Mastering Wedding Planning: Insider Tips for Choosing the Perfect Vendors and Making Your Day Unforgettable
Over the past 5 years of owning a wedding venue, I have had the pleasure of working with so many other talented wedding pros that care as much as I do about putting together the perfect day for the couples that are committing themselves to one another for the rest of their lives. We all grasp the significance of this intimate moment, and do not take that lightly. As a venue, as well as a full service wedding planner, I am collaborating and communicating with all vendors throughout the entire wedding process. After working so many weddings in various roles, I have developed preferences for the type of vendor I want to work with, and who I am going to recommend to my clients.
There are so many little things that come about on the day of the wedding that one would never know to plan ahead of time. The only way to know about these things is from someone who works weddings often. I have created a list of vendors and written all of my thoughts on what makes a good vendor, as well as some advice on some things to consider.
This is a long one, so feel free to jump around to the vendors you care to read more about.
Venue
Content about venues.
Photographer: Love and Heirloom Films
Venues should lay their services out for you very clearly from the getgo. I plan weddings both at Stone Garden, as well as other locations. A good portion of my time is spent with clients while they are touring other venues. I hear from other wedding professionals about their experiences at other venues too.
Every venue has a different level of involvement. Some venues provide a shell of a space, you are required to rent every object that goes into it, and outsource every vendor. Others might include a lot more within the starting price point, like in-house catering or bar services. One of these is not better than the other, by the way. A benefit of using a venue with just a shell of a space is that it is a blank canvas and you have SO much room for customization. You can plan every detail down to the type of chair in that space. If you have no desire to take on all of those details, look for a venue that includes more, so you can focus on the areas that you would like to.
No matter what your priorities are, I still have advice for you when it comes to picking your venue:
How is their communication? Aside from a planner (if you are using one, which… I highly encourage!), the venue is the first vendor you are going to vet and book. You want them to respond to your inquiry and take the importance of your day seriously. If they aren’t responsive to your initial inquiry, this is a good indicator of what the rest of the process will look like.
Vibes. Again, your vendors should know how special this day is. Your venue should take the time to get to know about each individual couple. How does it feel at your tour? Do you feel rushed? Are there ten other couples there at the same time as you? Your wedding venue sets the energy and vibe for the day. If you aren’t feeling seen, move on, because someone else will see you!
A good layout: Whether the ceremony and reception are in one place or not, you still want to think about the ease and flow in between spaces. If you are having a church wedding, your cocktail hour/ reception will happen somewhere else. If the space is inside, think about having lounge areas set, or other activities set up for guests to enjoy, like a photobooth or watercolor artist. If the venue is based primarily in one room, guests tend to be stuck at their tables if they don’t want to dance. Is the bar close by, or will this create a separation between the dance floor and those getting refreshments?
If you choose an outdoor venue, you have to look at the terrain. How far is the ceremony area from the parking lot? Can all of your guests get to each location on premise easily and safely? You don’t want to send your guests on long walking journeys when there is potential for heat. This can make your guests cranky before the party is even started. It is all about the vibe, remember?!?
Indoor layouts vary greatly as well. Historic barns may make for an awkward set up. Some guests might be enjoying their meals in a completely different room, or on a different floor. Maybe the dance floor is on a different floor. If this is the case, you will want to get a little creative with your timeline.
What is the rain back up plan? Whether you choose an indoor or outdoor venue, you want to know the rain back up plan. At Stone Garden, we have a clear tent on site in case we need to put it up in the ceremony area in the days leading up to the day. Alternatively, our structure has the same view, just further away.
Some venues’ alternatives are having guests sit at their reception table indoors, or repurpose an area that was designated for cocktail hour. I find the plan b plans can sometimes be overcrowded, making it difficult for photographers to get the correct angles. I also find that lighting can be sacrificed when using these indoor alternative locations. Make sure you are happy with both ceremony locations, plan a and b.
Will someone from the venue be present on your wedding day? One thing I hear from other wedding professionals is that they really appreciate a presence from the venue owners and staff on the wedding day. A venue could lose power, or something could break. Malfunctions happen, and you want to make sure you have the right people present to solve these problems if they arise.
Caterer
Content about caterers.
Go for a full service catering company. We know catering is expensive, but they are doing so much behind the scenes. They play a crucial role in making the day run smoothly, ensuring you have a relaxing day. If you choose to designate family or friends to pick up waste from the food you had dropped off, they will surely fall behind, and guests will think someone else is not doing their job. Food will likely not be heated properly. I highly discourage giving your friends or family any of the key vendor roles on your wedding day, but unless they are a licensed professional, they are not allowed to work at SG.
First, you will want to check what your specific venue’s policies are. Each venue is in its own unique situation and will offer different services. You will need to make sure you have hired your caterer for:
Water Service- If your venue is in a city, the venue might have water on site. If your venue is in a remote location, your caterer will have to bring in water and ice.
