Before you meet with any of your vendors, devise a strategy with your partner and practice with them. You want to go in with a plan and a goal but also in the nicest way possible. You want your attitude to say, "I respect your work a lot, and I'm willing to meet you halfway for the opportunity to work with you."

Know the vendors you'll be talking to. Research the weddings they've previously done and featured on their portfolios on their websites. It also helps to know the wedding industry in general. For venues, it's harder to book a place for a Saturday in June than the same place for a Sunday in November. You should also know the prices of comparable venues or services so that you can talk to them as a peer. Just don't show off or come across as a know-it-all.

It's always better to have asked and been turned down than not to have asked and been left wondering, "What would've happened if I had just asked?"

Let the vendor know exactly what you need and the budget you're working with to see if they can work out some sort of deal. Perhaps you can cut out parts of the ceremony that are necessary for you, or maybe they can mix and match a package that would better suit your needs.

If you plan on using smaller vendors for your wedding and you or your fiancee have marketable skills, see if there's anything you can help them with in exchange for their services. Maybe they need help invoicing or marketing or developing their website. You never know until you offer.

This is your wedding, and you're marrying the person you love so enjoy it! Also, start thinking of building relationships with vendors as opposed to simply engaging in a business transaction. People are much more willing to work with people they consider friends or at least friendly.