Tips for Building the Perfect Team of Vendors For Your Special Day
You’re engaged and excited to begin researching vendors who can produce and execute the vision you have for your wedding. Here are some tips we have put together to help you when building your dream team of wedding vendors!
Consider Your Budget Before You Inquire & Be Realistic
Working out your overall budget should be the very first step in your planning process. Without knowing how much you can spend on your event in totality, you shouldn’t make any decisions or commitments, including hiring vendors. Skipping his crucial step can undoubtedly cost you in the long term when you have failed to plan appropriately in the early stages of wedding planning. If you are not sure where to begin, a wedding planner can assist you with budget development. A wedding planner can let you know if your budget is realistic based on what you’ve envisioned for your event.
Hire Professionals
The essential principle to follow when booking wedding vendors is to hire professionals. I can’t begin to tell you the messes we have had to clean up as wedding planners when couples have appointed friends or family members in place of wedding professionals to try to save a dollar.
Negotiate, But Don’t Devalue
From an industry insider’s perspective, there is certainly nothing wrong with negotiating. It can get tricky when you go about it in a way that makes the vendor feel as though you don’t value them or the service they are offering. It’s also important to keep in mind that not all wedding vendors offer discounts on their services. Consider the fact that many of your wedding vendors devote themselves to you and you alone on your wedding day. For example, when you sign a contract and pay a despite with your photographer, they are reserving your date and decline other couples who may inquire about your date in the future. Asking for a discount when the next couple who inquires may gladly pay their regular rate may seem insulting to some vendors. A great way to ask for a “discount” if you are on a budget, is to ask if there is a way to customize the service offered to fit your budget. This could mean potentially eliminating something you may not need in their offerings. This approach will send the message that you would love to work with them but that there is a budget constraint instead of coming across as if you don’t value the vendor’s services. If this is not an option, you may need to prioritize to fit everything into your budget.
Vendors are much more excited to work with a couple they feel values them and the service they provide. Believe me when I say that I have seen that translated into some vendor’s work. If you genuinely want to work with a fantastic team of vendors who will consistently work to provide you with an exceptional experience and will surpass your expectations, then you need to be willing to invest in the people who will work to bring your wedding day from concept to fruition.
Consider How Your Vendor Team Will Work Together
Your team of wedding vendors will need to work together to pull off everything from the production of your event down to the logistics. It’s important to remember that when you hire professionals to provide services for your wedding, you are truly building a team. Take the time to research your vendors and ask for references from your planner or other vendors that may work closely together, such as a photographer and videographer. If you hire your photographer first, they may be able to recommend a videographer who has worked well with them before. A lot goes into a wedding day behind the scenes, so let us assure you that a team of vendors that work seamlessly together is invaluable!
Trust Your Team of Wedding Professionals
This is so important! Your team of wedding vendors knows what to expect because we work weddings and large-scale events nearly every weekend. Trust your planner when he or she offers advice on design aesthetics or the flow of your ceremony to reception, as that is their area of expertise. Listen to your photographer’s advice on photo locations or the lighting at your wedding venue. In all likelihood, they may have photographed a wedding at your venue before and could be offering valuable insight that could make a world of difference as to how your wedding pictures turn out. Remember, you are paying your wedding vendors to provide a service in their area of expertise on your wedding day, and they are invested in ensuring that your wedding day is the best day for you and your fiance! You should never feel the need to micromanage your wedding vendors, and if you do feel the need to do so with a particular vendor, then that may be a cause for concern.
