Booking Your Wedding Vendors
It’s ENGAGEMENT SEASON! And my Facebook and Instagram feed has been blowing up with newly blinged out left hands on all these beautiful ladies! What a memorable season for you!
When the realization hits that it’s time to start looking at wedding vendors that’ll bring your day together, many Brides will be confused and some even frustrated on where to start. Even more so if they don’t have any friends or family that have recently planned their own wedding. So here’s a blog post for you ladies! This post is going to give you, in the most important order, the booking order of your wedding vendors!
Venue
This is the ONE Wedding Vendor that (I believe) is at the center of choosing your date. Many, many, many Brides, including myself, pick the venue before having the date set in stone. It’s always a bonus when the venue that you love has your date open, but save yourself some heartache going into your consultation with an open mind on dates if you absolutely LOVE this venue.
Wedding Planner
If you’re a Bride who wants to have a stress free day and wants to avoid any and all decisions on the wedding day, a Wedding Planner is exactly who you should book next. Depending on the package that you book, you could have a Planner that takes care of every aspect of your planning! From the contracts to knowing when your vendors need to be paid! Or, you could simply hire someone to set up the day and come back at the end of the evening to tear everything down. My favorite kind of wedding planner is the Day of Coordinator! They are at your disposal (typically) 30 days before your wedding and will spend all day with you on your wedding day! When you hire a Day of Coordinator, they handle all the tasks of the day. This allows you to be fully present on your wedding day. You’re not worrying about the cupcakes for the cake table, or where the unplugged sign is for the ceremony.
Does your venue have a venue coordinator and you’re wondering if you need another planner? Click this link to read the difference between the two!
Wedding Photographer
Call me biased, but your Wedding Photographer should be the next vendor that you need to at least be in contact with. It’s the person that you will spend more time with then your soon-to-be husband and the person documenting your wedding day. You want to make sure that their style is exactly what you’re looking for.
Wedding Dress
So even though purchasing a wedding dress has nothing to do with your wedding vendors, I think it’s important to note this step in your planning process. This is something that a lot of Brides do right after that beautiful diamond is on their left hand. And i’ll be the first admit, I had my wedding dress ordered before any of my vendors had their retainers. This is something that you don’t want to wait until the last minute to start shopping for. If you buy from a Boutique it could take up to 5 months for your dress to come in, plus the time it’ll take for any alterations and your bustle. While you’re at the dress shop, it doesn’t hurt to take a look at Bridesmaid dresses and start talking with your maids when would be a good time to schedule an appointment for them to try on dresses.
Click here for a list of boutique wedding shops in Northeast Ohio!
Videographer
I’m a firm believer that Brides need video of their wedding day. Video goes you something that photos can not give you, and that’s sound and motion. There’s nothing more amazing then HEARING you say your vows, or see your Husband wipe away that tear that escaped his eye. Amazing videographers are going to book quick, just like photographers. Here’s a blog post from Workshed Weddings about video on the wedding day for you to read.
Florist
I personally found it super helpful to book my Florist AFTER I had my wedding dress ordered because my florist, Bouquet Studio, did the designing on my bouquet based on the style of my dress. Which is another reason why if you’re in Northeast Ohio, you need to contact Amy to discuss her designing your flowers for the big day! Keep in mind that certain flowers will only be available during certain seasons. So if you’re dead set on having Peonies for your December wedding, your florist can make that happen, but it’s going to cost a pretty penny!
Caterer
Your guests need to eat, right? Well now is the time to start thinking about who you’ll hire to feed your guests. The price for dinner can vary greatly, and if you have an open bar, be prepared to take out a second loan if you have a lot of guests. A catering bill can easily be half of your wedding expense.
Music
Whether you’re wanting a DJ, live band, or someone who sits in a corner and plays the guitar and takes any and all song requests, there’s no better time than now to start asking friends for their recommendations on the entertainment for the party!
There are still other Wedding Vendors you may want to book, but when it comes to the most important vendors, this is how I rank them in their importance.
Keep in mind that booking these wedding vendors can be done in any and all order, and it’s also important to think about how much time you have before the big day. If you’re planning your wedding and have 18 months, booking these wedding vendors doesn’t need to be rushed. However, if you’re a go-getter, hate waiting, and decided to have a wedding ASAP, you need to start contacting all these wedding vendors ASAP. If you picked a popular month to get married in (June/October) start with a top three for each category of Vendors because chances are, two of the three wedding vendors will be booked for your date. Unless you’re having a Tuesday wedding, then the chances are pretty good that your top vendor is open for your date!
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If you found this post helpful, be sure to pin the photo below to your wedding board on Pinterest
