How to Deal with Wedding Suppliers: Part 1
Hi Guys,
I am back with more wedding talk! As promised on my Instagram recently I am going to talk to you about the importance of healthy relationship between you & your wedding suppliers.
I am going to break it down under each supplier and highlight what to look out for. As we want our big day to be THE perfect day of our lives, and each one of us looks at things differently, you are more than welcome to pop down your opinions in the comments section at the bottom of the article.
This is quite lengthily article, so grab a cuppa and enjoy!
PHOTOGRAPHER
When choosing a photographer you need to pick someone whose work best matches your personal sense of style and whose work reflects what you really are about. When reviewing their work, straight away you should be able to tell if this is type of scenery/theme/style that best matches your expectations.
For example, as I am getting married abroad I don't get to meet most of my suppliers; I have to trust my wedding planners when they send me files and files of suppliers and I chose them based on the paperwork. When I started looking over some of their work, those photographers who used sharp lines, strong colors, heavy materials did not appeal to me. As I am quite petite and my style is very "girly" and soft and the wedding is on the beach, harsh lines and lots of reds and blacks in the pictures did not appeal to me and I felt it did not express me and my partner.
However when I came across the work of Mara Sul - the photographer I chose in the end, I immediately knew this is it! His work appealed to me, it felt like i was looking at photographs of someone I knew and I immediately pictured myself instead of the couples in the photos. They are rustic with soft colors, yet portray summer perfectly.
What's also important is that when you meet the photographer, don't be afraid to have number of photographs with you and show him/her what type of photographs you'd like taken on the day. I constantly screenshot pictures and wedding ideas I come across online whether it's on Pinterest or other social media sites.
Below you can see one of the photographs I am absolutely in love with I believe I found it on Pinterest, it is my ultimate wedding photograph goal, however I absolutely despise the idea of wearing a veil so this will just have to be an inspiration for others :-(
I am also a huge fan of taking photos of the wedding outfits prior to the ceremony when they are in their immaculate state.
VIDEOGRAPHER
When it comes to videographers you are best to go for someone recommended by a friend or family member. These days with so much advanced technology, what you see is unfortunately not always what you get. I have come across a girl whose supplier shown a video which was photo shopped only to find out after the fact, as her big day video looks like one of the drunken uncles took a hold of the camera. The fee has been paid and they have nothing to show for it. Personally I will not have a videographer, despite my sister convincing me that this was her biggest regret not having one at her wedding; I feel fairly confident without it.
DJ/BAND
Hiring a DJ is very straight forward. These days you don't even need to meet with them prior, you can listen to their sampler on sound cloud or YouTube and happy days. There are a couple of things to discuss with the DJ such as:
- First Dance Song
- Father/Daughter Dance
- Forbidden Music
- Favorite Music
- Games/Activities
Once you got these covered you're half way there. When it comes to a band things are different. if there's one thing I could stress is GO AND TAKE A PEEK AT SOMEONE'S WEDDING NOT A SHOWCASE. 9/10 brides will have no problem if you ask them can you pop in for 15 minutes on their wedding day and listen to how the band interacts with guests. These days it's a normal practice, as the showcases are very unnatural and you don't have the guests to see how it works together.
Bands have the highest ratio of supplier non-show on the day, therefore I'd strongly advise to have a signed contract and offer to do 50/50 payment (50% deposit 50% on the night).
CEREMONY MUSICIAN
Ceremony music is often underestimated however in my eyes it is the key ingredient to a truly memorable ceremony. Right artist will understand the importance of the day and will bring on their A Game contributing to all the emotions running through. They will emphasize the intimacy, love and the silence the church brings within and make the moments magical.
The artist you chose show be the mirror of how you'd like the ceremony to carry. Most couples enjoy soft piano play or a harp; some prefer more vocal artists. Whatever it may be, make sure it portrays how you would like the ceremony to feel.
FLORISTS
Florists are my favorite suppliers and so much fun! Perhaps it's because I am a visual person and they are so pretty! There's literally nothing they cannot do. One word of advice, don't get ripped off. Constantly I hear from brides where they have been quoted an absolute whopper for absolutely bare minimum.
This is also where my love of Pinterest/Instagram and Wedding Websites comes to play and my addiction to screen shoting is getting out of hand.
Don't be afraid to voice your opinion, as what I found with florists, they have a creative nature and often try to burden you with their ideas. Make sure you are 100% happy and comfortable with saying "no" if you don't feel something is up to the standard.
(All the photographs in this article have been sourced from Pinterest)
Needless to say you should always sign a contract with each supplier!
In my next blog post I will discuss the smaller suppliers and practices associated with them.
Hope you guys found it useful.
Lots of Love,
Joanna xo xo