We’re all about finding great options for the budget conscious bride that don’t compromise on style or quality. As such, we’ve often talked on the blog about ways to avoid the crazy markups of the traditional bridal industry. One area we’ve focused on is unusual wedding venue ideas. If you’ve read that blog post, you know that booking your wedding in a non-traditional space like a museum or national park can save you from those industry markups. However, knowing that many traditional venues bump up their prices when they hear you’re booking a wedding may make you wonder if you should disclose the nature of your event when booking. Can you really save money by telling fibs to the wedding venue?

The short answer is NO.

Telling little white lies to your venue or vendors is never a good idea. Here’s why you should always be honest and tell the venue that you’re booking a wedding.

Service Quality

The reason why some venues charge more for weddings than for other events is that weddings demand a higher level of service. Often more staff is required to serve such an elaborate event properly. The venue may also need to allot additional preparation time to get the venue ready and set up your décor. Other types of events such as corporate dinners don’t require this extra time and manpower. As such, if you conceal the nature of your event, you’re likely to end up with a venue that’s understaffed and unprepared.

Hidden Fees

At the end of the day, it will be impossible to conceal the nature of your booking forever. At the very least, arriving in a big white dress is likely to be a dead giveaway. As soon as the venue realizes you’ve been dishonest, they are likely to tack on wedding surcharges anyway. If you’ve been dishonest in your booking contract, there is nothing to stop them from changing the terms according to their standard wedding policy.

Positive Relationship

Perhaps most importantly, being dishonest with your venue is almost guaranteed to sour the relationship. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to be worrying about angry vendors or disgruntled staff. In order to plan and execute the day of your dreams, you and your venue need to be working together on the same team. Remember, the venue and its staff are there to make your day magical, but they need to be able to work with you in a positive, trusting relationship.

While it may seem tempting to fib to your venue, this is one area where cutting corners is more likely to backfire. There are plenty of budget-friendly wedding venues out there so you should be able to find one that you can work will honestly and on-budget.