Bussing- If they are not providing bar services, then the bar typically busses their portion.
Trash Removal- Venue policies vary greatly here. We work at different locations with our bar and find this all over the map. With SG being in the country, we cannot be responsible for ridding of food waste, so this is coordinated with the caterer. We do take our bar waste.
Do they provide plateware/silverware? Some caterers include these items, some don’t. If you have no plan of customizing your tabletop pieces (I highly recommend customizing!!), you might want to use this opportunity to cut down on your list of things to do, and pick a caterer that provides these items. Third party rental companies will have a delivery fee.
If you are renting the silverware, communicate terms to your caterer. Most of the time, the rental companies will expect caterers to rinse plates before putting them back in crates to be picked up. You could get charged an additional cleaning fee if they are not rinsed off.
Have a leftover food plan in place. If you are planning on taking home leftover food, you need to designate someone ahead of time to take on this task. Provide them with the cooler where the caterers will put the food at the end of the night. Point them out to your planner or caterer.
Make sure they plan on cutting and serving your cake. In the distant past, when we first started out, we had some caterers that would refuse to cut the cake in the middle of the wedding. It is not common for a baker to physically be present at the time of the cake cutting, so this responsibility goes to the other vendor with a food service license, the caterer. It is standard for the caterer to charge a cake cutting fee! While we drive this home in our list of catering requirements at SG, you might find a caterer who doesn’t offer it. It is good to know ahead of time so that you can find someone designated to cut and serve the cake.
Who is taking the waste? Pending venue location, you might be responsible for taking the waste produced at your wedding. At SG we require the caterers to take their waste, while we take all bar waste. We are in a remote location in the country, so we are not suited for waste to hang around. A fee here is common as well. Make sure to sort this detail out ahead of time so your first activity as a married couple isn’t going to the dump.
They must go to the final walkthrough. Walkthroughs are such a huge component to the day. We can talk through the day with them and see if any changes need to be made, or any details still need to be addressed.
Have a plan for calling up tables to buffet. Personally, I like the caterer to go to each table and call them up to the buffet. This is a formal event and there is just something about the dj calling out table numbers over the speaker that doesn’t feel romantic or elegant. Make sure to establish this plan with your caterer ahead of time so they don’t make that decision during the wedding. The caterer should do this, as they are providing this service and know their timing best.
Photographer
Content about photographers.
Getting a well rounded photographer can be tougher than you think. You might have seen this one shot that someone took, and you are sold. However, there is so much more to consider beyond their editing skills. You get one shot at this, so make sure you are confident in who you pick.
How do they make you feel? You and your fiance should both feel comfortable with this person. You really want to know that they understand what is important for them to capture from your day.
Communication: You want this one to be communicative. When planning, you need their input at various points. You need to know when they are officially starting, so you can coordinate hair and makeup times. You need their input on the wedding timeline. As a planner, it makes it hard to put these things together if they aren’t communicating in a timely fashion. If they have a questionnaire, get it back to them before your final meeting, so you can work on solidifying your timeline.
Look at albums in their entirety. I have had photographers in the past that have overlooked some important shots, so I want to help you to communicate the shots that are important to you! This will be important when you fill out your photographer provided questionnaire.
Details shots: You have put a lot into customizing your day. You want a record of all of these elements. Is there a creative flatlay shot? Do you see shots of the decorated reception, untouched and pristine? Is there a shot of your seating chart display or welcome sign? You spent a lot of time and money on flowers… Do you see that represented in your album? List out your details ahead to time so they know it is important.
Individual shots of the bride and groom
Candid cocktail hour photos
Experiential vendors: If you have a gelato cart, or watercolor artist, or specialty photobooth, you want photos of your guests enjoying these activities that you provided them with.
Did they get all of the essential posed vip shots?
They don’t make it about them. I have seen some red flags from vendors. I have clients bring in their own vendors often, so I don’t refer to everyone I work with. I met some photographers that overstep in their role, or prioritize themselves too much. For instance, I had a photographer come to a rehearsal and he talk over me as I was adjusting walking speeds down the aisle. He insisted people should walk as fast as they want, they don’t need to listen to me. On the wedding day, the bride and father walked too fast, the photographer was sprinting to the front of the aisle to get them walking down, but he missed them. He also was trying to stop anyone from going up to the bride groom with food or their signature cocktails until they finished all photos with him. He then was insistent on putting his massive computer set up where he displays photos right where the dj was supposed to be. We didn’t let that happen. My point is that this day is about the couple and you need to be enjoying every second. You should enjoy your apps, drink your drinks and have fun as you take photos with your loved ones!
Videographers
Content about videographers..
