’s too late. That way you don’t lose your cool, and you don’t have to worry about being considered unprofessional.

8.) The bride is not your new best friend. Sure, it’s great to share personal tidbits, but if a bride is calling you in the middle of the night ranting and raving, or is sharing too much information, this might not be a good idea for you to continue. Sometimes people who share too much information may also dig out information from you and if you want things to stay professional, you might have to bow out.

9.) Don’t do favors for brides who are friends. The friendship will more than likely suffer one way or the other. Just don’t do it; it’s a bad idea.

10.) Going back to number 1, ALWAYS trust your gut instinct. If you’re still small voice is screaming get out, then get out while you still can! And be sure to listen to advice of other vendors. If they call with a “tip” about the bridezilla, rest assured it’s probably a good idea for you to pass on her too.

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