How to Choose Between Two Wedding Vendors
Can’t figure out who the best of the best is? Here’s how to zero in on the perfect vendors for your big day.
You’ll meet with a lot of vendors leading up to your wedding day. And we mean a lot. The process of narrowing them down can get pretty tough, especially when you’re dealing with two equally awesome florists, caterers or bakers. So how do you end up with the best of the best for your big day? We’re here to help you hash that out. From scheduling a few meetings to reading the fine print in their contracts, this is what you need to do.
Here’s how to choose between two wedding vendors.
Have a face-to-face meeting
The first thing you should do after narrowing down your search is schedule meetings with all your potential vendors. Not only will this give you time to quiz them with important questions, but it’ll also help you familiarize yourself with their personality. Sure, their work is the most important thing, but you also want to have a good relationship with them, especially if they're handling things like photography or DJing.
Communication is key
You’re going to be spending the next few months bouncing questions off your vendors to come up with the perfect touches for your big day - so they better be amazing communicators. While you won’t be able to judge this completely, take into account how long it’s taken them to respond to your calls and emails up to this point. If every message comes with a 48 hour waiting period, you may want to skip ‘em.
Scope out reviews
Invest a few hours in research and find some reviews on the two vendors you’re deciding between (our vendor section has plenty!). Even though both may seem amazing, a few brides may have had some less-than-awesome experiences with them in the past. These may not be make or break things, but they could help push you in the right direction.
Read through the contract and package
You’ll want to be thorough when assessing the vendors’ contracts and packages so that you’re clear on what you’ll be paying for. Some tiny stipulations (maybe one doesn’t offer breakdown services?) may end up being the deal breaker for you . As you wade through all the info, jot down the main points you want to remember, these will help you make your pros and cons list later down the line.
Find their pros and cons
Ah, yes, the good old fashioned pros and cons list. While it may seem a bit archaic, it’s totally worth making. Remember to jot down even the littlest things - when you’ve got pretty evenly matched opponents, these can be the deciding factors. Maybe one is a bit farther away from home? Perhaps one is offering a better discount? Get it all down on paper.
Once it’s all said and done…
After you’ve officially hired a vendor and signed on the dotted line, don’t forget to let their competition know that you’ve gone in a different direction. You don’t want to lead them on, so giving them the news ASAP is key. You can always offer them some constructive feedback by telling them why they weren’t “the one” for you, but remember to be polite.
