Hiring Professionals
The best piece of advice we have for you throughout planning your wedding is to hire professionals. You’ve dreamt your entire life of this day. Those are some big expectations to meet! Professionals have the experience, knowledge, and resources to meet and exceed those expectations.
Before you schedule any meetings with professionals, there are a few details you’ll need to nail down, like your wedding date, budget, number of guests, etc. Some of these details, though, can be flexible. For instance, if one vendor doesn’t have your date available, are you willing to change? Though you have a set total budget, are you willing to reallocate some funds in order to pay a little extra for a vendor you love? Can you limit your guest list a bit more in order to fit into a venue you adore? Go into the meeting knowing whether you have a little wiggle room with some details or whether they need to be strictly adhered to.
Experience
Experience is so important when you’re hiring for any job, but especially when it comes to executing your wedding. To find the best vendor for you, ask friends and family for recommendations. If you remember loving a DJ at your cousin’s wedding, get a referral from them (which could save you some money if they have any sort of referral program). Check out their social media pages to make sure they’re reliable and up-to-date. If someone doesn’t have enough time to update their Facebook posts or care enough to put good pictures of their last event online, do you trust them to handle your wedding day? Read reviews on Yelp, Yellow Pages, their website, Google Reviews, and anywhere else you find them. When you meet with them, ask to see their full work from real weddings, not just their portfolio. Their portfolio will feature only their best work, not their most recent. Make sure their quality is up to your standards by asking brides that have used them in the past what their experience was like.
Genevieve Nisly Photography and Elite Entertainment
ask questions
Remember, you’re interviewing and hiring them. Not the other way around. Don’t be afraid to speak openly and ask a lot of questions. For a list of questions you should ask every vendor – plus categorized questions for specific vendors – get your free copy of our 40 page wedding planner. If you don’t feel comfortable with something, question it or ask for clarification. You shouldn’t hire a vendor if you don’t feel a connection with them or your personalities don’t mix well. Keep in mind that you’ll be spending a lot of time together these next few months, so it’s important that you not only get along, but that they understand your vision and what you’re looking for. Discuss your ideas openly with them and feel free to speak up if you think they’re heading down the wrong path stylistically.
meet with several vendors
Never hire a vendor before meeting with other’s from the same profession. Even if everyone has given you the same recommendation and you meet with that vendor and love them, you should still meet with at least one or two other vendors to compare. Would you buy the very first wedding dress you tried on just because it was pretty? Probably not. In the same way, shop around first before hiring a wedding professional. Check out and compare these Northeast Ohio wedding vendors or attend a Today’s Bride Show to meet hundreds of local vendors before making your decision.
Genevieve Nisly Photography and Carol Martin salonSpa
key contract points
Finally, when you sign the contract, there are a few key points you don’t want to leave out. Additional fees, arrival and departure times, deposit amount, payment plan and due dates, contact information for who will be there the day of your wedding, a backup plan in case of emergency, etc. are important to have in writing. NEVER PUT DOWN A DEPOSIT WITHOUT A SIGNED CONTRACT.
diy doesn’t work
You may feel the desire to want to DIY your wedding, and there’s nothing wrong with getting some ideas from Pinterest. However, we do want you to really think about what DIYing entails. Planning your wedding is stressful enough without painting individual mason jars and or gluing string to make lanterns. Read this blog if you’re thinking of doing-it-yourself rather than hiring a professional.
This is a new territory for you and that may seem scary and overwhelming. Wedding vendors in Northeast Ohio have been executing weddings flawlessly for years. They know what trends are in, they know how many hors d’ouevres you’ll need to satisfy 150 guests, and they may have even done a wedding at your venue before and can give you some advice. Trust the experts to go above and beyond to make your wedding day everything you’ve imagined.
