How to choose your wedding vendors
Choosing wedding vendors is one of the biggest parts of wedding planning. Your vendor team can make or break your wedding day. This obviously causes a lot of stress and anxiety around how to choose the most perfect team and not go over budget. This is amplified by the pressure to book vendors a year in advance and have your day completely planned before you even have a chance to look up from your shiny engagement ring. It’s a lot but we are here to help.
First things first, the budget
It’s not particularly fun but you REALLY need to establish a budget BEFORE you begin booking vendors. An argument i’ve heard from couples is that they can’t make a budget because they don’t know how much weddings cost… While this may be somewhat true, how much a wedding does or doesn’t cost does not change how much you can AFFORD to SPEND. Your budget will determine how to scale your event. If you have a more limited budget, you might consider an off season wedding or a more intimate affair. Not making a budget BEFORE choosing vendors is a sure fire way to make your wedding planning stress sky rocket. You can read more of my budget tips here.
Three is the best number.
One of the mistakes couples make when beginning the vendor search is reaching out to every.single.vendor. This leads to overwhelm and confusion. Sending inquiries to 10 weddings planners or 12 photographers is NOT the way to go. I never present more than 3 MAYBE 4 options to my clients. This keeps things more concise and focused so that you’re not overwhelmed by vendors who are nowhere near a good fit for you. Not every vendor is for every couple or wedding. So, research what you like and focus on vendors that can check those boxes. If you want a photographer who specializes in night photography for your evening wedding, inquire ONLY with photographers who showcase night shots on their website and social media.
Don’t send inquiries to the wrong place
Some vendors may disagree here, but please don’t send your inquiry via The Knot, Weddingwire or instagram DM. Most of us (all should) have a handy inquiry form on our website for you to fill out. No matter where you find your vendors, peek at their website. Sending inquiries via avenues like The Knot and Weddingwire can cause your inquiry to be lost and not seen. Many of us also get lots of spam messages on instagram so the most sure way to get your inquiry seen and a prompt response is via our websites.
Don’t take too long to decide…
Yes, review all the things. Do your diligence BUT don’t take too long doing it. Vendors cannot hold dates without a deposit and contract 99.999% of the time. If you want a certain vendor BOOK THEM before someone else does. Planning a wedding is a bit like dating. If you don’t make your intentions known, they’ll move on.
Don’t decide strictly on price
Okay, budgets are important. & my goal for my clients is always to save them money BUT cheapest does not mean best. If you find two vendors with a huge difference in price, there’s a reason. Instead of looking at price, look at value and what you prioritize. That value may be experience, a larger team, advanced technology and programs or added “perks” for clients (maybe a free album with a photographer or a free hair trial with a hair stylist). While experience is important too, so is prioritizing what is important to YOU. We are a bit biased, but a wedding planner is great at helping you unpack this.
Make sure they’re legit
Before you sign the contract or even before you book the consultation, make sure they are legitimate. There’s a LOT of scams in the wedding industry. Make sure they have consistent work featured on their social media and websites. Make sure their reviews look real- checking multiple places not just The Knot. Lastly, read that contract! Make sure they have liability insurance as well. Spoiler alert- your venue will likely ask for it.
So, to recap:
Set the budget
Do the research
Reach out to only a few appear to be the best fit vendors
Make sure they’re legit
Don’t overthink and take too long to decide to book
Bonus tip: The best guidance you can get for wedding planning is to hire someone who has been there, done that and lived to tell the story. We’ve been planning weddings since 2018. We can keep you on budget, stress free and get you the wedding you’ve imagined. Wedding planners save you so much time, energy and HEADACHES. We also (surprise) can save you lots of money because we can guide you on how to make your dollars COUNT in wedding planning.
If you want more planning advice, shoot us an email at tatiana@simplycharmedevents.com or inquire here.