HOW TO PICK YOUR WEDDING VENDORS

Where to Find Vendors

Social media

When looking for wedding vendors, I always recommend going to social media first. A lot of finding wedding vendors is, well, looking. Looking on Instagram, looking on Facebook, looking for websites, etc.

Locations and hashtags

Finding vendors through locations is a great option, especially if you’ve already found your venue, or venues you are considering. Look for the people who have already worked or hosted events (especially weddings) at the location. You can look through hashtags, or, if the vendor, couple, or guests have checked in at that location, through geotags. So, if, for instance, you are looking for a Virginia wedding photographer, search the hashtag Virginia wedding photographer (#virginiaweddingphotographer, #virginiaweddingphotography, #vaweddingphotographer.. you get the idea!) and you will find hundreds of potential people. You can also do a simple image or keyword search on social media– but, that can quickly become overwhelming.

Tagged posts and photos

It‘s easy to go through a tagged photo rabbit hole! If you already found a vendor that you like, you should check out the tags on their social media profiles to see who they’ve worked with, and, more importantly, who they’ve come back to work with again and again (hint: that means they probably like working with them!) It’s easy to do this by going to the “tags” section on their social media, or just scrolling through and seeing who they’ve tagged in their own posts.

Hint: keep track of what you find!

Again, it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of check-ins, tags, and tagged images, so make sure you keep track of people as you go so you don’t lose vendors who you’ve found and liked. Folders with screenshots and lists are essential for keeping track of all the info you’re going to find out there. There’s nothing more frustrating than tracking down the PERFECT vendor…. and…. losing their info. Because, let’s face it: wedding planning is very fun, but it can also feel a bit like work, and you don’t want to lose out on your hard-earned vendor finds!

Social media is a great tool for finding wedding vendors, because it helps you get a feel for personalities, values, work, and client-interactions. I love finding other vendors through social media because it paints a fuller picture of their business and practices than a website can. That being said, don’t totally write off websites; websites are another great place to find specific info on vendors once you’ve found them.

Blogs and vendor search websites

The next place I’d recommend can finding vendors are on wedding blogs and vendor finding websites. If you know a wedding blog that you really like, you can go onto their website, their blog, their instagram, or feature pages. You can find a lot of really awesome vendors through those featured things and external social media. I’d also recommend checking out centralized vendor websites like Wedding Wire or The Knot; these are essentially databases of vendor work where they can share their work and you can communicate with them. Once you’ve found a few you like, it’s time to look at their professional media.

What to do when you find vendors you like

Check out their blogs and website

Once you’ve found someone you’re interested in working with and have totally stalked them on social media and their blog, it’s time to check out their website. On social media, you’ll see more about their day to day lives, how they interact with other people, what they post about what they like, this is where you get a lot of their personality. If you vibe with that, the website is the next step. This is where you can see more information about their pricing, their experience, their workflows, and everything else that goes into their business. We usually design our websites with our professional image in mind; i’s very tailored experience. If they have a blog, I highly highly, highly recommend checking that out for several reasons. Number one, you can see what type of work they do. On blogs, you can get the sense of how they’ll spend a full wedding day and the work that goes with, whereas on social media, you might have to scroll through tons of portraits to find what you want. You’ll be able to see how they talk about their clients, what excites them on their blog, or if they’re giving out education for you. That’s something to really note. You want people that are caring about you, as a client, in every way, and a blog is a great way to do that. Make sure that blog is active and constantly updating otherwise, it’s a bit of a turnoff.

Reach out!

Alright, so the next thing you do is if you find them, love their social media, love their website, and love their blog, contact them! They probably have a contact form on their website; go ahead and fill that out. They’ll likely want to guide you from there. At this point, they’ll probably walk you through their pricing, procedures, and contracts They might want to get you on a phone call or a Zoom call, or meet up with them and get to know each other. Client vendor relationships are super important, and getting to know your vendor will help you nboth to get the most out of the experience!

How to pick your wedding venues during COVID when you can’t meet face-to-face.

As always, social media stalk, do the website blog stalk and then reach out to them. This is where it’s a bit different.

Meet up…. virtually!

If this is a venue, ask for a FaceTime tour or, if possible, if you can have a safe social-distancing tour. Otherwise, I like to meet all my potential covered couples on Zoom meetings or over the phone. I love meeting clients face-to-face to just talk– at a coffee shop, or in a park, but in COVID times, Zoom is easier and safer for social distancing. And, bonus– no masks required. It’s great to see and talk to the couple as close to in-person as possible.

