When it comes to picking your wedding vendors the choices are limitless and often overwhelming. With so many amazing and talented options available, it’s hard to know how to even begin making a decision.
These are my top five things to look out for when choosing your wedding vendors.
1.Style and Aesthetic
Fine art weddings are all about the details. Every decision you make and every vendor you choose will play a huge part in bringing your grand vision together. So it’s important to make sure you’re all on the same page. Right? Luckily we’re living in the digital age, so you can begin to get a feel for which vendors styles’ match up with your desired aesthetic before you even pick up the phone! Searches through their website, Instagram and Pinterest will all help you and your partner begin to create a list of who could be right for you.
2.Value and Philosophy
It sounds so obvious and yet it’s one of the first things that we tend to forget – you need to like the people you work with. I repeat: you need to like the people you work with. Whilst your wedding day is for celebrating and should be stress-free, there’s a lot of work in the months leading up to it that allow it to be this way. Making sure you all share the same ethos is vital. A face to face meeting is essential for this, but you can begin to get a sense of their values when you’re still researching. It’s often overlooked but the “About Us” page of their website is a great place to start.
Keep an eye out for keywords that resonate with you and your partner. We love the word “intentional” for fine art vendors because it means that every single detail is thought about, selected and placed for a reason.
3. Flexibility with Budget and Capacity
Circumstances do change and you’ve got to be protected when a few things don’t go to plan. After all, that’s life! Always ask for flexibility with your contract. For example, what if your guest list completely blows up and you need a much bigger space? What can your venue do to accommodate this unanticipated change? If you initially sign off on a 3 thousand dollar contract for your reception flowers and later on have fewer tables, what could be done so your money is not going to be wasted? Asking those questions and getting a measure of a vendor’s flexibility will give you peace of mind about their ability to expect the unexpected!
4. Trust and Connection
Similar to shared values and philosophies, ideally you’re looking for a personality match with your vendors. Consider whether you have chemistry with this person. You’ll be entrusting them with an important service (not to mention the significant monetary costs involved), so it’s crucial to be comfortable around them. Remember, you’ll be interacting with them on what will likely be the most emotional day of your life, so you want someone who will be able to put you at ease, not stress you out even more.
Don’t forget to check out past client testimonials. It is by far the best way you can verify your decision making.
5.Customer Service and Professionalism
This one goes without saying, but you need your vendors to be professionals. You want to ensure that your wedding booking process will be seamless and that you will be receiving top-notch, professional levels of customer service. What email do you receive after making that initial enquiry? Can you easily book your consultation call? How long does it take you to hear from them? Is there a system in place to tell you what the next steps are, should you wish to move forward and work with them? Transparency is key as it sets the tone of your relationship with your vendors going forward and helps avoid stress and frustration.
Just remember that this is a two-way street! When meeting with a potential vendor for the first time be sure to dress professionally and ring ahead if you’re running late.
Keep an eye out for my next post delving into what exactly is a fine art wedding!
As always,
Ha
