Over the course of planning your wedding, you’ll work extremely closely with your wedding vendors. They play such a crucial role in making your wedding day a success and you want to ensure these relationships are good ones. Our advice on how to best work with them is pretty straight forward… just be nice to your vendors. Plain and simple. Just be nice! Here are our top tips on how to do just that!
Trust them.
Let your vendors do their job and try not to dictate too much. Of course, you’ll have certain wishes, which you should absolutely express. But a vendor might come up with a beautifully wonderful and unique idea that you hadn’t thought of. Let them be creative and be open to new suggestions and ideas. After all, you did hire them for a reason.
Be on time.
Both to appointments and with your payments. Be respectful of their time by arriving for meetings when you say you will. Moreover, submit your payments when, or better yet before, they are due. Make a vendor’s life easier by not making them harass you for money.
Be patient.
Don’t freak out if they don’t respond to an email right away. In most cases, 24 – 48 hours is an acceptable time frame to get back to someone. But sometimes this isn’t always possible. If you reach out to a vendor on a Thursday or Friday, they’ll likely be prepping for that weekend’s workload and too busy to respond right away. Be patient and remember that yours isn’t the only wedding they are working on.
Feed them.
Brides, please stop asking this question. Yes, you must feed your vendors. At least the ones who will be with you all day or at the reception (i.e. photographer, videographer, DJ). They are working hard for you and need to be refueled. So make sure you supply them with a bona fide meal that will allow them to stay full and focused.
Sing their praises.
If your vendor did a great job, let other brides know. Leave glowing reviews on sites where your vendor advertises and help spread the word about them. Before hiring someone new, many couples will read what others have to say about them. So these reviews mean a lot to vendors. If you had a good experience, say so!
Mail them a thank you card.
Go the extra mile and send them a handwritten note post-wedding. Not only will it show your gratitude in a sincere and personal way, but it will just make them feel down right awesome. Who doesn’t love knowing their work was appreciated? Better yet, who doesn’t love getting pretty mail?
Any other tips? Vendors, any advice for brides on how they can work best with you?
