What to Expect on Consultation Calls with Potential Wedding Vendors

When starting the process of booking your vendors for your wedding, you will likely have most or all of them ask you to “jump on a call” or “have a quick consultation to talk about your wedding”. This may seem really overwhelming - especially if you’re looking to talk to more than one option for each vendor. The goal for these consultations from a vendor perspective is to know what they are getting into, learn more about you and what you’re looking for, and then to “sell their services” to you. After all, this is likely where they get an income so they need to make sure to sell themselves a little bit. While having these consultations set up, it definitely can be hard to know what to expect for all of these meetings. Today, I wanted to break down what you will be talking about so that you don’t feel like you’re going in blindly.

Lots of Questions

The point of this is to get to know you, but also to get to know your wedding. The questions are usually to determine the complexity of your wedding and to know what the final cost will end of being. If you’re looking for a florist and they ask about all of the things that you want as far as your florals, this is so they can give you an accurate proposal at the end of the call with the most accurate pricing possible. Vendors also want to get to know you as people and see if you will mesh well together throughout the wedding planning process!

A Breakdown of their Packages

Often there will be some discussion of what services you will be provided within their package. This is the time to make sure you are getting what you want out of your vendors, so make sure they hit all of the nails that you’re hoping for your wedding! The vendors will likely run through what is all included in their packages and why it will benefit you for your wedding day. Make sure to ask any questions you have on their packages so that you know exactly what you can expect from your vendors.

Answers to Your Questions

This is the opportunity to ask them about themselves and their business. You want to make sure you actually like who you are working with and feel confident in your choice of vendors! One of the planning sheets I provide my couples is “Questions to Ask your Vendors”, which helps you to know what questions you should ask each individual vendor to know exactly what services you will be getting. You want to make sure that everything you need is covered so there are no surprises on your wedding day.

A Proposal Sent after the Meeting

Typically, vendors will send you a proposal after they talk with you. This usually includes the final cost, the services they will be providing, and the contract. To book the vendor you would like to have at your wedding, you often are required to sign the contract and to provide a deposit or retainer to secure the wedding date. The sooner you can take care of this, the better! Vendors may book up fast, so it’s wise to do this within a few days of having the consultations with them. I do suggest at least taking a day to think about it though, because you want to make sure you are making good decisions for your wedding day. You definitely don’t want to rush into booking vendors because they can make or break your wedding day!

It may seem like it’s not worth your time to have all of these phone calls or Zoom meetings, but it really will benefit you to hear from your potential vendors. These times are for both your and the vendors’ benefit so that you can both feel each other out and see if you’ll both enjoy working together. This also will help you feel more secure in the choices that you are making for your vendors for your wedding day. Having these phone calls and Zooms will really help you know exactly what you’ll be paying for and receiving for your day, and hopefully you’ll get to know your vendors a little more than them just showing up on the 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.