First off:
Today I came across several useful links on haggling or negotiating with your wedding vendor.
"When this topic comes up, I often hear photographers suggest that the respondent should go into some long-winded response about how special their work is, mention their long years of experience, the fact that the other photographer’s pricing is not sustainable or explain why the costs of running a business don’t allow her to cut their prices. None of that will connect with the client though so just don’t even go there."
This rings a lot of bells. This is true. When looking for my own wedding photographer, their years of experience mattered much less to me (what interested me the most is whether I loved their style/work or not!). And when I was in the client's shoes, it also did not matter to me what the reasons of photographer A or B charged his/her prices were. Worse, if I heard anyone denigrating another vendor, I'd just be put off right away. That just shows lack of self-respect and self-worth. People who are sure of their worth/skills/talents/work will not cringe every time there is someone else charging lower price for the same service.
Furthermore, as I mentioned in this blog post not long ago, would you spend more on your Hummer limo (that you won't remember years after your day) or on quality wedding photographs which you can proudly and happily show to your children and grandchildren down the years? There are always ways to shuffle your budget!
Check these useful articles out, too:
Oh, and to close off, check this link out. Decide on your priorities.
Cheers!