Checking Off Your Wedding Vendors List | Shopping
Hi, Nearly-weds! Susan Southerland here. Today I’m going to help you check off the most important items on your wedding vendors list. This is a critical part of the Shopping Phase of creating your wedding planning timeline.
Deciding when and who to hire for your wedding may seem like an uncomplicated issue. Find someone you want, sign a contract, and pay a deposit. Done!
While this is true, there’s a bit more to it than that. There are three specific steps I follow to make sure the Shopping Phase goes smoothly so my couples get the wedding vendors they want.
THREE STEPS TO COMPLETE YOUR WEDDING VENDORS LIST
- Choose the venue(s). The very first thing you need to do is decide on your ceremony and reception site(s). The ceremony site availability will determine what time your ceremony will start. The reception site will determine what your overall budget will need to be. Knowing your timing for the wedding day and how much you can spend on each service will allow you to make the best decisions on the rest of your wedding vendors.
- Know when to make sure you’re exclusive. For some wedding services, you should hire vendors who only do one wedding at a time. Examples of these wedding vendors are photographers, videographers, entertainment (band, DJ, ceremony musicians, etc.), officiants, and stylists. You want to make sure your first vendor choices are available. The longer you wait to make these decisions, the more likely those vendors are to be booked.
- Know when to hire vendors who do multiple events in a day. Sometimes you need a versatile vendor with a larger team. Examples of these wedding vendors are caterers (if the food isn’t being provided by the reception site), florists, rental vendors, decorators, stationers, wedding gown salons, tuxedo providers, and transportation. A word of caution: if you’re planning to custom-order your wedding gown or bridesmaids dresses, be aware that some designers have a months-long waiting period for your gown to be shipped. If you have your heart set on a particular designer, get started on that as soon as possible!
By following these steps, you should have an easy time checking off your wedding vendors list. It’s a sure way you’ll get to work with the vendors you want and not suffer the disappointment of them being booked.
LEARN MORE ABOUT WEDDING VENDORS
If you’d like more tips about hiring and working with wedding vendors, check out our posts Pros v. Cons: Hiring Your Own Wedding Vendors, How to Interview Wedding Vendors, and Top 25 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Reception Site.
For more specifics about when to hire your wedding vendors, download our free wedding planning checklist here:
JOIN THE JUST MARRY! FAMILY
Interested in learning more about our wedding planning services or have more questions about your wedding vendors list? We’re here to help! E-mail us at info@justmarry.com and a member of our team will get back to you right away. We’d love to welcome you into the Just Marry! family!
Checking Off Your Wedding Vendors List | Shopping
