Your dream guy or gal just asked for your hand in marriage, you said YES without any hesitation because you TRUST that he/she is the right person for you and your forever… Take that same approach with your vendors. Take your time in researching vendors in your area and even surrounding areas to see who is the BEST of the BEST. We’ve got plenty of blogs about what to ask each one and how to pick the best ones…but this blog is going to take it to the next level(Congrats to one of our very own who just popped the question this week!!!)
BUILD THAT TRUST!!!!
While family and friends are great and DIY has its place…if you really want to enjoy your day 100% hire a full team of professionals! Remember you are hiring them on their experienced, their education, their talents and their ability to provide amazing services.
We know giving up all of the power of the “baby” (your event that you’ve slaved hours and hours planning) on your wedding day is going to be the hardest part of the planning process but WE promise it will be the most rewarding part too! Because remember you want to enjoy it!
But first you have to build that circle of trust with your vendors. You already know you have enlisted a phenomenal team to create that day but how do you really just hand over all of your thoughts, ideas and visions and know it’s really all going to happen the way you have it mapped out in your head?
· First you’ve got to have meeting with all of your vendors (and lots of them). Some meetings will need to be one on one so you can focus on the details and others are great to pull the team together to make sure the overall vision is being thought out in a logistical way. Sometimes those great ideas you have in your head won’t work in your venue, outside or budget. Trust your vendors to make the best decisions based on your overall vision.· Second STOP comparing yourself to others! Don’t worry what your friend or your cousin did last year or even last week. Once you have a game plan get off of Pinterest (you sholdn’t be pinning anything new 1-3 months out from your wedding unless you are getting married in that timeframe of starting plan. By that time your plans are already set in motion and changing invoices and contracts late in the game can add hefty fees.
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Remember you can’t do everything! Pick a few things, traditions, ideas, not every single DIY project on Pinterest. Cut any of those projects that are not completed 30 days out. Waiting until the last minute will just stress you out and you can’t TRUST someone will be able to do them the night prior or the day of. Sometimes you just have to let things go…
· Keep family and friends out of your ear! Family and friends will try to persuade you from using professionals because they have a “friend” that will save you money. Well unless I, your wedding planner has officially worked with them I can’t guarantee their product and services. If several of your vendors have worked together multiple times, then you can TRUST that they already have a system in doing things on event day.
Be organized and prepared. If a vendor asks you to fill out paperwork, make sure to have it turned in on time and that it is fill out completely. Make sure to have all of your personal items labeled with great descriptions of how they should be placed and where (photos and written information is best).
· Make sure everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. If you establish this early on, you’ll already set yourself up for greatness!
· Last but not least… COMMUNICATION is the #1 to build TRUST! Have conversations with vendors and their staff prior to the day. Make sure they have a clear understanding of your expectations, ideas, thought and needs.
The last thing a vendor needs is to have a client show up late on their rehearsal/wedding day and not have completed the items/tasks they are responsible for because they attempted to save money on the front end by saying they would handle it. Or have a client show up unorganized and frantic on wedding without giving vendors guidance or directions. Although we do events every weekend, remember we can’t officially read your mind and we want to create your special day not recreate the one from last week.
Last but not least is my biggest way to know you have officially given trust to your vendors… DO NOT MICROMANAGE on the wedding day. Remember you’ve hired your creative partners to create an amazing event, once they started working don’t second guess their every move. Please don’t question their every change or opinion. I promise we as a team have you and your guests’ interests in our hands and our intentions are for logistical reasons for something else that will most likely happen or take placed later. Most vendors have their own way of setting up and breaking down….TRUST THEM that’s why you hired them!
