Today's blog entry is going to be how to prepare to meet with your wedding vendors. This could be your Photographer, Videographer, Florist, the Bakery, the Venue, anyone that is going to play a part in your big day.
If you don't prepare yourself for the meeting you're about to go into it could lead to a lot of awkward silent moments, fumblings of words and ideas, you could potentially forget to tell them something really important about your day and you remember hours after the meeting has already occurred. A great vendor is going to be someone who knows how to keep the conversation flowing, they're going to ask a lot of open ended questions (not just yes or no answers) and they're going to want to find out as much as they possibly can about you within the timeframe that is allowed. Not all vendors are like this, I had a Photographer one time who was just really laid back, and waited to be given direction instead of doing his own thing, so as the Wedding Planner I had to jump in there and tell him what types of pictures the bride wanted, who was supposed to be on stage and when for their pictures, etc. Had I not been prepared with a list of specific photos, we might have missed some really great shots. So always go in prepared to meetings. Even if you think your vendor is going to take charge of the meeting, make sure you run everything through your mind, special topics you want to discuss, any issues you foresee arising, and come with questions for them.
Communication is key when planning a wedding. There are so many moving parts and pieces that everyone needs to know their places and times. Because one little miscommunication can have major consequences you'll want to come to all meetings with vendors prepared and leave with a game plan in place.
Take about an hour or so before your meeting to really think about what you want to tell them. Get your thoughts in order, and write down any questions you may have. The Knot Book of Wedding Lists is a great little tool to help you prepare for meetings. This book contains timelines, tools and checklists of all sorts. If you have a meeting with your Photographer you can open the book to the chapter on Photographers & Videographers and from there it will run through a series of checks you'll want to make sure you have answered by the end of the meeting. If it's your first initial meeting you'll want to discuss the wedding date and time, ceremony location, reception location, what kind of portraits you want, what kind of moments and events you'll want to cover, your budget, different kinds of questions you'll want to ask the Photographers, making sure you get references from them and that you're able to see their portfolios. (Remember to get all your basic questions answered and all your thoughts and ideas out there at the first meeting because it could potentially be the last time you see your vendor face to face). All the questions you'll want to ask any vendor is in that little book. A quick google search will also help if you're not sure what questions you should be asking your vendors and what kind of information they're going to want from you too. So take some time, get your thoughts together, write down your questions and keep them all in one convenient notebook to take with you to your meetings.
The next important step with meeting with your vendors is to make sure you're organized. I cannot tell you how many times I would be talking with someone and they have a really great vision but struggle to bring it to life for me. Their thoughts are kind of all over the place, we'll talk about one point, move on to another and then come back to the first point because they forgot to mention something at the beginning...and that is a really great way to cause confusion. I'm not saying that ideas and visions don't or can't change, but when you present your masterpiece you'll want to be able to speak to each point with clear, concise conviction. One of the ways that I stayed organized while planning my own personal wedding was buying an accordion folder and labelling each pocket with a different vendor for example; Florist, Venue, Photographer, Caterer, Baker, Hotel, DJ, etc. I kept every little piece of paper in the proper pocket and when I was meeting with say the Caterer I would go and grab everything from the Caterer pocket, review what we had talked about previously, write down anything I wanted to discuss this time around(ideas, thoughts, concerns), jot down questions and then take the whole pile with me in a separate folder along with a notebook and pen. This is also where I keep contracts and forms just incase those need to be reviewed or found quickly. When you have the large portion(the wedding) controlled and well organized it's easier to really focus on the details(the vendors) individually. And in the same sense when you're able to do small things well you'll be able to do large things great! Stay organized, it'll help make your meetings run smoothly and they'll stay organized too.
TIP: Make sure you've written down the name of your vendors. Don't be embarrassed and have to ask the day before the wedding who you've been speaking with this whole time. Get their name and their contact information first thing. You'll rest easy knowing those small details are taken care of.
Some great questions to ask all your vendors;
The last and final thought I'll leave you guys with is no matter what vendor you are meeting with, remember to bring along your phone or ipad so you'll be able to share with them your pintrest boards, or certain pictures off google that you loved etc. It's easier to create a theme when there's images to see and be based off of.
So those are my tips for you today on meeting with your vendors. Keep in mind that these are people you are creating a relationship with, you want to vibe with them. You want them to be excited for you and your wedding theme so if you're not getting that feeling then keep shopping! Find someone who shares your passion. Hope these thoughts and ideas were helpful and can take some of the stress away.
