The phrase “it takes a village to plan a wedding” is so true! Sure, you and your Other Half will oversee all the key items, but you will rely on the help of your trusted wedding supplier team. And that’s why we’re here to help you choose suppliers for your wedding. After all, they are the ones who will bring your wedding dreams to life!
Not sure where to even begin when you choose suppliers for your wedding? We’re here to give you all the details…
Budget and guest number first!
Before you even start searching for suppliers, it’s important to set a budget and have an idea of how many guests you’d like to invite to your Big Day. The last thing you want is to set your eyes on the perfect wedding venue, only to find out that it’s way outside your budget or can’t accommodate the guests you’ve already sent Save the Dates to!
Determine your must-haves
Sit down with your Other Half and create a list of all your must-haves, so you can easily differentiate between them and what you’d consider ‘bonuses’. Your must-haves can include the suppliers you absolutely must hire (we recommend beginning with your venue, photographer, planner and band). If gorgeous flowers are a must-have for you, add them to your list! If live music isn’t your thing, you can put that lower down on the list or remove it completely.
Start searching!
This is where you can begin to find your dream wedding suppliers:
- Internet searches: Be specific and search for exactly what you’re looking for, like ‘Surrey wedding florist’.
- Recommendations: Ask your friends who have recently been married if they have any recommendations! If you have booked any of your suppliers yet, ask them too.
- Supplier directories: This is a fabulous place to look for suppliers by category.
- Blog posts and magazines: Take the time to read wedding articles and make note of the suppliers whose work you love.
- Wedding fairs: Bonus, you’ll get to meet suppliers face to face!
Make an enquiry
Your first step is to make enquiries!
This is what you should share with suppliers: Your name, contact information, date, venue (if you have one) or location, the service or product you are interested in, a brief overview of your wedding day.
And this is what you should ask for: Their availability, prices and packages, the terms and conditions (including how to book them, deposit information and cancellation policy).
Schedule an appointment
We highly recommend meeting up in person if that’s possible, but if there’s one thing lockdown has taught us, Zoom is an option too! An face-to-face appointment is a great opportunity to talk through the items you’ve found out through your enquiry. Added to that, you can also find out more about whether or not your personalities mesh.
Stalk them online
I mean… research them online. Take a look at photos of their work, check out their social media and look for testimonials. Their online presence will tell you more about what they’ve done and how much of an industry expert they are. Testimonials are a fantastic way of seeing what other couples thought of their work (take note that after your wedding, you should pay it forward and leave testimonials of your own!).
Make your choice
Make a shortlist of the suppliers you love (try limiting yourself to two or three) and then choose the one you’d like to hire! Make a list of what is important to you and then determine which supplier ticks the boxes. Don’t choose somebody based purely on price!
Once you’ve made your choice, break the good news to the supplier you’ve chosen and be sure to get all the agreements and details in writing.