A small thing we keep noticing. When a couple goes quiet after an enquiry, it is rarely because of the price. It is because they could not find one.
This one is for the suppliers.
The short answer: couples now do most of their choosing before they contact anyone, and a price is one of the first things they look for. You do not need a full price list on your website. A clear starting point, and a plain answer when asked, does most of the work.
What has changed?
Couples arrive having already done their homework.
Bridebook’s 2026 UK Wedding Report, drawn from more than 7,000 couples, looked closely at Gen Z couples and venues. It found that 88% expect to find pricing online without having to contact the venue. And 81% said they had felt frustrated by venue responses, especially early on.
Those figures are about venues, and about the youngest couples. But the habit behind them is familiar to anyone who has bought anything lately. People look, compare and quietly rule things out, long before they say hello.
Which means some of the couples who would have loved you never got in touch.
Why do so many of us hide the price?
Usually for good reasons.
- Every wedding is different, so one number feels misleading.
- You would like to explain the value first.
- You worry about being compared on price alone.
- Somebody once told you never to publish your rates.
All fair. But from the couple’s side, no price does not read as “it depends”. It reads as “probably more than we have”, and they move on without asking.
What does being open look like?
It does not mean putting a spreadsheet on your homepage.
- A starting price. One cake maker on The Lineup says “3 tier starting from £500”. That is enough to tell a couple whether to keep reading.
- A range, if one number feels wrong. A wedding car supplier on The Lineup gives £340 to £410 for local weddings. Honest, and it still leaves room.
- What changes it. Guest numbers, hours, travel, season. One short paragraph.
- What is not included. Couples forgive a higher price far more easily than a surprise.
If you cannot give a number at all, say why, and say how quickly you will send one. A baker on The Lineup does exactly that:
“All my bakes are custom-priced, so you pay for your desserts rather than a standard fee.”
And a stationer, in one line:
“I’m transparent in my pricing and offer proper printed samples when required.”
Neither of those is a price list. Both tell a couple what to expect.
Does showing your price cost you bookings?
It will lose you some enquiries. Mostly the ones that were never going to become bookings.
What you get back is time. Fewer long calls that end at the number. Fewer quotes written for people who had half your price in mind. And couples who arrive already knowing roughly what you cost, and who got in touch anyway.
That is a better conversation for both of you.
What about at a wedding fair or showcase?
The same thing, in person.
A couple walking round a room has a few minutes at each stand and a budget in their head. If they have to ask what you charge, many will not. They will take a card, smile and never look at it again.
- Have a starting price somewhere they can see it without asking.
- Bring one or two real examples. This wedding, this many guests, this is what it cost.
- Ask about their wedding before you describe your packages.
- Let them leave without a sign-up form. If they liked you, they will find you.
How we handle it
At the My Wedding Vibe Showcases, we ask suppliers to be open and candid about pricing. It is not a rule, and nobody checks your price list at the door. But couples get a printed guide to every supplier in the room, with starting prices where suppliers have chosen to share them, and they do use it.
One entertainer told us after an earlier event of ours:
“Much better than other fairs I have done. Everyone in the room was so friendly.”
Stand prices are the same for every supplier at each event, so there is nothing to negotiate. £150 at the RNLI College in Poole on Sunday 31 January 2027, and £120 at Iwerne House on Saturday 20 February 2027. Guaranteed power is £10 extra.
If that sounds like your kind of room, read how to exhibit at a My Wedding Vibe Showcase. And The Lineup, our list of suppliers who work Dorset weddings, is free to apply to whenever you are ready.