When hiring your vendors for your wedding day, you may not realize what you can actually get from them. Often you are hiring vendors for their experience and professionalism within the industry, but it’s important to utilize them for more than just the wedding day! They know the industry which means they can really help you with your planning and the decisions you make throughout the process. Here are some specific ways that you can utilize your vendors to help improve your day.

Utilize their Knowledge

Wedding vendors that are in the wedding industry know so much about the ins and outs of wedding planning. This may be your first wedding, but to them it is a walk in the park to put together! They know what to expect for the most part and will know a lot about their expertise. If you’re ever struggling with decisions or feeling unsure, make sure to turn to the professionals to see if they can offer solutions or ideas.

Planners and Coordinators

Your planner and coordinator should hopefully be your biggest resource. Likely, your planner may be able to answer ANY of the questions that you have regarding your wedding. They will also be your biggest help when creating a day-of timeline of events for your wedding day. Make sure to go to them with any of your questions to help make your life easier!

Photographers and Videographers

Photographers/videographers will know the average shots that couples want, so don’t feel like you have to write a list for them. If there are a few specific shots that you want to make sure to get, you can write them out along with your family shot list. But you can utilize your photographer to know how to best prepare your family shot list and the general order. You can also ask them for outfit ideas and some guidelines for your engagement session to see what will work best. Photographers and videographers that know the venue space will also know the best places to get photos, and they will also be able to find these places on the fly because they are so used to it. The most important element may be that they know how long these photos will take better than anyone else, so if you want a good timeline I would suggest asking them first.

DJs, Ceremony Musicians, or Live Bands

DJs and live bands that work frequently in the wedding industry will know what songs can get the crowd dancing and what songs people are steering clear of. They also likely will know common first dance songs, songs that couples leave the ceremony to, and common cocktail hour playlists. If you’re struggling to come up with something good, make sure to reach out to them to see if they have any specific suggestions.

Florists

Your florist will be your best resource for all things flowers. When choosing your flowers and trying to watch your budget, your florist will be able to tell you exactly what will be in season which will cost you less. They will also probably have a good idea of what to do with your bouquets during the reception and may even have suggestions on what to do with your bouquet after the wedding day is over.

Catering/Rentals/Alcohol

Likely without needing to ask, your caterer will know all things food, drinks, and rentals. Not only will they likely have a cost per person, but they will easily be able to tell you how many servers you should have, bartenders, bar-backs, and other staff depending on your guest list. It may already be factored into your proposal before you even have to ask! They also will have a good idea of what foods and drinks are popular and what you can go without - so make sure to ask them about some crowd favorites.

Desserts

Along the same lines as the caterer, the dessert company you use will likely be able to tell you the sizes and quantities of your desserts you will need based on your guest count. You can also make sure to ask them what items are popular, what kind of icing will “save” well and last the longest, and ways to change the design of the dessert to make it more cost effective.

Hair and Makeup

I would highly recommend having a hair and makeup trial before your wedding to really see how everything will come together, but make sure to ask for some extra tips and tricks to make sure you can look your absolute best on your wedding day. You can ask things like what hair products to use to prep, what you need to do the days leading up to your wedding, and what skin products to use and avoid before the big day. You can also see if there are treatments, products, and routines that you shouldn’t try leading up to the wedding because they may cause breakouts. And if you haven’t already, make sure to talk with your stylists and artists about your own skin and hair types so that you know they will be able to provide the services you would like. You can even send them your inspiration to make sure it is possible!

Relinquish Control

When it actually comes to the days and weeks leading up to your wedding, just remember that you can take a step back with your amazing team of vendors and know that they will make your day amazing. It can be really easy to tell them exactly what you want throughout the wedding day, but remember that is why you walked through your day with your vendors before the wedding. Trust that your vendors will know what they are doing, and if there are any problems that arise you can know that your team and your coordinator will be able to resolve them.

Weddings are full of thousands of decisions. It’s really hard to know what is the best choice, but you can rest assured that your vendors can help you make some of those decisions! And after you make all of those decisions and have your team of vendors picked, you can sit back and relax because they will take those decisions you made and make them a wonderful reality for your wedding day.

If you would like more help to plan your wedding, you can reach out to me at hello@firmlyrootedevents.com. I’ll send you monthly tips and my checklist so that you can stay on track while planning your wedding.