Planning a wedding takes time, patience, and enough understanding of what goes on at a wedding to make the right decisions. There are many wedding planning sites available on the internet and they can be a good starting point. But deciding on the vendors that will help you on your wedding day is a complicated venture. Hopefully this article will provide some insights into how to choose the best wedding vendors for this very important day.
Over the past 25 years at Dubnoff Wedding Photography, I have had the opportunity to speak with well over a thousand engaged couples. I am always surprised by some of the criteria many of them use to choose their wedding vendors. Here are 6 suggestions I often make to brides and grooms searching for wedding vendors for their big day:
1. RESEARCH WEDDING VENDOR REFERRALS. Be careful here because many wedding vendors trade referrals with other wedding professionals with no real knowledge of the other’s work. They make deals with partner vendors to give out business cards to brides and grooms that they meet. Many times it’s an honest referral based upon working a few weddings with one another. But how much can a DJ, for example, really know about the quality of a wedding photographer’s work? Often times this type of referral is just based on the fact that the DJ has worked with the photographer at a number of events and liked him or her. Did the DJ ever see the final result? Did they see the wedding album? Probably not. Be sure when receiving this type of referral you ask the vendor why they are making the referral and the criteria they are using. Then check their story out with the vendor they referred. Obviously, you should try to obtain other referrals, especially from married couples who have experience with the referred vendor.
2. DON’T CHOOSE A WEDDING PROFESIONAL BASED SOLELY ON A “GREATEST HITS” PORTFOLIO OF THEIR WORK. This rule particularly applies to choosing your photographer, videographer, florist or caterer. As a wedding photographer myself I can assure you that there is nothing more misleading regarding a photographer’s talent than looking at a sample wedding album that is a compilation of their best shots at a 100 different weddings. Ask to be shown an album of one entire wedding from start to finish. Virtually anybody with a decent camera can get one great shot per wedding! The same goes for florists. Make sure that they show you examples of the flowers they provided for one entire wedding. Any caterer can give you some yummy appetizers to sample, but how many different dishes do they offer? Can they show you photos of one entire food service at a wedding? Again, the challenge for a vendor at a wedding is doing EVERYTHING right, not just 1 or 2 things.
3. CAREFULLY ASSESS THE PERSONALITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHO WILL BE HANDLING YOUR WEDDING. This is a very important point that is often overlooked. You will be spending most of your day with your photographer, DJ, wedding coordinator or videographer. It’s not enough that they are good at what they do. Make sure you can get along with this person and find them pleasant to be around. Rude and bossy photographers can cause problems with your guests and make your day miserable. A DJ will be interacting with many people at your wedding including you. Make sure he or she is friendly and easy to get along with.
4. USING FRIENDS OR RELATIVES TO SERVICE YOUR WEDDING. Only if they are professional! This is one of the biggest mistakes made by brides and grooms. Perhaps they have a cousin who is great with music or an uncle who always takes all the photos at family events. Trust me, providing these types of services at a wedding is entirely different due to the stress, volume and time constraints involved. Some experience with weddings is absolutely necessary. The fact that “Uncle Bob” is good with his new digital camera does not mean he can handle a wedding. Your sister does wonderful work with flowers? That’s great but has she ever decorated a huge church? Has she produced 7 bouquets the night before an event? I can’t tell you how often I have seen well meaning friends or relatives completely ruin their particular part of the wedding. Be very careful here.
5. LOOK FOR SIMPLE PRICING. One of the most common stories I hear from brides and grooms is how they spent so much more on a particular wedding service than they were led to believe. If you can’t understand the pricing or packages, keep looking. You should make it clear to the vendor that you expect COMPLETE SERVICE from them. This means that on the day of the wedding, the florist should not be telling you that there is no pedestal available for the flower arrangement in the church, so now you will be charged for one to be brought in. Make it clear that you won’t stand for that. Ala carte pricing can confuse and be misleading. Look for a vendor who offers complete package pricing, but offers the flexibility to alter the package to suit your needs.
6. IS THE VENDOR WORKING FOR YOU? When you interview a vendor pay close attention to how they handle the presentation. Do they ask questions? Are they concerned with what is important to you at your wedding? If a vendor presentation is just one long speech about how wonderful they are, this may not be the right person for you. Look for vendors who ask YOU what you want for your wedding. As a wedding photographer, one of the first things I ask a couple during my presentation is what THEY are looking for in a photographer. Right away, this establishes whether a good match exists between vendor and the bride and groom. But more importantly, it tells you something about the person. If they ask you lots of questions, chances are they really do care about providing a service that truly fits your needs.
This list was intended to assist you in making the very difficult decisions involved when planning a wedding. It is not a complete list, but it should help you understand what’s important. There is no substitute for good, solid referrals from other brides and grooms with recent experience.
