There’s nothing more terrifying that quoting your price to a bride or groom when you don’t fully believe it.

The lump in the throat, the knot in the stomach, the shaky knees of INSECURITY.

We’ve all been there, especially right after rolling out a new price increase.

If you don’t believe you’re worth the price, no one will.

So how do you go from shaking with doubt to confidently owning your price?

This question was asked recently in our private Wedding Expert Superheros Facebook group, where our exclusive Acceleration members share their best strategies and success secrets.

Check out what these wedding superheroes had to say…

The Moment I Knew I Was Worth It

“Once I really sat down and figured out how much I was making per hour I was shocked! I raised my prices significantly and now I feel good about the pricing and if people do not hire me because I am too expensive then they were not for me.”

– Amber Peterson, Cheers Wedding Planning & Design

“When you raise your prices, you need to also increase your value. (By being part of the Book More Brides community, you are increasing your value. There are also other things you can do in your individual industry.)

“Do things like:

Get training in Comedy, and offer humor in your service.
Get training in day-of-coordination.
Offer a more enhanced “wedding rehearsal” experience.
Offer to include things and supplies in your service like: the sand ceremony, the 1 year anniversary box, love letter ceremony, wedding day time capsule, branding ceremony, tree planting ceremony, painting ceremony, wine ceremony…

“When you have personal confidence, your clients will have confidence in your raised rates too.”

– Scott Fijolek, Ask DJ Scott

“I am confident in my prices because I have researched my competition and know the market price in my area. If someone makes a comment I just explain I’m neither the highest nor the lowest my rate is…

“I then explain the benefit I provide beyond their service. It includes always either answering the phone, returning calls, emails or texts in a timely manner. Most will then comment about them already calling someone else and never hearing back from them.

“So they are realizing the difference from my price versus the cheaper person. A groom yesterday said he knew I was higher than some of the other sites where he saw pricing. I was more professional, answered all of his questions and he liked me answering the phone. He sold himself…and scheduled me for his wedding.”

– Pastor John T. Snelson V, OKC Wedding Officiants

“The first time I raised my fees I immediately noticed an increase. It was as though my leads knew I valued me.

“The next time I raised my fees to attract the clients I wanted and leave behind others. Then I began a yearly evaluation. My prices go up every year starting at Jan – usually 8-12%. The cost of everything else is rising and my fees must also to keep pace.

“I offer larger discounts to fill my calendar. I have a staggered pricing system based on how many weddings I book. Once I get to 25 everyone else pays full price. My calendar gets filled – relief – and my bank account get filled – real relief.

“I also know my competitors’ prices. And I tell those leads to go check them out. My value is a direct reflection of what I offer. I can explain every dollar.” – Al Harris, Mile Marker Images

“I am raising my prices this season, mainly in response to the eye-opening info I found for my area at Average Cost of Wedding.”

– Danno Maki, Living Jukebox DJ Services

“Two years ago we raised our rates. All our packages are well above the average rate for video in our market. Stupid for not doing this earlier!!!!

“Results: fewer weddings booked, but same income. But most importantly, better quality of clients that truly value and respect our work. The bonus is now we have more time to devote to each couple and that makes our videos even better!”

– Don Moran, Omaha Wedding Video

“By explaining all of the wonderful things I would do for them, how I have to limit the number of couples that I serve because of my high level of service to my clients, showing my commitment to making this the best experience possible for them and then telling them the best value for them is my ‘Effortless Plan’ (not a fee).

“They think it’s a great value, because I’ve explained what’s in it for them. I recently discovered this with the help of Steph & Jeff and it’s working extremely well.”

– Sheila Cannon, Carefree Romantic Vacations

“The turning point for us was when we were charging $700 per wedding and a groom-to-be said to me, ‘You guys seem great. Why are you so cheap?’

“We realized that people associate a low price with low quality, and we did NOT want that!

“I also decided that I was going to help every couple that crossed our path, whether they hired us or not. So even if we’re outside their budget, they would get why we cost more. (Some of these people even referred friends to us, even when they didn’t book!)

“Two exercises that can help:

Write down a list of all the ways you provide value for your clients. Not just the features you offer, but also the impact on their relationships, stress, marriage, etc. Fill up a whole sheet of paper and know that what you do is extremely valuable!
Write down on a piece of post-it note, “My name is [NAME] and it costs [YOUR PRICE] to hire me.” Stick it to a mirror and say it to yourself with a smile until you can do it confidently. Then graduate to friends until they’re convinced you believe it.

“It sounds weird, but it works! You need to associate new feelings of confidence with your price instead of the old feelings of rejection and insecurity.”

– Stephanie Padovani, Book More Brides

“My turning point was when we booked a bride and groom. The groom was a DJ. He told me that his bride did not want to hire us (a wedding planner) because our prices were much too low. It was only because he had worked with us before that he managed to convince her to hire us.

“He came to me after they signed and said that he would have gladly paid triple. They did give a HUGE tip after the wedding, but that was a big eye opener. We have since raised our prices more than double and haven’t decreased in the amount of bookings in a year.”

– Bryan Hooker, Events By Truly Yours

“My turning point was my second year in business when I landed a wedding day coordinating job at the my city’s most exclusive country club. I realized that not only was I not getting 10% of the wedding budget, but I wasn’t even getting 10% of the floral budget. People will pay for what they value. If they don’t value planners, they aren’t my ideal client.”

– Sonya Scott, A Perfect Day Destination Planner

“Thanks everyone for the helpful comments! I find that my highest paying clients are often my best clients, in terms of fitting with my ‘ideal client profile.’ Often it is the bargain hunters who turn out to be the biggest time wasters and most difficult clients!”

– Amy Masand, Everly Invitations