April 24, 2017

Working with experienced vendors can truly make or break your wedding or event. But how do you decide on which vendors to work with?

Tips on selecting those incredible vendors:

  • Ask trusted friends, family, and colleagues for recommendations. Who did the flowers for the wedding that you saw and loved? Who was the photographer at your friend’s wedding? Which bands have they seen and rave about? Ask a lot of questions to the people around you that have been married or recently assisted a friend or family member with their wedding.
  • Search hashtags on Instagram – vendors in the creative industry love Instagram because they can truly showcase their style & esthetic on that platform. You should be able to get a very good idea of the vendor’s overall style by scrolling through their feed. Remember, it’s not just the event related pictures that matter, what is the feel you’re getting from the non-event related photos?
  • Review vendor’s website – each vendor will exude their look and style through their website. You can get a feel of the type of work they do simply by taking the time to click around their website.
  • Search the vendor’s name and “real weddings” – this will bring up blog images that contain the vendor’s work at a real weddings in the past. Especially for venues, this is a great way to get an idea of the space and how it looks during an event. It can be difficult to imagine what you could do with a space when you see it empty so take the time to do the research.
  • Search for reviews – take the reviews that you read online with a grain of salt but it’s good to skim as many reviews as possible. This allows you to see if there are any common themes. For example, if reviews mention a vendor’s tardiness repeatedly, it’s a safe bet to remove them from your list.
  • See for yourself – go see band or DJ’s perform live, visit the bakeries you like and try their sweet treats (then taste their cake flavors after you book), look through photographers portfolios/real wedding books at their studio, visit the rental showroom to see their offerings in person. When you decide on a caterer, have a tasting with them so you feel completely comfortable with your menu selections. Some florists will do a mock-up bouquet (for a fee) so if seeing something ahead of time will put your mind at ease, do it!

Every vendor truly has a different style. You might be drawn to a light and bright photography style while the person next to you might lean towards a more dark and moody feel. Go with a vendor whose style you identify with because there is someone out there for everyone!

 what’s next?

Once you find someone you like, send them an email to see if you can meet up for coffee or an appointment to get a feel of their work and packages. In addition, it’s important to get to know this person during this appointment. You’re going to interact with this person and their colleagues a lot throughout your engagement and you want to make sure that your personalities are a good fit for one another. You should never be afraid to ask your vendor (who you hire!) lots of questions so be sure you’re working with good, kind people whose work you love.

If you have any specific questions about hiring vendors, please send me an email and I’ll be happy to answer as best I can.

How to Select Vendors