How to Choose Your Wedding Suppliers
Congratulations – you’re engaged!
Whether you’ve recently said yes or you’ve been enjoying a long engagement, now comes the really exciting part – planning your big day. But in your quest to arrange one of the most important and memorable days of your life, where do you even begin?
Unless you’re aiming to make, bake, stitch and arrange every single aspect of your wedding, you are going to need a little helping hand. When it comes to getting started with the initial aspect of wedding planning, we understand how overwhelming this can be. So, allow us to break down some top tips for choosing the wedding suppliers that will help make saying I do that much easier.
1. Agree on the budget
Spreadsheets will be your best friend when you’re planning a wedding – especially if you decide not to have a wedding planner. Start by sitting down with your loved one and settling on your budget. Some couples decide to have minimum and maximum budgets, while others just have a set amount and stick to that. Whichever option works for you, get the numbers into a spreadsheet and start logging supplier information and agreed prices. You and your partner can update the spreadsheet as and when needed to keep a real-time track of what’s being spent and where. This allows you to see when the budget is beginning to dwindle. You will be thankful for this later!
2. Be flexible with dates
If you can, try and be flexible with dates. Whether or not you’re getting married in peak season will obviously impact the cost, but aside from this, being able to be flexible will afford you more choice. Some suppliers – we’re thinking venues in particular here – book up years in advance, meaning that even if you’re planning a wedding 2 years from now, you’re not guaranteed the date you want. If you’re keen on an autumn wedding but don’t mind if it’s late September or early November, this will give you plenty of wiggle room when it comes to securing the right vendors for you. If you’re completely flexible with timelines, you might even be happy to push your wedding back a year to get the reception venue of your dreams. Everything is worth considering for your fairytale wedding.
3. Ask for recommendations and reviews
If you feel as though you don’t know where to start in terms of choosing a venue, florist or photographer, get online and look for reviews and recommendations. Social media is great for this, as people can publish their true, uncensored opinions – so you know you’re getting an honest review. You can also use social platforms to find vendors and browse through photographs of their products or services in situ before you even contact them. While this won’t answer every question you have or tell you everything you need to know about what they can offer, it’s a great place to get you started. After this, drop them a message or pick up the phone. Most suppliers appreciate that you’ll have questions for them before you agree to anything, and anyone worth hiring will be happy to explain their products or services.
4. Work in priority order
With your date and budget pinned down, it’s time to start thinking about which aspects of your wedding are most important to you and your other half and then working through them in priority order. It’s advisable to start with the venue of course, as you need to know where to book suppliers for and be able to provide guests with their save the dates. Once you know what’s non-negotiable, you can start working your way through your list. Put some ‘it would be nice to haves’ at the bottom. This way, if you run out of time or they don’t fit into your budget, you won’t be too disappointed. It’s important to be honest with each other and realistic at this stage, because every vendor you book from here on in will be based on this.
5. Get friends and family to pitch in
Some brides are very fortunate and have a relative who makes fantastic cakes, while some grooms have friends who DJ in their spare time. If you’re lucky enough to have friends and family who have skills that could really impact your wedding, get them on board! This is a great way to add a personal touch to your wedding and get your guests involved, not to mention provide you with the chance to save some money. You might even find that they won’t charge anything at all and will happily offer their help as a wedding gift to you both. It’s best not to assume anything or expect a freebie though – as even if they’re willing to offer their time for free, they might require you to cover the cost of any materials needed.
6. Learn how to push back
One of the most difficult parts of working with suppliers is working out how to push back if you’re unhappy with something. Whether this is negotiating costs or admitting that an initial design doesn’t meet your expectations. There are ways to approach these sorts of situations without causing offence. Rather than flatly turning someone down once you learn of their prices, you could politely ask if there’s any flexibility. It might be that you’re willing to order place settings as well as invites if the stationer can offer a discount or you don’t need the warranty with the wedding rings. You never know what additions are causing the price to rack up. If they’re unwilling to budge on the price, at least you asked. Knowing your budget will help you decide when to push back and when to agree. Keep that in mind at all times and remember that the final deal has to work for you.
7. Look out for warning signs
Along your wedding planning journey, you might experience a few bumps in the road. It is a good thing to be able to recognise the signs especially when it comes to the people you’re trusting with crucial aspects of your big day. With an occasion as big as a wedding, there’s bound to be some back and forth to make sure everything runs smoothly. During the process of choosing your vendors, if you find businesses to be uncooperative, rude or unpredictable, these are ones to avoid. No matter who you settle on in terms of suppliers, it’s a good idea to get all agreed prices and details in writing. That way, if something goes wrong, you have peace of mind and, more importantly, proof of what’s been agreed.
8. Don’t feel the pressure to be like other people
Chances are you know at least a few people who are already married. There will be plenty of stories from other people about the type of invitations they has, how much they spent on flowers, how many bridesmaids they had etc. For some, this only provides added stress, as it can make you feel as though you’re in some sort of unspoken competition. The reality is, this is your day. So, whether or not you decide to wear a veil or provide wedding favours, this is entirely your decision. Keep that at the forefront of your mind and plan a day that perfectly fits you and your other half – not what you think would make your day better than someone else’s.
9. Enjoy the process
From the dress and the DJ to the flowers and the food, in the madness of wedding planning, the enjoyment can easily be lost. Remember to take time out to relax. Grab your other half and head along to cake tasting sessions together and make a day of it, rather than feeling as though it’s just another thing to be ticked off the list. You could do the same with the venue and treat yourself to an evening there ahead of the big day. Get excited about the fact that the next time you visit, you’ll be leaving as a married couple!
It’s probably impossible to plan a wedding without some element of stress, after all, this is your marriage we’re talking about. It’s a day that will live on in the hearts and minds of guests for many years to come – not to mention your photographs! But with these 9 top tips for choosing your suppliers, we hope you’ll be able to plan a day you’ll never forget.
Written by Sam from Prebeat – a sound and lighting retailer for the entertainment industry.
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