Expect more time away from cocktail hour and reception. Videographers require more time from the couple. From my personal experience, this is where timelines can get adjusted during an event. This isn’t to say they are doing anything wrong, but if there is a good sunset, they need to pull you away, as they should. If you want it to be less posed and more laid back, maybe a content creator is for you!
Think about key video’d moments when making your timeline. Look up the sunset time on your wedding date. Where does that fall in comparison to when you have speeches or dances? Moving some of these items to the beginning or tail end of dinner might be necessary.
Entertainment
Content about entertainment.
Entertainment should communicate with the venue. With every space being different, you want to make sure everyone is prepared to bring whatever equipment might be necessary for the space.
Have a final meeting to go over the timeline and song choices. When coming up with your timeline, you will want to walk through this with your DJ/emcee. Make sure you are communicating your final plan that your coordinator for the day will be using. I recommend having a mostly solid timeline when entering this conversation. A few things might change during the meeting, and that is totally fine. Fill out your questionnaire and song choices prior to your meeting as well. DJs/emcees might be passive about this, but I see couples really procrastinate on picking songs. For the sake of checking this box off, and making less room for error, make these decisions earlier on!
Ask what the ceremony microphone/sound system plan is. If your ceremony is in a different spot than reception, let your dj know that so that they can plan accordingly.
Florist
Content about florists...
Photographer: Erika Follensbee Photography
Communication. Get a floral designer who is staying in communication with you. This is a hefty portion of your budget, so your florist should get the design and estimate back to you soon after your consultation, so you know what to expect monetarily. I should also warn you that pricing can change on flowers, because of tariffs, shipping, crop failures, etc. Once your contract is signed, you can catch up again around 2 months before your wedding.
Have a breakdown plan. I have many clients choose to save a bit by breaking down their own event. Maybe they have the space for a few days and are fine with that. Just think about this ahead of time and arrange to have your florist break down if you don’t want to. This is a little detail that can be overlooked. Florists should also be mindful enough to mention this, as it isn’t the venue’s product or service.
Florist Exclusivity. As a Floral designer myself, I have an exclusivity clause, which is very common. If you hire me as a floral designer, and there are other florals being placed in the area I was hired to design, we will not continue to set up. I have come up with a vision, and these unexpected pieces impede on that. I spend hours coming up with the perfect flowers in the perfect color scheme. If I go to execute my carefully crafted plan and someone has placed dark purple, magenta and black silk flower arrangements because it was left over from their wedding, when the scheme is nudes, light pinks, and dusty rose, all of my work has been for nothing. We document and take photos of our work. We also really hope you share your professional photos with us, by the way. This note is not just for weddings... I have had venues hire me for other events and then add in their own floral arrangements. We really like taking photos of our work, so we can continue to update our portfolios. We can no longer do that with other florals incorporated.
Consider inviting them to the final walkthrough. While not always necessary, I do recommend having the florist attend the final walkthrough. This is good when you have some extra room in your budget to add something that makes a statement to your wedding space. Creativity can really hit when walking through the space, and the florist can recommend some ideas for this.
Bartending Service
Content about bartending services.
This is a service that will vary from state to state. In some states, you can have BYOB bar services. This service requires some more leg work on the clients’ end, but that doesn’t seem to bother everyone.
Photographer: Erika Follensbee Photography
If BYOB, see what services are included. I would recommend a bar service that takes care of the items they can legally provide, such as: mixers, ice, cups, bar tools, trays, etc. You really don’t want to be spending any time on the day of your wedding putting together a bar. Nor do you want your friends or family to. It is a big job.
I recommend full service. It is a huge undertaking to go and get all of your booze and then lug it to the bar. I just don’t like watching the couple and wedding attendants carrying all of these heavy items to their destination. You can spend your time before your wedding doing way more useful or even fun things than stocking your wedding bar yourself. Someone else can handle this.
Who is bussing? Make sure they have enough staff to serve drinks and also clear empty glasses.
Waste Removal. They should plan to take any waste that they have created, unless the venue has another policy.
Glassware is typically an added on rental. Your bar service most likely rents glassware from another company. If you want glassware, they may coordinate that, or tell you what to rent. They may also charge a fee for handling and sorting back in racks to be picked up. Something you don’t see is the puzzle that is sorting hundreds of glasses into the correct racks. More staff will be needed to keep up. But, it is elegant and worth it!
Officiant
Content about officiants.
The majority of my clients go with a friend or family member for this, which I support! The person in this role will be remembered forever. If you are going this route, you will want your planner at rehearsal to give some pointers so that the ceremony goes smoothly. This is often their first go at it, so they don’t know the ins and outs like a professional does. Also, because it isn’t natural, they may forget something they were told during rehearsal.
Make sure they get to know your story. You want the officiant to take your story as a couple into consideration when putting your ceremony together.
