Narrowing down your wedding dream team is meant to be an exciting part of the wedding planning process. With so many amazingly talented and creative event purveyors out there, you want to make sure you’re selecting pros that not only fit your wedding aesthetic, but compliment your personal taste. To guarantee you’re working with a supportive and thoughtful selection of vendors, jot these questions down before your next big meeting. xoxo, SMP Blogger Bride Amelia
AVAILABILITY: When thinking of hiring a wedding planner, after you inquire about the availability of your wedding date, it’s important to ask about the most challenging wedding they’ve planned and how they handled the issues that popped up. You want to make sure your wedding vendors have strong problem solving skills.
EXPERIENCE: If you’re planning on having a larger wedding, ask certain vendors (wedding planner, venue, catering, etc) if they’ve worked with a party of your size. It’s also helpful to know if they’ve worked with your type of budget before.
PORTFOLIO: When meeting with any type of wedding vendor you should always ask to see their portfolio and a list of references. You’ll be able to get a sense of their aesthetic from past weddings and figure out if their style will be a good fit for the venue and your taste.
RESTRICTIONS: When looking for a venue, make sure to inquire about the restrictions for the space. Do they allow candles, balloons, sparklers, etc.? If any of these details are extremely important to you then you may want to rethink this particular venue option.
BACK-UP PLANS: If you plan on having an outdoor wedding, I’d recommend asking your potential wedding vendors to describe how they’ve handled an event with unfortunate weather conditions. It’s important to know how they would resolve this type of dilemma.
FEES: Before signing a contract, make sure to ask if their is a service charge on top of the bill and if so, how much will it cost.
SCHEDULE: Don’t forget to ask how many wedding/event clients the vendor will be working with during the month and weekend of your wedding. Will they be swamped in the months leading up to your Big Day or will they be able to give you a solid amount of attention?
FINE PRINT: Although this question may seem very basic, it’s important to ask for a list of every detail that is included in the vendor fee before you sign the contract.
COMMUNICATION: It’s important to hire vendors that have similar communication styles, if you’re the type of bride that wants to finalize details early in your engagement, then you should search for vendors who share that similar goal.
DAY-OF: Make sure to inquire about whether or not the exact vendor will be at your wedding. Some vendors hire day of help or will send assistants to work your wedding, if they have more than one obligation on that date.
Photography: Cambria Grace Photography | Location: Twelve Chairs Boston