Why pay someone else for your wedding planning, especially in these hard economic times? Take the time and plan your own wedding yourself. You know what you want more than anyone else could and it will cost you a lot less with these handy tips.
First, you will need a place to hold your wedding. Call around to places of interest to you and get estimates on each venue. Sit down with your fiancée and discuss which the better option for your budget is. If your wedding is in the warmer weather, you could even plan it outdoors at your own home or a relatives beautiful gardens. You will need to set up a chic tent for the reception and as a backup in case of rain to be on the safe side.
Next, you will need invitations, these can cost quite a bit. Your best budget friendly tip in wedding planning is to make them yourself by buying the card stock and getting a desktop publishing program to add to your computer. This also lets you be the creator and make them however you want them to look, from elegant, sassy or traditional the ideas are limitless.
Now comes the wedding planning for the flowers and reception decorations. You can go to any crafts or hobby store and find everything you need to make your own bouquets for you and the bridesmaids. They have extraordinary fake flowers now that look as elegant and lovely as the real ones at a lot less money. Get your bridesmaids in on the crafting too; they are there to help you out. For the wedding decorations make those as well, use draping of crepe or sheer materials around the chairs and altar. Place beautiful arrangements you have made that match your color scheme all around the area for eye appeal. Sprinkle fragrant real flower petals down the aisle before you walk down it.
For the reception decorations, buy lovely linen tablecloths at your local discount store or make them from fabric from the craft store as well. These do not have to be high priced as the centerpieces and candles are going to add to them anyway. Set each table with a small bouquet of flowers in matching colors of your wedding and set candles within every table as well. The more candles there are the more romantic and elegant it will look. To save on wedding photography only have a few professional pictures taken during the ceremony, let everyone else be photographers of the day by adding 1-2 disposable cameras on every table. These actually turn out to get the best shots that aren’t all posed but true to life.
You also need a cake, find a local bakery and go introduce yourself to the baker, look over their designs and choose one that suits you and your fiancée. This is where the extra money you saved by doing the wedding planning yourself comes into play. The cake is one of the most important parts of the reception and the extra money should be used to choose your dream cake. This is the most special day in your lives after all.
As for the reception dinner your best bet is to have it catered by a local company that has great quality and tasting foods and have it buffet style, where everyone can choose what they would like instead of having to eat what they are given. Following these wedding planning tips will save you money and give you the dream wedding you have always wanted. So, congratulations and best wishes for your new future together as man and wife.
For more information please visit us at www.mgproduction.ca
While a traditional wedding in your hometown is wonderful for a multitude of reasons, many couples would rather opt for something more unique. One option is having a destination wedding. In recent years, destination weddings have become increasingly popular with some reports indicating that up to 20% of all weddings are now destination weddings.
A destination wedding is a wedding that takes place in an out-of-town location. Examples include a wedding on the beach in Mexico, a wedding aboard a luxury cruise ship or a wedding at a extravagant Caribbean resort. Virtually any place you can think of can host a destination wedding. Some couples have even decided to have their wedding underwater!
Destination weddings have many favorable aspects. You and your guests will never forget the experience of your wedding because it will be held in an exotic, out of the ordinary locale and serve as a vacation for everyone involved.
Because destination weddings have become so popular recently, many resorts now offer destination wedding packages, which include accommodations for the bride and groom, as well as all wedding ceremony and reception services, complete with a wedding coordinator. When you are planning a destination wedding, a wedding coordinator who is located in your destination is a necessity. Having someone who is familiar with the local vendors and resources in the area will make the wedding planning go much smoother than trying to handle the planning from a long distance.
Another great thing about a destination wedding is that it can help alleviate any family tensions that may exist in more traditional wedding planning. If the bride’s family wants the wedding to be in one location and the groom’s family wants the wedding to be at a different location, there is oftentimes family conflict and stress. With a destination wedding, you can offer both sides a unique compromise.
While a destination wedding can be an amazing experience, there is also a downside. With the average wedding cost in the United States estimated at over $30,000, certainly a destination wedding package will be considerably less for the bride and groom. However, there are still some monetary concerns.
If a couple decides to pay for the travel and accommodations for all their wedding guests, those costs can add up quickly. Because of this, the guest list for destination weddings tends to be much smaller than for other weddings. Also, if the couple cannot afford to contribute to the travel expenses for their wedding guests, many people may be forced to miss the wedding altogether if they do not having the funds necessary or time available to make the trip.
Another aspect about destination weddings that a bride may find difficult is her role in regards to the actual wedding planning will be significantly reduced. Because the bride does not live near the location of the wedding, she will have to have complete trust in the wedding coordinator to make the right decisions concerning vendors and other planning details. Some brides who love to micro-manage will find this situation impossible to deal with.
If you are getting married, consider all the positives and negatives of having a destination wedding. While a destination wedding isn’t right for many couples, it could be perfect for you.
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