With the internet and friends and family so weirdly full of opinions on wedding planning, you may feel at a loss as to where to find your epic team of vendors! Here are 9 places I suggest to look when finding the best vendors for your wedding day!
MY FAVORITE PLACES TO FIND YOUR VENDOR:
- RECOMMENDATIONS FROM YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS
- THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF YOU ATTENDED THEIR WEDDING AND GOT TO SEE THEIR VENDORS IN ACTION AND LOVED THEM.
- RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A VENDOR YOU ALREADY BOOKED AND SUPER TRUST
- FULL SERVICE WEDDING PLANNER
other helpful PLACES TO FIND YOUR VENDOR:
- SOCIAL MEDIA
- SEARCH RELEVANT TAGS FOR YOUR AREA OR VENUE ON INSTAGRAM
- RECOMMENDATIONS IN LOCAL BRIDE/WEDDING PLANNING FACEBOOK GROUPS
- GOOGLE SEARCHES FOR VENDORS IN YOUR AREA
- LOCAL WEDDING MAGAZINES (LIKE WASHINGTONIAN WEDDINGS)
MORE PLACES TO FIND YOUR VENDOR, BUT NOT FAVORITES OF MINE:
- THE KNOT, WEDDINGWIRE, ZOLA, AND SIMILAR VENDOR MARKETPLACE WEBSITES
- THESE CAN BE HELPFUL, BUT NOT A FAVE OF MINE. THERE CAN BE A LACK OF VETTING TO BE ON CERTAIN PLATFORMS AND OFTEN THE VENDORS YOU SEE ON THE FIRST PAGES, OR LISTED AS TOP PICKS IN YOUR AREA, ARE VENDORS WHO PAY THE PLATFORM THE MOST TO BE THERE - NOT NECESSARILY THE BEST.
- BRIDE OR WEDDING SHOWS
- THESE CAN BE A GOOD WAY TO EXPOSE YOURSELF TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF VENDORS. THIS ALSO SIN'T A FAVE OF MINE BECAUSE *SOMETIMES* THESE VENDORS ARE LESS EXPERIENCED AND ARE MORE INTERESTED IN BOOKING A LOT OF WEDDINGS - SHOWS ARE A GREAT WAY TO MEET A LOT OF COUPLES.
- THIS ALSO DOESN'T EXPOSE YOU TO ALL THE OPTIONS IN YOUR AREA!
TLDR:
HERE ARE 8 PLACES YOU CAN FIND YOUR VENDOR TEAM:
- FAMILY OR FRIEND RECOMMENDATIONS
- RECOMMENDATIONS FROM A VENDOR YOU ALREADY BOOKED AND TRUST
- FULL SERVICE WEDDING PLANNER
- INSTAGRAM TAGS FOR YOUR VENUE/LOCATION
- LOCAL BRIDAL/WEDDING PLANNING FACEBOOK GROUPS
- LOCAL BRIDAL MAGAZINES
- GOOGLE SEARCHES
- THE KNOT, WEDDINGWIRE, ZOLA, OR OTHER WEDDING VENDOR MARKETPLACE SITES
- BRIDE OR WEDDING SHOWS