Get as much virtual content as you can.

When meeting with your vendor, be a savvy client: ask if they have videos and photos of their work. Even if you can’t do a live FaceTime, try to get a video tour of of the venue or video or photo samples to get a sense of how the vendor works. Seeing spaces in 3D, or work in its final form, can be so helpful for planning. Don’t be tied to your email– so much is happening through email right now! Be considerate that your vendors have other clients, but set reasonable expectations for communication for yourself, and for your potential vendors. This will give you a sense of their communication habits, and if they match your needs as clients.

How to choose between equally talented vendors

It’s all about who you vibe with.

Okay, I know we are there are a lot of really awesome vendors out there. Sometimes it’s really hard to narrow it down! So, here are a few tips.

1: Reviews

Look at reviews. See how their clients talk about them how excited they are, if they’ve had good experiences with them.

2: Investigate how they talk about their work

Look at the the words that the vendors use. How did they talk anout their work, their clients, their cowworkers? How do they write? What did they show? How did they talk about the experience and everything else?

3: Compare styles

Go with what fits your style and wedding vibe. If you really like one photographer, but they aren’t exactly what you’re feeling, find someone who already makes the type of work you’re looking for. It’s all about fit.

4: Compare client experience

Look to see if they have an experience. Are they someone that will walk you through step by step, and help you through everything? Is that what you’re looking for from a vendor? What experience do they have working with weddings, and working with clients? That’s something that might be a bit harder to find on their website or blog, so don’t hesitate to ask this over email or video chat. It’s important that you find someone who can clearly articulate their plan to make sure it vibes with yours. Clarity is key.

Last, and most importantly

5: Go with the vendor whose personality matches your own.

If you’re going to be working with your wedding vendors over a year, and spend the most important day or your life with, you need to be working with someone who you can be friends with, talk to, and can honestly vibe with over everything. If their work is beautiful, the price is right, and everything seems right, but you just like you can’t talk to them, do not go with them. Find someone that you love and can be in communication with all the time. You’ll both be so much happier that way.

How to turn down vendors (that have invested time in you!)

First and foremost, please, please, please, please, please respond to vendors, especially when you choose not to use them! It is literally the worst feeling in the world when we get really excited we hop on a call with you and we think it goes really really well, and we reach out and then we hear no response. Most of us aren’t big businesses with dozens and dozens of clients and employees, so individual bookings mean a lot! It’s often of just us or a small team and so whenever you’re talking to someone it can be very personal. We do get rejected– or just don’t get the booking– all the time. It’s part of the job, and we are used to it. But, it just helps so, so much to know where we stand. If you respond back and just be honest with us, and tell us, for example, if we’re out of your price range or if our style is in it or just someone else vibe with you better, we will be okay. Just be kind, and considerate of vendors’ time, and they will not take it (too) personally.

How to turn down friends that are vendors

Start by being honest.

This is important, and you need to do it early. They might assume you’re hiring them, and are waiting for the call, when you know what they offer just doesn’t fit you. This can be hard, but you’re not obligated to hire someone who doens’t do the work that you need. It’s important that you don’t leave them hanging, saving the date, when you don’t plan to hire them. Please be honest and upfront. Just tell them tell them why you don’t feel like it will work: if your style is different, or if the price is not in your range, or you just want them to come as your friend and guest. It might be hard at first to have that conversation, but I can’t stress the importance of being upfront about this. They will be okay with it. I promise, it will be fine in the end. It’s so so important that you’re hiring exactly who you need. Sometimes, friends just don’t fit you or your wedding as professionals. Let them know you want them as a guest, and value them– you’re just going with someone else. Like any vendor, they’ll understand. Yes, really.

You’ve got this.

Picking your wedding vendors may be a stressful and exciting time, but it’s really fun. Once you pick and book one vendor, it can be easy for the rest to fall into place. You can ask them for recommendations of vendors, or websites, and they’ll likely have ideas! Many keep a list. Once couples book me, I give them my own list of preferred vendors, including I give them florists and DJs, and everything else. You don’t have to do all the reserch yourself! Ask for recommendations from the vendors you already have, from the vendors that you’re talking to, and, of course, from friends who’ve already had weddings! You don’t have to do this alone; for vendors, wedding planning is literally our whole life! It can be super fun, but it can also be really stressful, so don’t hesitate to ask for help from the pros. You’ve got this! Good luck!