If you don't prepare yourself for the meeting you're about to go into it could lead to a lot of awkward silent moments, fumblings of words and ideas, you could potentially forget to tell them something really important about your day and you remember hours after the meeting has already occurred. A great vendor is going to be someone who knows how to keep the conversation flowing, they're going to ask a lot of open ended questions (not just yes or no answers) and they're going to want to find out as much as they possibly can about you within the timeframe that is allowed. Not all vendors are like this, I had a Photographer one time who was just really laid back, and waited to be given direction instead of doing his own thing, so as the Wedding Planner I had to jump in there and tell him what types of pictures the bride wanted, who was supposed to be on stage and when for their pictures, etc. Had I not been prepared with a list of specific photos, we might have missed some really great shots. So always go in prepared to meetings. Even if you think your vendor is going to take charge of the meeting, make sure you run everything through your mind, special topics you want to discuss, any issues you foresee arising, and come with questions for them.
Communication is key when planning a wedding. There are so many moving parts and pieces that everyone needs to know their places and times. Because one little miscommunication can have major consequences you'll want to come to all meetings with vendors prepared and leave with a game plan in place.
Take about an hour or so before your meeting to really think about what you want to tell them. Get your thoughts in order, and write down any questions you may have. The Knot Book of Wedding Lists is a great little tool to help you prepare for meetings. This book contains timelines, tools and checklists of all sorts. If you have a meeting with your Photographer you can open the book to the chapter on Photographers & Videographers and from there it will run through a series of checks you'll want to make sure you have answered by the end of the meeting. If it's your first initial meeting you'll want to discuss the wedding date and time, ceremony location, reception location, what kind of portraits you want, what kind of moments and events you'll want to cover, your budget, different kinds of questions you'll want to ask the Photographers, making sure you get references from them and that you're able to see their portfolios. (Remember to get all your basic questions answered and all your thoughts and ideas out there at the first meeting because it could potentially be the last time you see your vendor face to face). All the questions you'll want to ask any vendor is in that little book. A quick google search will also help if you're not sure what questions you should be asking your vendors and what kind of information they're going to want from you too. So take some time, get your thoughts together, write down your questions and keep them all in one convenient notebook to take with you to your meetings.
The next important step with meeting with your vendors is to make sure you're organized. I cannot tell you how many times I would be talking with someone and they have a really great vision but struggle to bring it to life for me. Their thoughts are kind of all over the place, we'll talk about one point, move on to another and then come back to the first point because they forgot to mention something at the beginning...and that is a really great way to cause confusion. I'm not saying that ideas and visions don't or can't change, but when you present your masterpiece you'll want to be able to speak to each point with clear, concise conviction. One of the ways that I stayed organized while planning my own personal wedding was buying an accordion folder and labelling each pocket with a different vendor for example; Florist, Venue, Photographer, Caterer, Baker, Hotel, DJ, etc. I kept every little piece of paper in the proper pocket and when I was meeting with say the Caterer I would go and grab everything from the Caterer pocket, review what we had talked about previously, write down anything I wanted to discuss this time around(ideas, thoughts, concerns), jot down questions and then take the whole pile with me in a separate folder along with a notebook and pen. This is also where I keep contracts and forms just incase those need to be reviewed or found quickly. When you have the large portion(the wedding) controlled and well organized it's easier to really focus on the details(the vendors) individually. And in the same sense when you're able to do small things well you'll be able to do large things great! Stay organized, it'll help make your meetings run smoothly and they'll stay organized too.
TIP: Make sure you've written down the name of your vendors. Don't be embarrassed and have to ask the day before the wedding who you've been speaking with this whole time. Get their name and their contact information first thing. You'll rest easy knowing those small details are taken care of.
Some great questions to ask all your vendors;
- Do you have my date available?
- Can you work around my budget?
- Have you worked at this location before?
- If not, would you be willing to have a meeting there?
- Are there foreseeable issues with this style or theme of wedding?
- How long have you been in business?
- What made you want to do weddings?
- How many weddings do you do in a year?
- How many weddings do you do in a day? *Really important! You don't want them to be under any time constraints on your big day.
- What is the cancellation policy?
- What is the refund policy
- What is the backup plan if Plan A needs to be adjusted, or if they get sick?
- Ask for references
- Ask to see a portfolio
- You want to know every detail of the contract and when payments are required and due.
The last and final thought I'll leave you guys with is no matter what vendor you are meeting with, remember to bring along your phone or ipad so you'll be able to share with them your pintrest boards, or certain pictures off google that you loved etc. It's easier to create a theme when there's images to see and be based off of.
So those are my tips for you today on meeting with your vendors. Keep in mind that these are people you are creating a relationship with, you want to vibe with them. You want them to be excited for you and your wedding theme so if you're not getting that feeling then keep shopping! Find someone who shares your passion. Hope these thoughts and ideas were helpful and can take some of the stress away.
Happy Planning!! XOXOXO
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