Advice from your photographer: Choosing your Wedding Vendors

Photographers, Videographers, Caterers, Venues, Dj’s, Florists, the Officiant – there is a laundry list of people to search for, reach out to and secure for your date. And gorgeous, I get you – I’m ready to pour a glass of wine thinking about it too! Relax your shoulders and posture, and lets just get down to it. I’d love to help walk you through some important considerations in choosing your wedding vendors.

Venue. This is one if not the first thing you want to book for your wedding, apart from a wedding planner. The venue sets the tone for absolutely everything – the style of photography and video, candles and bouquets at tables, plate settings, music, and even your dress. Booking your venue will give you an exact date for all your other vendors, and provide you with a template for all the other beautiful details for your day.

Wedding Planner. An experienced and knowledgeable wedding planner is the secret ingredient to stress-free planning. They not only have experience with vendors in your city, but they’ll also take the stress off of you for bringing the day together, communicating with vendors, and cultivating your lovely and beautifully ideal day. An experienced wedding planner is organized and 100% in your corner in all aspects.

Photography + Video. Everyone talks about hiring your photographer and videographer early on in the process of wedding planning – as many professionals are booked 12-36 months out for weddings. But something less spoken about is figuring out what portrait styles you love and speak to your heart! Just because a wedding photographer has amazing reviews online, doesn’t mean that you’ll be a perfect fit. I cannot stress enough that your photographer should empower you to feel confident and glamorous in front of the camera. My industry has a vast array of portrait edits and styles that are gorgeous each in their own right. But you need to absolutely love the style of editing and posing your chosen photographer offers. This is one thing I’ve heard and even had brides approach me who booked someone else for their wedding photography – they loved the photographer but the edits just didn’t reflect their style or portrait preferences. You want to be able to look back on your day and LOVE the portrait and video products. They last lifetimes!

Choosing your officiant is usually a matter of the heart – though sometimes we simply search simply for an available professional. If your pastor, father, or friend work in the industry, this may be the easiest vendor to book. If you don’t have a particular person in mind though, here’s a few places you can go to look up and find your perfect officiant. You may even consider a friend or family member  who has had a positive impact on your relationship who you’d love to ordain your wedding – it’s a simple online process that can be completed within minutes, anyone can be come ordained within minutes! Depending on the state you live in, all you need to do is complete the online process and receive your credential paperwork in the mail. Certain states will require you to register with the local courthouse as well before performing weddings, so just be aware and research your area before your friend or family member performs the ceremony.

Just as there are many styles of photographers and videographers, caterers and venues – there are also countless types of dj’s! Yes, there are dj’s who do any style for weddings, but we want to get as customized as possible. For example, for a luxurious and traditional Indian wedding – there are Dj’s who specialize in Bollywood music, and there are others who specialize in hindustani or carnatic. If you are planning your beautiful Vivaha, you wouldn’t want to hire a dj who is completely foreign to these genres of music. Research reviews or even ask for some sample lists from your dj to get a good idea of his or her experience. Music absolutely sets the tone for your wedding and reception, and you don’t want to have to worry about whether or not you and your guests are going to like all the songs. These vendors – especially the ones who specialize are getting booked far in advance, so you want to make sure you secure them early on in the planning process as well.

Catering + Cakes. I won’t go in depth on this topic, but check out the policies your caterer and cake company practice. Most companies will do tastings and sample menus for clients looking to book caterers and cake artists. Double check and verify that they’ll deliver/work the venue you’ve booked. Sometimes catering companies and cake artists will charge additional fees or not even deliver to the area your venue is located, and before you place deposits or do taste tests you want to verify service coverage.

Have any questions? Whether I’m your photographer or you choose another vendor, I’d love to help!