Wedding Vendors – Finding The Right Ones
There are many decisions to make leading up to your big day and it is imperative that you make the correct ones especially when it comes to your wedding vendors.
Here’s a typical scenario: you announce that you are engaged on social media. The following two months you are bombarded with messages and calls from potential vendors pitching their services to you. You have no previous knowledge of wedding vendor costs or what to expect. This is normal for most people as getting married is new to them. With so many different vendors and options thrown at you it is very easy to make a wrong decision.
When choosing a vendor a good recommendation would be for you to do your research. Look at their reviews, wedding experience, their websites and social media. Don’t fall for the “deals” or “promotions”, find someone that you can relate to.
Wedding Vendors Reviews and Experience
In the wedding industry reviews make or break most vendors. You get an inside perspective from previous couples explaining why they liked or disliked the vendor. Having two or more bad or sub par reviews should be a red flag. Avoid these vendors at all costs. You can get a good idea of what your getting into by reading reviews.
When narrowing down your potential vendor list be sure to ask questions. Find out how long they have been in the industry and on average how many weddings they have done. For a smoother wedding day hire vendors that have at least three years experience and 60 weddings under their belt.
To sum it up, trust your gut while looking at reviews and talking to vendors about their experience in the industry.
Social Media, Marketing, Blogs and Portfolios
When looking for the right fit for your wedding day it is vital that you are thorough on your research. Don’t be fooled by websites or magazines like Wedding Wire, and The Knot as vendors have to pay to be featured on there. Anyone for the right price could be a featured vendor or have a big magazine cover or spread.
Many vendors will only show on their websites what they want you to see. Usually this consists of only the “best” of what they have ever done. For example, a photographer may only show 3 amazing images from one wedding and hide the rest. Your job is to be thorough and ask for the full wedding day gallery. A good recommendation would be to choose a vendor that is willing to go above and beyond to show you past work from full weddings.
Styled shoots are becoming more of a dominant force in our industry where wedding planners, florists, photographers, and videographers will get together and create a mock wedding with models to use for their social media advertising and portfolios. In our day and age people with no wedding experience and great marketing skills are booking brides mainly from styled shoots and are ultimately letting down brides due to their inexperience.
Look at many different wedding reception setups from planners, multiple wedding videos, full wedding galleries and it doesn’t hurt to be up front and ask vendors if this was a styled shoot or not. You don’t want to be tricked and you don’t want someone who will trick you.
Pricing, Deals and Giveaways
You hear about it all the time when brides “win” a giveaway only to be locked into a situation where they have to commit to a vendor or multiple vendors they normally wouldn’t commit to. Just be cautious and be sure that you clearly understand the contest before committing.
When it comes to a vendor’s pricing this can go all over the map. Many will offer cheap deals, discounted services or sometimes even free work depending on the situation. When it’s on the cheaper end, you get what you pay for. You have heard many wedding day horror stories, don’t let yours be one. For the higher price range weddings there are some disappointing vendors as well, but it is not nearly as common.
Salesmanship is huge nowadays, as you can be a bad vendor but a great salesperson. Trust your gut and do your research.
Personality Of Wedding Vendors
You must be able to get along with your wedding vendors and be on the same page big picture wise. This is where many fall short as they just choose vendors based on price. Get to know your potential choices, if you can’t picture yourself being friends with them than they may not be a good fit.
It’s important that you feel good about each vendor and that you can trust them.
In Conclusion
Remember that your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life. Go out and choose a vendor who you feel comfortable with and trust that has a proven track record of doing a great job. Most couples are on at least some sort of wedding budget, but it’s sometimes worth spending a little extra to get your ideal vendor that you jive with. Your wedding day deserves to be stress free with the main focus being on you and the one you love.
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