Happy Friday! We made it through another week, and it’s been a busy one in our corner of the world. I wanted to talk vendors today. At our wedding, we had some that we loved, and we had some that were just “okay.” The ones that were just “okay,” had some red flags at the beginning, so I ended up doing a lot of their work myself. So today, we wanted to outline some of our tips for choosing your wedding vendors.

Tip 1: Your initial calls and emails are returned promptly. You wouldn’t leave unopened emails sitting in your inbox – and neither should they. If you calls and emails aren’t returned within the first couple of days of reaching out – changes are – there are probably other better vendors out there.

Tip 2: They have five-star review. You want the best of the best. Yelp doesn’t lie (well sometimes you have to take Yelp reviews with a grain of salt). Look for those vendors that have 4 and 5-star reviews. Read reviews thoroughly to ensure you have a good indication of the people you intend to work with.

Tip 3: They are nice people. After they give you the initial callback, chances are, you are going to meet in person. We always know right off the bat who we might enjoy working with. If you genuinely like the person upon you initial meeting, chances are – it will turn out to be a good relationship. i.e. We love love loved our engagement/wedding photographer from the first time we spoke over the phone.

Tip 4: You like their past work. Browse through their website. Check out their social media pages. If you love the work they do, and they are consistently good. Chances are, they will be able to bring your vision to life. If they are completely out-of-touch with your ideas for your wedding, they probably aren’t the right fit.

Tip 5: They keep your likes/dislikes in mind. Our florist was amazing. At our first meeting, he sat me down and asked exactly what it was that I wanted. He drew my vision on paper and the rest was history. A good vendor wants to highlight your ideas with their expertise.

Happy vendor hunting. And as a bonus for your Friday, we’ve compiled some of our favorite bridesmaids gifts on our Shop Wedding page.