José Ignacio Gafo Gómez-Zamalloa

For being able to write about the Wedding Business you either have to work in the industry or have gone through the marriage process. I have personally gone through the latter recently, so I cannot stop myself from writing about it...

If I would have to summarize the message that the couple (customers) get all the time it would be: Because it is only one time in your life (at least hopefully!). You tend to think so and everybody reinforces the idea, so you eventually get deeply emotionally involved, and jump into an emotional thinking with no space for the normal behaviour and rationality (for sure there are exceptions, but most people fit into it).

This emotional thinking makes you accept things that you would never do under normal conditions, specifically in two areas:

1. Pricing
2. Bundled services

Some months ago I saw a brilliant tv Spanish program. Two actors with a hidden camera went to a catering place. They explained that they were planning to get married in short and would like to get a budget for X people with a Y menu. They got a budget of Z € for it. Some days later, another two actors from the same program and a hidden camera went to the same place. They asked for a budget for a business lunch, with the same meu, locations and number of guests as the former couple and guess what???!!! The budget they got was X/2.

How is this possible? How can they charge you the double if you say you are to get married? Simple: Because it is only once in your life! Or in other words, you are so immersed into an emotional thinking that you just want things to be perfect. So if you find a place you like, you become completely insensitive to price.

Something similar applies to the dress of the bribe. On average you will pay 3.000 € for it in Spain. 3.000€ for a dress you are only going to dress once in your life! If they would ask you if you would do it under normal circumstances, you would certainly say no way. But if you are in a Wedding, the uniqueness of it will make you agree with it.

Funny thing is that not only you become insensitive to pricing, but also take for good bundled services that are not necessarily the best. In normal life you have the freedom to choose your suppliers. You select them according to the price and quality of the service that they offer to you. You might take bundled services, but only upon getting additional benefits such as discounts. And again, no way for them in the Weddings! In most places, you take the place and have to contract as well the rest of the services. You might for instance decide to get married in a nice location. A location that you can only take if you also hire the services of The Catering, The Photographer, The Musician, The Buses, The Video Producer and the XXX that they have an agreement with. Therefore, no choice for the couple. The Location comes with a bunch of services and unless you take the whole package, there is no deal! Unfair, but most people decide to take the whole package.

I could also be writing about other related things such the Wedding Lists and the Honey Moon, but this posting is becoming too long and something should be left for further discussions.

Needless to say that the couple is always free to be rational, but the “Because it is only once in your life” will surely bring the balance to the irrational side.

Think Different!!!!

Ignacio Gafo

Posted on 8 April 2008 in Pricing, International Marketing

Comments

Posted by: Rubén Santaolalla at April 8, 2008 12:14 PM

Posted by: Juan Gregg at April 9, 2008 01:01 AM

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