3 Invaluable things to look for when hiring wedding vendors
“… I just wish I had a wedding planner to find my wedding planner.”
I have heard this so many times from brides and it always makes me laugh because there is SO much truth to it. And, as much as I wish I could give you a playbook for finding a wedding planner (Some of the best include—Your Day by MK for my Chicago brides, Details Darling for OC, SD, LA, Palm Springs brides and so many others!), it would mean you would have to find me to do that, right? Instead, I wanted to give you THREE (3!) Invaluable Things to Look for When Hiring Wedding Vendors…and even share with you some of the ones that are the best of the best in my book!
Style + Look
Even if you aren’t the bride with the Pinterest board + all the design vision, it’s important to find vendors who look the part. As in, if you’re leaning toward neutrals with pops of pink, it’s probably not best to go with the vendor who liiiives for color.
But, color isn’t all of it. When it comes to design, it’s valuable to look at the vendors as a whole because design is SO MUCH MORE than color. It’s textures, vision, creative eye, and overall disposition. Perhaps you see a lot of color in someone’s feed + you’re not that girl, but you love the way they see, place and curate items for the overall look. It’s worth a conversation still!
Are they minimalist?
Are they a fan of mixed patterns?
Do they lean toward color blocking?
Are they modern?
Are they traditional in preference?
The vendors that play the greatest role in the look + atmosphere curation of your day are your planner/ designer + florist. Together, they bring it all to life!Trust
They are going to play a role in your wedding (every wedding vendor does!) and while you can absolutely speak into most of all the decisions (it’s your day after all), there are moments + elements that you won’t be able to speak into + you need to secure vendors who you can TRUST to do so.
Something I always tell our couples is that I want to get to know you. Like, I want to be FRIENDS, so that I know what you like and what you don’t like. That way as I am designing, curating over the engagement season OR, as I am making rapid decisions on wedding day, I can move with confidence knowing that I know you love dried florals and detest the color blue.
But, how do you know if you can trust a vendor?
First, it’s important to do a little self-reflection and realize that if you prefer controlling situations (this girl right HERE loves control … and has learned how to handle it in a healthy way, like running events! I’m with you in this!), you will have to evaluation your expectations of your vendors + come ready to be willing to trust them.
Obviously - if a vendor has given a reason with substantial warrant to NOT trust them, I’m not encouraging that you continue to move forward with them.
Secondly, you can build trust for a vendor via their reviews! What do people ACTUALLY have to say about them? What have their past clients said? Was a vendor referred to you by another vendor or venue? What did they say?
If all lights (or most!) point to good + green, there’s good reason to trust them. I can’t emphasize how IMPORTANT trust is in this process. If you can’t trust your vendors, you will end up in a position of feeling like you need to micromanage + not let go of control and therefore, really not be able to soak up the wedding day.
…which no one wants!Vibe
Yes, I went there. We’re talking viiiibes. By that I mean, do you like them? Remember this - you are going to spend time with them on your wedding day. Which is a pretty memorable day in your life so, it’s important that you like them + vibe well with them. The *KEY* people that you will see most are: Photographer, videographer, planner.
There are other vendors who you will inevitably see less of but, they will still play a role in the atmosphere of your day. Those include: DJ, florist, catering + their staff.
There are so many factors that play into your wedding day - Happy planning!
