Watermelon Sugar Photo
Planning your dream wedding can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. Your wedding vendors are each a piece of the story of your wedding day and so finding & working with the right ones will help set you up for the most enjoyable wedding day EVER!
Today, I am bringing you some tips on how to find YOUR Dream Wedding Vendor Team:
1. Set your budget, date & lock in your venue. These will impact & guide the planning decisions you’ll be making moving forward and should be your first wedding planning steps. Setting a budget will help keep you on track when looking for vendors and will hopefully keep you from going overboard with unnecessary spending. Setting your date & venue will also help you make sure that the other vendors you hire are available at the time of your wedding and for where it is set for.
2. Ask for referrals. Ask your friends & family for referrals. They may know some vendors that you had not yet come across and they may have firsthand accounts for you. It is also helpful to ask your planner/coordinator for referrals based on their previous events. Finding vendors that can work well together is something I also am striving for as your planner/coordinator because it will help relieve you (and me!!) from unneeded stress and more importantly, it will help you enjoy your planning process and wedding day more!
3. Think about your wedding vision. It will help you feel less stressed when you find vendors who share your vision. Consider the style & the vibe you are going for. This will help you narrow down your choices and will help make sure that you and your chosen vendors are on the same page.
4. Do your research online & offline. It is a good idea to check their social handles and their website to see more of their work. Check out comments and reviews from the people they have previously worked with. Then, set up a consultation with them and connect with them directly. Don’t wait too long here as most vendors do have a limit to the amount of couples they can work with at one time!
5. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Asking questions can help you get to know who they are & what they have to offer. This will also help you assess if you can work with them efficiently.
Annie Graham Photography
6. Take notes. I am a huge note taker and I really believe taking notes can be the difference between being organized & on-top-of-things or being completely chaotic & scattered. No one makes the best decisions when they are unsure of what they are deciding between. Take notes on your consultation calls with vendors. Write down the answers that resonate with you so you can remember how you felt when talking with them. I recommend keeping a journal totally dedicated to your wedding planning journey where you can keep running lists and notes on everything wedding planning! That way your notes are all in one place and you can look back on them whenever you need to.
7. Shop around. I usually recommend looking at 2-3 vendors for each category just to ensure you are working with the perfect fit for you & your day. There are so many different styles and ways of doing the same job (relatively speaking!) that it should come down to how you felt with that vendor, your confidence in them performing their duties for you, and who you want to work with or be around on your wedding day!
8. Trust your gut! We all know what it feels like when you talk to someone for the first time and you just click! You speak the same language and have a similar style or vibe about you. You will feel calm and relieved at the same time when you connect like that with your true wedding vendors. There should be ones that stick out more to you than others! Once you’ve had a few consultations with your perspective vendors, and you’ve taken your notes, look back over them and think about them all as a collective. Who resonated most to you? Who did you feel instantly drawn to & calm with? Then, trust your gut & make your decision!
9. Sign on the dotted line! Once you’ve gone through these steps and have nailed down who you want to work with in each category, then lock them in. It is important not to wait here as wedding vendors and dates are limited. Most vendors have ample couples shopping them for the same dates and the first couple to sign on the dotted line wins the race in getting to work with them on their wedding day. Keep in mind, you are not officially booked with a wedding vendor until you have signed their contract and paid the retainer fee or deposit.
10. Believe in your wedding vendor team! Now it’s time to sit back, pour yourself a drink, and toast to YOU because you have set yourself up for an incredible wedding planning journey & experience. Your wedding professionals will take the reins and will guide you through your planning process with them. If you booked true pros, you will know what to expect in working with them right away, and you won’t have any questions! Trust them and their processes in helping you achieve your dream wedding day.
I know wedding planning can feel like an overwhelming task at times and it is hard to know where to start. If you are looking for more help in the planning process, then start by hiring a wedding planner who will guide you through it all, A to Z. If you are feeling stressed about a certain area in particular, then consider spending a little more money there. If you spend your money where your stress is, then you are making the biggest impact on your well-being and enjoyment of your wedding day. Planning & enjoying your wedding day shouldn’t be stressful, it should be fun! And the right vendors make it that. Send me a message through my Contact form and let’s start working on your dream wedding today!
Happy Planning!
xx Jess
Watermelon Sugar Photography
