Choosing your wedding vendors
The wedding industry is booming. There is more and more choice when it comes to wedding suppliers and it is easier to find those suppliers with social media giving a platform to so many businesses.
This level of choice is both an exciting and overwhelming when it comes to wedding planners. So the question becomes, with so many choices how do you even start to trim down your list of potential vendors? If you’re feeling daunted by the prospect of it all, might we suggest the following…
1. Write it out
Gather all the business cards, flyers, brochures and saved social media posts, and collate them. Two ways that work well for this is either in a wedding binder or to create a document.
Whether you go the tech or the binder option, make sure it has sections for each vendor type, e.g. stationery suppliers, DJ’s, etc. Underneath each type, list all the businesses that you like the look of so far.
By doing this, you can see which areas need a bit more research and which ones are already full of options. If you want to take it a step further you could even categorise by pricing, which might help to determine who the ultimate “winners” are.
Be careful with this as sometimes prices are cheap for a reason.
For the areas that you still need to research, try asking friends and family for advice before jumping online.
Your sister-in-law may have come across a great photographer whose work is hard to find online, so it pays to ask around as well as do a quick Google search/Instagram stalk.
2. Quotes, quotes, quotes!
Get as many quotes as possible before committing to anyone and if you’re thinking of doing anything DIY, now is the time to explore it. Research, research, research so that you can make an informed decision (and hopefully feel slightly less overwhelmed).
3. Help them, help you
The more information that you can give a vendor the better, so don’t be afraid to get specific! This should also help to cut down your list of potentials because it will show you who can work with your vision and who you think you will be able to positively communicate with.
One of the great things about getting married today is that you are truly spoiled for choice; however, the actual choosing side of things can sometimes be a bit stressful!
Being organised, getting recommendations, researching and pricing, and then communicating with potential vendors should all help make the process that much smoother and more efficient.