Wedding planning is a bit like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. There are likely to be many wedding vendors involved in your big day so there are a lot of moving parts and decisions to be made. Consider this your wedding vendor checklist. We are covering how to book your wedding vendors, tips for choosing potential vendors, how to manage and maintain effective vendor communication, the order to book your wedding vendors and more! 

Tips For Speaking With Potential Vendors

1. Ensure You Have Set Your Budget

Be clear about your budget constraints as early as you can to see if you are able to work with certain vendors. It is so important to be realistic with your budget from the start to avoid getting further down the line and then having to back out. There is nothing wrong with some vendors being out of your budget, just be upfront and honest about it with all of your vendors.

2. Meet In Person If Possible

When choosing your wedding vendors, it is always best to meet with them in person if you can. If this is not possible then schedule a meeting over the phone or zoom.  This will help you get to know them personally to make sure it’s a good fit. 

3. Check Reviews

Ask for references from other vendors that have worked with them before. Not only do you want to see glowing reviews from past couples they have worked with, but also from other business in the wedding industry. It’s important that they treat you well but it’s also importamt that they treat other vendors on your wedding day well! 

4. Be Clear About Your Vision For Your Wedding Day

Dont expect your vendors to read your mind or know exactly what you mean at all times. Make sure you take the time to send inspirational pictures or have a phone call to express your goals & dreams for your wedding. They want to help make your day the best it can be, so don’t be afraid to tell them exactly what you want upfront. 

5. Review The Contract

Before you give a verbal yes, ask for their contract! This saves time in the long run, just in case you have questions or decide something in their contract will be a deciding factor on booking or not. It is important that you get every little detail in writing first so that both parties are clear on expectations and deliverables. When reviewing look out for hidden costs and always ask for clarification is something is not clear.

Wedding Vendor Checklist | The Order To Book Your Wedding Vendors

Here is a helpful list of the order in which you should book your wedding vendors;

Maintaining expectations with your wedding vendors

Keep the lines of communication open and never be afraid of speaking up, asking questions and sharing your opinion. This is your day and all your vendors want it to be perfect and memorable. Make sure all communication is in writing so you have correspondence to refer back to if needed. 

As wedding professionals, your vendors have most likely worked numerous weddings before so trust their experience and expertise and listen when they offer recommendations.

Keeping Organized With Your Vendor Communication

Create a google doc

Immediately after getting engaged, there are a few things you need. We suggest creating a Google doc to keep running tabs on all your vendor communications. Google docs allows you to easily create budget spreadsheets, timelines, due dates, guest lists and more. These are then easily shareable with your bridal party and day-of coordinators.

Compile contact information

As you book your vendors, start adding their contact information to your running google doc to refer to later.

Document details

Include any tidbits of information such as arrival time, set-up time needed, location of set-up and other things throughout the process.

Sit back & relax

When it comes time to confirming with your vendors and creating a timeline, all the hard work is done ahead of time. You have your wedding vendor checklist and confirming is as easy as referring to your running document and having all the information in one spot. 

Tips For Hiring Family as a Wedding Vendor

Contracts are key

Regardless if they are friends or family, or gifting you their service for free, you need a contract! This will express the scope of work and will maintain expectations for both parties.

No vendors in your bridal party

Your bridal party needs to be there for you and not simultaneously running around trying to get stuff done. This is not fair to either of you.

Check out their work

Don’t feel pressured to hire a friend or family member just because it may be cheaper or because they are your friend or family member. Their style may not be YOUR style and that’s ok. It’s your special day and you need to be surrounded by people who can see your vision and help it come to life!

You may also find these posts helpful:

5 Reasons You Should Hire A Wedding Planner

Wedding Venue Tips | Things To Consider When Choosing Your Space

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