BUILD YOUR DREAM VENDOR TEAM

Hiring a team of trusted vendors for your wedding day is so important! Once you book your venue and secure your date, your next steps might seem a little daunting- booking your vendor team!

I recommend starting with the most important vendors to you! For me personally, it was floral and photography. However, do not forget to reach out to vendors in each category as dates do book up pretty quickly! Here are vendors to keep in mind, as well as the steps I would take to ensure you book a vendor that is the best fit for you. I would prioritize this list in order of the vendors that are most important to you. This will help figure out who you should book first, and how you can budget if you can't afford to hire each of these vendors. By doing this, you wil be able to maximize your budget and have the vendors you want most!

Vendors to keep in mind:

• Wedding planner or coordinator

• Catering

• Bakery

• Floral

• Photography

• Videography

• Officiant

• Entertainment: Whether that be live music for ceremony, band for reception, and/or DJ

• Hair and Makeup

• Rental items 

• Stationary and signage

• Transportation if necessary
  

Step 1- Research:

Start by researching! I previously mentioned that your venue may have a a preferred vendor list. While this list is pretty standard at venues, each venue has different rules in regards to their list. Sometimes this means the venues only allow you to work with vendors from that list, while for others it is a recommendation of vendors who they have previously worked with and loved. Unless you have vendors in mind, these lists are a great place to start because they know your venue and would work with their staff well. Some venues have exclusive caterers, or a catering list. I would book catering the same time you book a venue.

Step 2- Reach out:

Reach out and schedule inquiry calls with each vendor. I would recommend that both you and your fiance are on the call. These calls are so important! They allow you time with that vendor to get to know them and understand what they offer. Go into the call with an open mind and an understanding of what you are looking for from the vendor. For example, we wanted a specific style of photography, so we researched portfolios to see whose style reflected our vision. When going into these calls, we knew what we wanted, but we also had an open mind and let the photographers share their vision as they spoke about working at the venue we chose. It is super important to share your vision with each vendor and let them interpret how they would implement that on your wedding day so that you are on the same page prior to booking.

Step 3- Book :

Once you speak with each vendor and confirm they have your date available, talk through each option with your fiance. There are so many great vendors who are insanely talented, but what is most important is the connection you feel with them. We had to make some hard decisions, but ultimately we trust our vendor team to execute our vision and wedding day!

Vendors are amazing and truly love what they do! As vendors, we feel genuinely lucky to be apart of your special day. I hope you find the perfect team of vendors for YOU. I certainly feel way better about my wedding knowing that it is in perfectly good hands!

*These incredible photos from Celia Rawson Photography are from a recent vendor social we hosted.