Now more than ever, brides can get great deals on goods like flowers and photos. With the right strategy and some key language, both you and your vendor will leave the table happy.

Unless you are a professional arbitrator, chances are you’re not comfortable negotiating. Having a well-thought-out plan will make it easier.

1. Know Your Budget
“It may sound obvious, but figure out what you can spend before bargaining,” says Jean Chatzky, author of The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper Even in the Toughest Times. Knowing your numbers will boost your confidence.

2. Get an Itemized Cost List from each vendor.
This way, you will know where every dollar is associated. “Don’t start discussing discounts until you’ve taken time to review the list on your own and can suggest tweaks,” says Chatzky.

3. Always Ask
Approach the planning process with the mind-set that all prices are flexible. If you don’;t ask for a discount, you’ll never get one.

4. Be Flexible
Negotiating requires give-and-take; the most successful deals happen when both parties are willing to find a sweet spot that works for them. Maybe it’s having a shorter reception or marrying on a Friday. Compromising may get you closer to the right price.

5. Know Your Value
Joyce Scardina Becker, president of the the We4dding Industry Professionals Association, says that a couple who have blocked guest rooms and planned multiple events (rehearsal dinner, reception, brunch) at a single hotel will have more bargaining power than a couple who are hosting just one event. Consider this when planning, and don;’t be afraid to remind the vendor of what Becker, who’s also a wedding planner, calls “the total impact of your business.”