Vendor Selection and Negotiation
Discussing and choosing various wedding vendors (e.g., photographer, caterer, florist, DJ) and negotiating contracts or package deals.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
shortlisted
To shortlist means to select a small number of people or things from a larger group as the best choices for further consideration, like picking top vendors for a wedding.
portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of examples of someone's work, such as photos from a photographer, used to show their skills and style.
candid shots
Candid shots are natural, unposed photographs taken without the subject's awareness, often capturing real emotions at events like weddings.
steep
Steep in this context means too high or expensive, like the price of a service being more than expected.
negotiate
To negotiate means to discuss something in order to reach an agreement, often about price or terms, useful when dealing with vendors.
custom package
A custom package is a personalized set of services or products tailored to specific needs, rather than a standard one-size-fits-all option.
best value
Best value means the option that gives the most benefits or quality for the money spent, like choosing a caterer with good food at a fair price.
factor in
To factor in means to include or consider something as part of a calculation or decision, such as adding extra fees when planning costs.
a go
A go is an informal way to say something is approved or decided, like 'let's proceed with this vendor.'
booked
Booked means to reserve or schedule a service in advance, essential for wedding vendors to secure their availability.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
We've shortlisted a few photographers and caterers.
This sentence uses present perfect 'we've shortlisted' to talk about a recent action with current relevance. It's useful for discussing selections in planning, like narrowing down options for an event.
Their portfolio looks really strong.
Here, 'looks really strong' is a simple present tense opinion on quality. This pattern is practical for giving feedback on work samples, such as art or services, in professional discussions.
It seems a little steep compared to the others.
This uses 'seems' for a polite opinion and 'compared to' for making comparisons. It's helpful for expressing concerns about prices without being too direct, common in negotiations.
Maybe we can try to negotiate?
The modal 'can' with 'try to' suggests a possibility or suggestion. This sentence is useful for proposing actions in group decisions, like bargaining for better deals.
They offer unlimited hours, which is a huge plus.
This relative clause 'which is a huge plus' adds extra information. 'Huge plus' means a big advantage. Use this to highlight benefits in service comparisons during planning.
Their tasting session was phenomenal.
Past simple 'was' describes a completed experience. 'Phenomenal' means excellent. This is great for sharing positive reviews of trials, like food tastings, to influence choices.
We need to factor that in.
Imperative 'we need to' expresses necessity. This phrasal verb sentence is practical for reminding others to include details in budgets or plans.
Sounds like a plan?
This is an informal tag question seeking agreement. It's commonly used at the end of discussions to confirm decisions, like finalizing wedding vendor choices.
We're making good progress!
Present continuous 'we're making' shows ongoing action. This exclamatory sentence motivates and summarizes advancement, useful in project updates like wedding planning.