tips & advice
Tips for Working with Wedding Vendors
When planning a wedding, couple’s spend a great deal of time and effort finding the perfect wedding vendors to fit their style and budget. They get referrals from friends, search the Web and bridal magazines, and make many appointments to personally meet with the vendors. Despite all the research that goes into hiring a photographer, DJ or florist, some couples find themselves unhappy with the end results. There are, however, ways to make sure you get what is expected and walk away from your wedding day satisfied with the professionals you choose.
Couples have easy access to a wide variety of wedding vendors through the Web where they can hear samples of music, view cake designs and compare rates online. Nancy and Bob Fauci of Music Fantasy Professional DJ Service of North Hampton, however, encourage couples interested in their service to meet with them rather than simply choose them based on their web site’s information. Nancy says, “Not all couples want to meet with us. Many couples inquire on line now and expect to do business strictly by email - they should always be willing to at least have an initial phone conversation.” Since you’ll be working with these people for several months you want to have a good report with your vendors, and the only way to determine that is meet them in person.
Sue Lojko of The Wedding Photographers in Rye says it’s important for couples to “do their homework” before meeting with vendors. In the case of photographers, you want to have detailed questions prepared such as what type of camera do they use and will you get full copyrights to the negative or digital images. Vendors expect many questions and if you run into one who is uncomfortable answering them, think twice about hiring that person.
Referrals are another important item you should also ask for from your vendors. Glowing testimonials are nice but you really want to speak with someone to get an honest assessment of the vendor. Obviously you will be put in touch with couples happy with the service, but make sure to ask questions to see if there is anything they would change, even if it’s something small. It might end up being a big deal for you.
In most cases, months and months of preparation go into planning your wedding on the part of your wedding professionals. Your initial meeting with a vendor will help them plan their schedules, and those schedules are very tight. Once you’ve made decisions with your vendors, it’s a good idea not to change things, at least not at the last minute. Amy Mastronardi of Hippie Chick Bakery in Kensington had only one instance when things did not work out between her and a bride. It was when a bride called two days prior to the wedding to change the color theme of the cake. Amy’s design, materials and time frame had to be altered drastically and unfortunately, ended in Amy rushing to create a cake that usually takes months in advance to plan.
There is a great deal of competition in today’s wedding market. “Make sure to get two or three quotes before deciding on a vendor,” suggests Cedar Rain Gordon of Exeter Rent-All in Exeter. Although you should not choose a vendor on price alone, it’s a good idea to compare rates and more importantly, “compare service”, says Cedar. Wedding professionals do what they do because they have a passion for their work. Their ultimate goal is a happy bride and groom so why not work with ones who are enthusiastic and committed to making your day as special as it can be. Have your questions and checklist’s ready and you’re on your way to a beautiful wedding.
Kristina Hathaway is the owner of New Hampshire WEDDING Magazine, Website & Bridal Shows. She can be reached at kristina@nhweddingmagazine.com.