Before you hire your wedding vendors ask these questions

Why

How

Vendors who have invested in themselves are most likely to also invest in you. Avoid last minute cancellations and no shows by choosing professionals who are insured.

Sometimes unfortunate circumstances happen. That’s just a part of life. With proper planning disaster can be avoided. More often than not many of the vendors you will be reaching out to are a “one person show.” While there is nothing wrong with this it is important to know what their plan is. Ask your vendor what their back up plan is in the event of equipment failure, a car accident, etc.

Vendors who take what they do seriously will have back up plans. It may be as simple as having extra items on location such as flowers, cameras, speakers or they may have staff on call. Be sure to ask how the will take care of you if things don’t go exactly as planned.

Contracts are a way of life. It is much easier to prove what you have agreed on with a written contract. We live in a fast paced world where each day can become a blur. To prevent confusion stay away from vendors who do not offer written contracts. Without a contract it is easy for someone to no call no show on your big day or provide services that are not what you had expected.

A clear and easy to understand contract, That’s what vendors who take their profession seriously will provide. These contracts should outline what services they offer, the amount of the cost to you, any deposit/retainer fees, as well as when and where the services shall be rendered. Avoid contracts that are overly lengthy, confusing, or do not protect both parties.

Why

Events go longer than planned frequently. It is important to know if your venue, photographer, DJ, videographer, etc. have the ability to allow your celebration to continue. Ask how much extra this will cost. Pro tip: get this in writing in an email where it clearly states the additional fees.

Some may be limited by the venue they have chosen, some are bound by strict noise ordinances, or town/city codes that require events with more than X in attendance to be over by a certain time. This will also let you know if the venue or vendors are a good fit for you or not. Typically you will know if your family and friends may shut down a venue or not.

Why

This is an important question to ask all your vendors. Take note for each and add their arrival to your whole day timeline. Vendors who arrive early will be best prepared for you and your celebration.

Your vendors answer will give you some insight on how they operate their business. Are they planning on showing up just in time to start doing their job? Are they leaving enough time to set up, or to account for a possible delay in traffic? Also times may vary depending on vendors. For example your photographer may need significantly less time to set up than say your caterer or photographer.