Pro officiants offer other services. They might offer pre-marital counseling or other ways to help deepen your connection with your fiance.
Pro officiants know exactly what to do. I feel safe and on the same page with an officiant. They are very helpful to have during rehearsal and always make things go smoothly.
Wedding Planner
Content about wedding planners.
I run a planning team, but I am in plenty of situations where another planner is running the show. I also hear from other vendors about their experiences with other planners. Here are some things to think about when choosing your wedding planner.
Communication. Out of all of the vendors, this is the one who should really be communicating with you. They should lay out what their communication looks like, because they have business hours like every vendor. Also, the level of communication and at what point, will depend on what they are hired for.
They should also be communicating with your other vendors. If you have a planner, they are responsible for making sure everyone working that day knows the plan.
Punctuality. Have they shown you that they are timely? Behind the scenes, there are so many times I have seen wedding planners absent when they shouldn’t be. I have had a planner show up late, then disappear, then race to put out place cards at each seat when they should have been getting guests to their seats and lining up the wedding party for the ceremony. If they are late to planning meetings prior to your wedding, this is a red flag.
Definitely read reviews. This is always a good idea, but this person is spearheading your wedding day. Make sure their reviews highlight the things that are important to you about how you want your wedding day to go.
Straightforward and up front is a good thing. Logistics is our thing. As you tell us what your vision is, we are going to let you know what that entails. Maybe you don’t want to hear that it will require labor and cost more, but it is your planner’s job to educate you on what is realistic and within reason for your budget. They will send you reminders and nudge you along the way to keep you on track. This is all with your best interest in mind!
Shuttles
Content about shuttles.
If you are questioning using shuttles, don’t! You need the shuttle services. If you are holding a wedding where people can’t walk to the venue, you want to provide them with a safe ride. People want to feel free to enjoy themselves in a safe environment. The bar can feel better knowing that people aren’t going to drive off on the roads they have never driven before.
Also, I find that if there are no shuttles, guests are likely to pack their own drinks in their vehicles. We have a strict policy at Stone Garden on this, as other venues do as well. If we are confiscating outside alcohol, we will have to make the decision to stop serving our alcohol.
Aim for the shuttle to drop guests off a half hour prior to your ceremony. This can be shorter depending on the proximity of the hotel from the venue. However, traffic can happen, or they know another guest is coming and they are waiting. Whatever the reason may be, you want to leave time for guests to arrive before the start of the ceremony.
Have shuttles take less stops. Unless you are having a microwedding, you will most likely have two shuttles. Designate each shuttle to 1 hotel. Less stops leaves less room for error.
If the shuttle has multiple stops, give them additional time. I have seen itineraries where the shuttle plans for each stop to take 5 minutes, then they are late for the ceremony. Make sure there is enough time for the shuttles to get everyone in time.
Communication. I have been ghosted by transportation companies multiple times. I like a quick turn around time on the contract because it isn’t something we have to check back on until closer to the wedding day. It is normal for some adjustments to be made then. I recommend only a few companies because their level of customer service varies greatly.
Hair & Makeup
Content about hair and makeup stylists.
Have a Contract. I have found that hair and makeup artists don’t always have a contract. I require contracts from all of the vendors hired for a wedding. I need all vendor contracts in order to continue planning. Have a contract that can be written up as soon as the client is booked, not at the trial. You can make addendums or add in times at the trial, that is fine!
Communication. A lot is contingent upon your timing on the wedding day. Please respond quickly, so we can continue working through our timeline logistics.
Dessert
Content about wedding dessert services.
Photographer: Love and Heirloom Films, Cake Baker: A to Z Cakes
Timing. Know when the dessert is being delivered. If you are getting married outside, they like to deliver a bit later if they know it will be hot. You want to make sure they get there before the ceremony so that they aren’t setting up in the middle of the wedding and that you actually get to look at and enjoy your cake during reception.
Think about setting and weather. Maybe don’t go for the buttercream in July if you don’t have temperature control. Ask your baker what would hold up best!
Make sure they leave a box. I am shocked by how many times bakers don’t leave a cake box after the wedding. It is the only other object that needs to be delivered. Express to your baker that you plan to take your cake home and need a box.
Ask who is providing the cake stand/servingware. It is common for the baker to deliver just the baked goods and expect the servingware to be on site. They could provide these items for additional fees. If you are providing the cake stand, make sure you ask about the sizing and dimensions. Oftentimes the cake stand that the client brings is too small.
Bring Cutting Utensils. We pull out our own cake cutting utensils when our clients forget their own. You can get these engraved and have them as a keepsake after!
I hope you are able to take some valuable information from this! If this is overwhelming and you just want someone else to think about all of this for you, reach out! We would love to plan your wedding with you!
