When you begin to plan your wedding day, the chances are that you are working with a budget. (Darn it!) It doesn’t matter whether you have a thirty thousand dollars or three hundred thousand dollars, you need to carefully select vendors and partners that can help you stick to your budget. This is especially true when hiring a wedding planner. While you want your wedding day to be the best day of your life, you may not want to spend every dollar you’ve ever saved on it, or start your marriage in extreme debt. You need to be realistic when sticking to a budget and try to remember to choose the florist venue, baker, caterer, videographer, photographer, and band/dj that you connect with. And remember, just because something is expensive doesn’t mean that it is the best.
When selecting the vendors and partners that you work with for your wedding day, make sure that you do your due diligence. Check out their work online and on social media, read their reviews, and get “word of mouth” recommendations. Those rogue traders that pretend they are world class photographers can be easily spotted when you dig around and read past reviews. It can be nerve-wracking when you have so many different choices to sort out when building your vendor team. Take a look at how you can choose the best wedding day partners for you.
Photographer
When considering the photographer to document your big day, you need to think about the style of photography you want. The posed formal photographs of old, where guests have to mingle for an hour or more while the photographer calls different family groups for staged portraits, aren’t popular anymore. Instead, more candid documentary-style photography is favored. These photographers go out of their way to remain invisible so you don’t even know they are there. They are experts at capturing those moments that you don’t even see. The laughs, tears, dancing, joking, and speeches will be frozen in time by these artistic specialists.
When choosing your photographer, go for one that will allow you to meet for a free consultation first. Ask to see some of their work and see how you gel. If they are less than willing to show off their photos, they don’t have a website, and they won’t provide references, walk away. A photographer can offer add-ons such as a CD of all of the images taken, a photo album, and a large canvas print of your favorite shots.
Venue
When selecting the venue for your wedding, opt for somewhere that means something to you as a couple. You might be movie buffs and can think of nothing better than having your ceremony conducted in an art-house cinema. Or perhaps, you crave the outdoors and the allure of the beach destination weddings is too tempting. Or maybe, you want to stick close to tradition and get married in a church. You may have been dreaming about your ceremony for years, so don’t be afraid to call in the planners or specialists to help you find that perfect venue. You are only planning on getting hitched once, so make sure that you get it right.
Catering
When selecting your caterers, you must sample their food. Going in blind and choosing a caterer just because their food looks good on their website can be a mistake. Head onto their social media channels and take a look at the events that they have catered. If you are after a more rustic offering, go for a street food vendor complete with an achingly cool hog roast or Caribbean catering horse trailer. These authentic gastronomic offerings can make your wedding stand out and help you to serve food just that little bit different. These street food vendors can be perfect for receptions and more informal weddings. People can enjoy queuing up and sampling some incredible cuisine. It also gives you a chance to tap into your heritage or get all nostalgic with memories of your favorite dishes from your travels.
If you are after a more formal sit-down affair, consider meeting with the chefs at a hotel or venue and sampling their creations. You need to craft a menu that is balanced, not too heavy and that pleases everyone. If you have a guest with dietary requirements or allergies, you need to ensure that they are catered for. Many people choose to forego the shellfish or nuts if a guest is allergic because the reaction can be so severe.
Your wedding should be bespoke to you. Forget about going for the most expensive supplier or partner and do your research so that you are confident in the service being offered. Follow this guide and you can enjoy a stress-free wedding day.
XO,
Table 6