HOW TO FIND YOUR PERFECT WEDDING VENDORS
You are going to quickly find out that there are a lot of wedding vendors who are all eager to work with you. The truth is, choosing the perfect wedding vendor is a lot like finding the perfect spouse – perfection is hard to find, it takes time and patience, but your hard work will definitely pay off in the end.
To help you with the process, newlywed brides weighed in with their top suggestions on how they found their perfect vendors. These are presented in no particular order.
(not sure how to start your wedding planning? read this article for helpful suggestions on where to begin)
GOOGLE SEARCH
“Google search to find local vendors, and then check the reviews of the vendors you narrow down”
Localized search keywords, such as “[YOUR CITY] wedding planner”, were the most commonly used ones here, according to the newlyweds we heard from. Other popular keyword searches included ‘best reviews’, ‘award winning’, and ‘top wedding planner’.
Not to be overlooked, though, is doing Google Image searches. This can be a faster way to find someone whose style matches yours.
OTHER PEOPLE’S WEDDING PHOTOS
“This may sound creepy, but we looked through people’s wedding photos on facebook”
If someone is happy with their wedding images, and they share them for all the (facebook) world to see, that seems like a great testimonial for their vendor, right? It may be a little weird looking at some strangers’ entire wedding album online, but c’mon we’ve all done it and it’s a great way to check out real work, and not just fancy polished portfolios.
“For inspiration and ideas, Pinterest became my best friend!”
Pinterest can be both your best and worst planning tool – best for ideas, worst for setting crazy high expectations. But there is no denying the fact that it makes finding inspiration incredibly easy. Creating boards of your ideas, or from companies whose work you love, can be a great source for finding your perfect vendor.
“I used a lot of Pinterest boards to help get an idea of what I liked and how that could translate to my wedding. I then created a mood board that I used to guide me through the rest of the planning.”
REFERRALS
“Our photographer was recommended by a close friend, and we knew a few people who had attended weddings at our venue and they all had great things to say about it.”
Real world experience with vendors is still a tried and true method of finding a perfect vendor. Ask your friends and co-workers who they have worked with. Ask to see examples of the work they produced. Hearing first hand what it was like to work with a vendor is wonderful information. Though take it all with a grain of salt – what you are looking for may differ from what your friends or co-workers were looking for.
MEET IN PERSON
“My husband and I chose people that were like-minded to us. People that we would want to grab a beer with, and would have an accurate reflection as to what we wanted for our day.”
Meeting your vendors in person is simply the best way to find out if you will get along well. In some cases, you will spend more time with your vendor than you will with your family and guests on the wedding day. Once you have narrowed down your list, schedule a meeting in person if possible, or via skype/facetime if not.
“Instagram. End of story.”
Yes, Instagram works incredibly well. Following a few local hashtags (‘[YOUR CITY] wedding planner’, for example) will show you who is active, whose style you are drawn to, and even a bit about their personality. Plus, you can see their active portfolio by looking at their grid of images. It’s a fantastic way to see who’s doing great work in your area.