wedding vendors

How To Build a Vendor Team

Finding the right vendor for a certain things can be tough. Though there are countless decisions you will have to make while planning your wedding, selecting vendors you feel satisfied with can involve some of the more difficult choices. From the photographers to the catering team to the entertainers, you’ll be weighing a ton of service options for your big day. While the wedding might be centered on the love you share with your partner, the vendors you pick will make or break your event. The wrong crew could lead to disaster, while the right fit can exceed all your expectations. 

Picking quality vendors is specific to each service, but there are a few general rules you can apply to the entire search. Review these tips and feel confident in your decision.

Know Your Budget in Advance

The budget for your event is one of the more significant aspects to consider when it comes to picking vendors. If you’re not sure how much money you can spend on each service, you can’t actually move forward with any of the other steps in the process. Before you even research your options, you need to set a specific budget with your partner. Since you don’t know what each service costs on average, give yourself a range rather than a hard-and-fast number you must adhere to. 

Avoid Booking Without Seeing the Work

There are a number of ways you can be introduced to a vendor. Some couples are referred to professionals by friends and family members who have used the services in the past. Others pick out their teams based on internet research and the reviews posted by former clients.  No matter your preferred method of research, avoid a few key errors to select a team that meets your standards. Above all else, you should never book a vendor if you have not actually seen the work produced by the business. 

No matter the service, you should have some direct familiarity with the product to know what to expect. With a caterer, for example, you should eat some of the food in advance or you could discover you absolutely hate the dinner on your big day. Similarly, look through the body of work of photographers, florists and decorators in order to gain more insight into what these individuals can accomplish for you.

Feel Comfortable With Your Choice Of A Vendor

Though the services provided by the vendors matter most, there are a number of other elements that can dictate your decision. No matter how skilled a professional might be, you don’t want to wind up hiring someone you do not get along with. From bad attitudes and pretentious dispositions to a refusal to adhere to the couples’ wishes, there are many obstacles you might encounter when exploring vendor options. By meeting in person with each business before you make your decision, you’ll know if you’re hiring people you trust to get the job done.

Tune Others Out

Your wedding day belongs to you and your significant other. If you’re allowing friends or family members to hold too much influence over your choice of vendors, then you may not feel happy with the results. To avoid this, learn to tune out the voices of those looking to add some unsolicited input to your decision. Though gaining perspective through the help of others can be important in many areas of life, you should retain total control over elements of your wedding if you want to feel like the day belongs to you.

There are many fine points to remain mindful of when it comes to selecting the best vendors for your big day. As long as you play around with your options, you’ll have no trouble feeling confident that your wedding will go off without any issues.

Asking the Right Questions of Your Wedding Entertainment

Choosing the right wedding entertainment is key for your wedding. Thankfully, there are a few easy questions you can ask to make your journey a bit easier.

Choosing the right wedding entertainment is key for your wedding. Thankfully, there are a few easy questions you can ask to make your journey a bit easier.

Music plays a big part on the day of your wedding. From the tune that scores your walk down the aisle to the beats that get your guests up and dancing during the reception, the music you select for your big day is important. While you might know that picking the right wedding entertainment is a big deal, you might not know how to go about the process in the most efficient way. Thankfully, there are a few easy questions you can ask to make your journey a bit easier.

Look over some of these tips on how to interview potential candidates for your wedding entertainment. A little help may give you all the information you require for success.

Preliminary Discussions

There are many different methods you can use to find musical candidates for your wedding. These days, most people tend to search online in order to discover new and exciting options. When you browse the web for vendors, you often will run across the entertainers’ official websites. More often than not, the DJ or band you are researching will have audio or video samples on their sites to help potential clients get a better feel for the kind of entertainment provided. Listening can help you get a feel for a candidate’s style and musical preference.

Of course, there might be a handful of entertainers who do not provide any samples on their websites. If this is the case, then you need to reach out to the DJ or band and ask relevant questions. Ask them how they would describe their own styles, and see if their descriptions align with your musicical preferences. Another great option is taking a trip with your partner to watch this entertainer perform. This will give you a perfect idea of whether this is the right person for the job.

Equipment

After you’ve gotten a good feel for the style of the wedding entertainment you are considering, you want to get a bit more technical. At this point in your planning process, you most likely have an idea of what venue you will be using for your big day. Share this information with the entertainers you are thinking about using. For example, a small venue might have awkward acoustics, and a live band may need to bring additional equipment.

Musicians can play in almost any location, but most of them are going to need forewarning. Certain quirks can disrupt the way sound travels through a space. Allowing your entertainers to get a feel for the venue in advance can help to illuminate any potential issues the musicians might encounter. Having this information can help your band or DJ know what equipment to bring on the day of your wedding to avoid any sound-related snafus.

Wedding Entertainment Wish List

Finally, you absolutely want to discuss your playlist with your wedding entertainment. It is likely that you want them to play a few specific songs. Maybe your family has a personal connection to “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas and the Papas. Make sure your entertainer can play it when the mood is right. Discuss your personal requests in advance with your musicians. This allows a cover band plenty of time to learn the tune, and it gives a DJ a chance to find a digital copy of the track he or she can spin.

Without music, most weddings would not be nearly as exciting to attend. Tunes and beats set a mood, and the right tracks when it’s time to dance can help your guests have a great time. Choosing the right entertainers for your big day is all about taking your time, doing proper research, and selecting the best pick based on your personal criteria.