The success of your wedding day will rest largely with the wedding professionals you hire to turn your wedding plans into reality. Here are some tips to help you prepare for and get the most out of your meetings with wedding vendors:
Set Your Expectations. Before you begin meeting with wedding vendors, you should have a clear idea of what you want for your wedding. You and your fiance should discuss what you must and would like to have as part of your wedding celebration. This will help you to weigh options when comparing wedding vendors.
Be Realistic About Budget. For most couples, budget considerations will be foremost as you choose the wedding date, venues, decor and wedding vendors. Before meeting with wedding professionals, you and your fiance should be on the same page about where to prioritize your wedding budget. Any vendor you choose to work with should have a good understanding of your budget constraints and work with you to select options and packages to meet your needs and stay within your wedding budget parameters.
Research. There are numerous websites devoted to reviewing wedding vendors, many be real brides. Check out a businesses online profile at sites such as weddingwire.com and theknot.com.
Referrals. When looking for a wedding vendor, friends who were recently married or other wedding professionals are a great resource. Ask if they worked with vendors you are considering and if they were happy with the outcome. If you will be the guest at a wedding yourself, pay attention to details or vendors and ask for business cards of those doing a particularly good job.
Scheduling Your Appointment. When contacting a wedding service vendor to schedule your appointment, you have a great opportunity to screen them before the appointment date. Some questions to ask yourself during and after your interaction:
- Was the person I spoke to professional and personable?
- Do they schedule appointment times at times convenient for the customer? (A good sign that they put clients first!)
- Will you meet at their business location? (A company with a storefront shows a commitment to their business.)
Ask Questions. If you have specific questions or concerns, be sure to ask them as soon as possible when you begin to plan with wedding vendors. It is likely that they have encountered similar questions or situations and have worked out a solution already. Here are some questions we suggest asking.
Look For Organization. You probably have a wedding organizer full of wedding ideas, have read wedding advice articles and carry them around neatly. (Click here for a free Metro Detroit Wedding Organizer) Any wedding vendor you work with should have at least that level of organization for your wedding day too! A wedding professional should have a real business presence including a meeting space, business telephone, website and social media presence. When you meet, they should appear professional and prepared. The level of preparedness for your initial consultation is a likely indicator of what you will experience when it comes time for your wedding day.
Ease of Contact. Beware of red flags when contacting wedding vendors. Phone calls should be answered during business hours. At a minimum, phone messages and emails should be returned promptly. Anything more than 24 hours may be cause for concern. Wedding professionals should also have a system in place to respond to emergencies should anything go awry on your wedding day, including backup service providers.
Client Focused. Your wedding day is just that – YOUR wedding day. Wedding vendors should provide a client with options and expert advice, but be flexible enough to make sure that they are executing your wedding vision, rather than doing things “the way they always do them”. If a wedding vendor has too many things that must be done their way, consider another service provider.
After Your Meeting. At the conclusion of your meeting, take a few moments to consider your impression of the vendor. Make notes in your wedding planner or directly on the materials you received. Later, when you are comparing price and service, it will be helpful to remember how you felt when you met them.
- Did they seem like a good fit?
- Did they have ideas and offer suggestions that put you at ease?
- Were they professional and made you confident you could trust them with your wedding day?
- Was the representative credible?
- Do they have a reliable, trustworthy reputation?
- Did they listen to your needs?
Balance frugality with service. Consider more than price; compare products and service as well. You are trusting the vendors you select with your wedding day. There are many wedding professionals to chose from. The key to having the wedding day of your dreams is to find wedding professionals you connect with, trust and can rely upon to execute your wedding plans flawlessly. That doesn’t happen if you put cost above everything else.
Written Contracts. Get a detailed written contract for everything. Contracts should include colors, product descriptions, prices and delivery dates. Cancellation policies should also be included.
Email us or call (248) 689-0777.
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