Harpist acting weird??

Question

For our ceremony I am checking into having a harpist. I was referred to one by our ceremony location. I e-mailed the lady, who e-mailed me back with her price, which was just a little over what we wanted to spend. I kindly asked her if there was anyway she could do it for perhaps $50 less. We are having a Sunday wedding, and we have asked most of our vendors this question, which has ended up saving us a lot of money. The harpist did not return my e-mail, so my fiance called her yesterday. She said she was caught off guard and that NO ONE had ever asked her that question before. She said she needed time to think about it. But it had been 2 days since I asked her that question. I e-mailed her again, and apologized if I offended her, that was certainly not my intention.

Now, I don't know what to do! I'm having trouble finding anyone else, the other one we were referred to is way too expensive. I just don't know why she's acting like this. I mean all she has to say is no.

Answer 1

Hi. I am a professional violinist that has done waaaay too many wedding gigs, lol. Okay. I can understand both perspectives. We can assume that the harpist has much experience playing for weddings. She probably has a large body of musical repertoire that she has ready to play at all times, needing little to no practice time beforehand. Because of this, we can assume that finding time to practice the music is not an issue. Good harpists are few and far between. The thing that I suspect is going on is that she might have a lot of students and professional ensembles that she is playing in. This is a busy season right now for concerts and things. She is probably overwhelmed with gigs and did not mean to ignore your e-mail(s).It is my suspicion that she would really like to help you guys by lowering the cost but is trying to weigh that against everything that is already going on. When I am crazy stressed out and busy I set my prices a little higher to compensate me for the stress and somewhat decrease the amount of jobs.  

Answer 2

Find someone else. Some artist are very "divaish" and they are used to people just forking out the money, no questions asked. Some people in the wedding industry have very bloated egos and they are not used to price bargaining.

Times are tough and some folks should come down their high horse if they want to stay competitive in these bussiness as couples are wising up and saving wherever they can.

Since you do not have a contract with her or have paid a deposit, she's not yoru harpist. Perhaps she's waiting to fill up her spot with someone that will pay her their full fees. If your wedding date is close I advice you not wait any longer and start interviwing other harpists.

Goo dluck

PS/ I'm having a harpist on my wedding too : )

Answer 3

Perhaps now that she has been offended, you may want to talk to her directly instead of via email.  Sometimes emails can be misread ... who knows, she may have been having a bad day when she received your inquiry.

Talk to her face to face, apologize, accept her original price, and move on to the next vendor.

Best wishes.

Answer 4

Perhaps she felt insulted that you would try to talk her down on the fee that she quoted to you, and didn't feel that your e-mail was worth answering. She may have felt insulted. Vendors are not the same as artists and musicians, they can be sensitive.

She's the one who'll be hauling her harp around(do you know how HEAVY those things are?) and trying to create a romantic atmosphere for your wedding. She may feel that someone who trys to nickel-and-dime like that isn't likely to be a good tipper, either.

If her fee was already cheaper than the other artists, and for a Sunday wedding when she could easily be booked elsewhere, why would you try to bargain with her anyway? VIA E-MAIL!?!? I'd start looking for another option, perhaps load your IPod with harp music. That'd save you a bundle.

Answer 5

If it's just $50 that is keeping you from hiring her to play at your wedding...cough it up so that you can put this matter to rest!  You can stop looking for someone that will play for your price, but beware...we get what we ask for, she has been recommended!  Best of Luck