The excitement you feel on the run-up to your wedding day is as sensational as it is unique, and it’s only natural to want everyone involved in planning your special day to feel as passionately about it as you do. Most people who work in the wedding industry do so because they love it, so it shouldn’t be hard to share the excitement. But if you’re concerned about bonding with your suppliers and need a little reassurance that you’ve chosen correctly, here are some surefire signs that your wedding vendors are passionate about their jobs.
They are expert communicators
Wedding planning is stressful enough without having to play catch-up with your vendors. Any professional who’s worth your time and money will require minimal chasing, provide regular updates, and be upfront about their fees, policies and contingency plans. When communicating with your vendors, you should feel prioritised and valued as a customer – not left wondering if they received your last email or if they are, in fact, booked.
How your wedding suppliers communicate with both you and each other should be professional and personable. If so, their confidence will naturally reassure you of their abilities and you should be able to trust them to hold up their end of arrangements and logistics. The events industry is a fun and creative one, so many professionals in this space are friendly and laid back – which is great, so long as they are also dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s where it counts.
They understand your vision
After explaining your key values and the main theme of your day, good wedding vendors will naturally be able to align themselves with your vision. Having hosted similar events or themes before, they’ll instinctively know what you’ll love and work with you to expand on your ideas until you have built something even more beautiful than you had first envisioned.
Don’t be afraid to meet multiple vendors and discuss your ideas – the right one will run with your thoughts and your wedding will become a passion project for you both. Whether you want a swinging brass band, a show-stopping live performance or a classically popular DJ experience, be open to suggestions and trust their professional opinion around what would work best for your chosen space, guest list and theme. Keep looking around until you find a vendor who makes you feel heard and like they are genuinely excited about the ideas for your wedding.
They have great reviews
Reviews don’t lie – if your vendor has a list a mile long of previous clients who cannot stop shouting about how amazing their services were, you know you came to the right place. That isn’t to say you should rule out new or small businesses though, just be sure to ask around to get a feel for how others have found working with them.
Often, wedding professionals will recommend each other and have working relationships whereby they tend to supply specific venues routinely. This can be brilliant for hiring suppliers who know what works best for your space and how the typical structure of a wedding there runs, but be sure you aren’t railroaded into choosing from a small pool of vendors just because your venue or other supplier will gain from it. Any professional wedding venue will be open to you working with whoever makes your day perfect, regardless of their own agenda.
They are a team player
That said, weddings do take a team of dedicated professionals to be able to run seamlessly. You need to be able to trust all of your vendors to work together and collaborate in order to execute your day perfectly. This is one reason to choose a selection of familiar suppliers, but it should apply regardless of who you choose.
The task of coordinating all of the professionals involved in your wedding usually falls to the wedding planner, who you need to be able to trust completely to avoid being stressed out on your big day. A passionate wedding planner is proactive, enthusiastic and responsive to your queries, ideas and concerns. Of course, the same flawless schedule is achievable sans planner, it just requires a little more organisation on your part.
If you’re on the fence when it comes to choosing your vendors, ask yourselves the following questions to gauge if they’re the right fit for you.
Are they responsive, engaged and patient?
Are they willing to be flexible and cater to your vision?
Do they speak positively of other vendors and seem to have good working relationships with them?
Do you feel that they are proactive, organised and generally on top of things with their work?
Ultimately, choosing the right wedding vendors is a lot like choosing the right life partner – it comes down to a feeling in your gut. With these tips in mind, have fun immersing yourself in the world of wedding planning and watch your dreams come true.