For any given wedding, there may be as many as 20 vendors to provide services either in preparation for your marriage or on your wedding day. The vendor selection process can be quite a taxing task. While it is time consuming, there are key questions you should take the time to ask during consultations. Here are a few tips to follow when considering potential vendors for your wedding.

1. Choose vendors who have several years of experience in planning special events. Whether the vendor is a florist, photographer, filmmaker, DJ, or caterer, they should have experience providing services in the local area of your event venue. They should also be aware of the different strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities to consider in the plans for your wedding day. When planning for a wedding, there are many determining factors to consider in all aspects of your event from the locations of your ceremony and reception, logistics, the layout of your event, weather, timelines, and so on. When you are working with vendors who are seasoned veterans in their field, you can rely on them to consider all these details which you may not have known to consider on your own.

2. Ask for references. It is always a good idea to read reviews provided by previous clients for every vendor you are considering partnering with. If you find a review that is concerning to you, be proactive in asking the vendor about the review and allow them the opportunity to provide you with an explanation. Furthermore, ask each vendor if they have a listing of other colleagues they work with on a regular basis who can provide a professional reference for them. You can even ask vendors if you can have the opportunity to email or speak with one of their previous clients about their experience in working with them. Any qualified vendor should not have any hesitation about providing any reference you ask for. In fact, we appreciate that you are doing your research! This groundwork shows us that you really care about partnering with the best vendors available in your area to provide their services for your wedding!

3. You’ll want to consider how flexible the vendors are in working with you. Ask every vendor what their preferred method of correspondence is regarding your wedding plans. Whether it is in person meetings, emails, phone calls, video conferences, messages on social media, or text messaging, you will have a much better experience in working with vendors who provide options which match with the easiest form of communication for you. It is a good idea to ask the vendors how they organize their services as well. For example, a DJ should provide you with a planning form for your reception entertainment and provide you with tips and advice on how to choose songs for your wedding day activities. An experienced wedding DJ should also provide you with audio clips to ensure they have the right versions of your song requests prepared and review the pronunciation of each member of your wedding party to ensure they announce them properly during introductions. If you feel that the vendor will be very responsive and organized, this is a good indication they will be easy to communicate with throughout your whole wedding planning experience.

4. Ask the vendors how they will work in collaboration with other vendors on your wedding day. In order to have a successful event, it is important to choose vendors who are accustomed to partnering with each other as a team. From an event planning standpoint, a wedding planner must work in partnership with the photographer, filmmakers, DJ, and caterer throughout the entire day to ensure the ceremony and reception activities are being managed in a timely manner throughout your event. When all vendors work cohesively as a team and communicate well with each other, they are setting each otherup for success to ensure your entire event is carried out as planned.

5. Confirm the type of equipment vendors bring with them on the day of your wedding. For example, a wedding planner should have a variety of tools and materials needed to resolve any opportunity which may arise on your wedding day.  A DJ should have backup files of your requested songs and extra equipment in the case of a technical error or power failure. Photographers should have backup cameras, flashes, and memory cards in the case of equipment failure. All wedding vendors should arrive onsite well-equipped with supplies to provide quick and effective solutions for any situation during your wedding.  If the vendors are very thorough in their preparation, you will have peace of mind in knowing they will be well-prepared for your event

Photos provided by Olivia Suriano with Nancy Ray Photography

Following these tips will ensure the wedding vendors you choose are experts in their craft and will provide great customer service throughout the process of planning your wedding. Feeling confident that you have partnered with qualified vendors will give you reassurance in knowing you have made the best decisions for your special day! We hope these tips are helpful to you in building the vendor dream team for your wedding!