Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working with my sister as she kicks off wedding planning! She was working on finding a venue, and once she found the venue, she was all in on finding vendors for her day! I’ve been trying my best to offer tips and tricks here and there, and overall, these three seem to be the MOST beneficial! It’s been a while since we’ve had a wedding planning post, and I’m so excited to bring this series back with something that will REALLY help you out! So… let’s get started right away!
Set a realistic budget ahead of time
Before you begin any kind of wedding planning, it’s so important that you’re sitting down with your partner and discuss the following questions:
- How much do you want to spend on your wedding?
- Which vendors will you be hiring?
- How do you want this money distributed between those you’ll be hiring?
It may not be super fun to discuss the numbers ahead of time when all you want to do is plan the pretty things, but this is the foundation of all your planning! Be realistic as you set your budget… on both ends. Be prepared to invest where it matters to YOU as a couple, and be prepared to look into alternative options or ways to save if needed. As you seek out wedding vendors, seek out vendors in your price range. I ask all of my clients what their wedding photography budget is up top for a reason 🙂 I want to make sure that I am BEST able to serve you!
Personality match matters
If you take anything away from this entire blog post, it should be this: above all, you’ll definitely want to make sure that your personality meshes well with the vendors you’re hiring. No, you don’t have to be besties with all of them (But if you DID want to be my friend, I wouldn’t hate that!). That said, you want to make sure that you are meshing on the following fronts:
- Response Time:
- How quickly are you expecting responses to emails? How quickly are you able to reply to emails as a couple? This applies on both ends here! You want to make sure that your response times are comparable yet realistic. For the most part, I take a break from emails on the weekends and work to reply to all emails within 24 hours on business days. It is important to understand your vendors may not be able to get back to you instantly, but that said major differences on either end could cause stress for both you and your vendor team.
- Communication Style
- What is your preferred communication style when it comes to wedding planning? Do you like someone that feels upbeat and bubbly? Someone that’s a little more professional? Someone that answers all your questions before you even know to ask them? Someone that prefers to handle things via email or over the phone? Believe it or not, this actually has a huge impact on your wedding planning process. Decide what you want and need! There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but do make sure that your pre-wedding communication styles mesh well.
- Social Media
- These next two points actually relate to each other! I personally believe that a vendor’s in-person working style and personality should be reflected via social media! So… when you’re looking into hiring wedding vendors, you want to make sure that you love and relate to their presence on social media. Again, you don’t have to be best friends, but do make sure that you feel like you could be happy working with them based on the portfolio and personality you’re seeing on social.
- In-Person
- Depending on the vendor, you could be spending lots of time with your vendors on your wedding day! (Think: Planners and coordinators, photographers, DJ’s, beauty teams, etc.) Again, you don’t have to be best friends, but it is important that you think their personality will complement your day well.
Set your style ahead of time and seek out vendors in that style
As you work to set your budget, it’s also important that you’re starting to dream about the style of and vision for your wedding! When it comes to photography, do you want light and bright, something dark and moody, maybe something with a filmy vibe? When it comes to hair and makeup, do you want full glam or something more natural? Do you want a DJ? A band? Someone to plan and design your day from top to bottom or someone to help with day-of logistics only? As you seek out vendors, make sure you are seeking out vendors that match your style, desired services, and design preferences as well.
Bonus: Keep track of who you’re hiring and their contact information
This may sound like an obvious tip, but it is so important! As you start to roll through wedding planning, it can be easy to book and quickly move forward without taking note of who you’re reaching out to, who you’re booking, who needs to be followed up with, etc. To help yourself later on, you should definitely work to keep track of your vendor team including… who you’re hiring, what your package includes, and their contact information at a minimum. If you’re interested, I have a FREE vendor cheat sheet available with a spot for names, notes, and a spot to check that you’ve officially booked the vendor! Click here for access!
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This is a lifesaver. Thank you for sharing this. Planning an event in this lockdown is an absolute hassle.
Glad to hear you found it helpful!