Dealing with Vendors

Manic Mondays by Jennifer Diehl

Vendors play a huge role in your wedding! The flowers, the music, the food, the make-up and more! Hiring the right team of vendors is critical to planning your dream wedding. One of the most stressful parts of your wedding can be choosing the right vendor for you, along with your wedding ideas and your budget, so we want to make sure that you’re prepared.

How do I go about choosing a vendor?

Do some research; it’s always good to go into your first meeting with some knowledge of the company. Look at vendor reviews; this is where you’ll really find the truth. Ask people that you know if they’ve heard of them or worked with them before. Be sure to ask questions, and get all the details in writing.

What do I do if my vendors bail last minute?

Don’t stress out, if you have a wedding planner they will have a back-up plan, so you won’t have to worry! If you didn’t go with a wedding planner, then one of your bridesmaids should step up and try and solve the problem! Running to the local florist or supermarket and buying as many flowers as possible, if your florist is M.I.A. (We at Private Receptions have dealt with this situation) If your photographer or videographer is a no-show find someone with a professional camera and appoint them to capture the action.

It’s your wedding, who’s in charge?

It’s important to find a vendor who you trust and who understands your vision for the wedding. While you should trust your professionals, don’t let your vendors take over, you make the final decisions. Listen to their suggestions, because they may have some good advice but don’t let them change your overall vision of your day.

How do I know what to tip my vendors?

In most cases tipping a vendor is optional, but is definitely recommended especially if the service was good! Here is a quick guide to tipping each vendor.

Your Wedding Planner- The average couple will tip their Wedding Planner up to $500 or a give them a very nice gift. Send them a picture from your honeymoon and a Thank you note as well!

Hair Stylist & Make-up Artist- It is expected that you tip 15-20 percent just as you would in a hair salon.

The Photographer & Videographer- They don’t always need a tip, but if their service was great $50-$200 is standard.

With any vendor, the most appreciated gift would be a testimonial letter complimenting their services.

Vendors come together to make your wedding day go beyond your expectations, so make sure you trust them and get along with them. And if you’ve hired a wedding planner, they’ll make sure you don’t have to stress about anything!

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How To-Find the Perfect Bridal Show, Part 2

How To by Jennifer Crone

Tuesday we talked about how valuable bridal shows can be and where to find good ones. Today we’re going to talk about how to choose which are right for you and how to get the most out of them. Here’s How To:

Look at the shows you’ve found and educate yourself on what kind of show it will be. If it’s a large show with unlimited ticket sales, chances are there will be about 800+ people there and it will be more like a trade show. It will lack a cohesive element and can be overwhelming to a newly engaged bride-to-be. If it’s a medium sized show the tickets will be capped at a certain number, so find out what that cap is. At a medium show the vendors will be preferred by whom ever is hosting (New York magazine, for example). Lastly there are small shows, with a limited number of tickets sold. These can be put on by a venue that does weddings and can be a great way to experience a show in contrast to a hall. This show will be more intimate and there will be partnerships between these vendors so they’re familiar with one another and have good working relationships. Ideally all your vendors will work seamlessly together (this is where having a planner can be invaluable).

Candy Bar at Oheka bridal show

So you’ve carefully chosen which bridal shows you’re going to attend. It would all be for naught if you didn’t get the most out of it. Research the vendors who will be at the show and take note of who you’re interested in and have questions for them. You want to make sure you make the right connections and don’t spend time with something you know you’re not interested in. Set goals for the show (i.e. talk to three florists) so as not to get there and be overwhelmed. Be sure to have a notebook and pen handy for your questions so you can jot down answers and any ideas you get: this will help you feel more organized. You can also collect business cards in your notebook so be sure it has a space for them. Make an asterisk on the business card of a vendor you’re interested in so when you get home with 30 business cards you remember who you liked.

A great tip is to set up an email account just for your wedding: think alexandsarawed@gmail.com. Instead of putting your personal email address on all the vendor contact lists you can give them this one that’s exclusively for your wedding. You and your fiance will both have access to it, and don’t forget to add the vendors to your address book to insure they make it to your inbox. And remember: have fun!

How To-Find the Perfect Bridal Show, Part 1

How To by Jennifer Crone

With so much information out there, how do you know how to find quality bridal shows? And once you do, how do you choose which one and utilize it properly? It’s bridal show season, so here’s How To:

You’re engaged. Yay! Now what? Bridal shows can be a great resource. You can meet and talk to a variety of planners and vendors, and if your internal inspiration board is a bit blank, bridal shows are a great place to get ideas. We’ll talk about how to get the most out of them on Thursday’s blog (part 2), but first let’s discuss how to find them.

Pink Pearl Photography’s bridal show booth

The Internet can be a great resource, but I don’t recommend google searching “Bridal Shows” unless you want to be inundated with an unfiltered list. The best way to find out about bridal shows is to go to websites you know and trust, like bridal blogs. We’ve got some great ones listed on our sidebar and you might have some favorites yourself. This isn’t to say that you can’t find out about shows on the bigger wedding websites, but the shows listed on the blogs are there because the blogger respects and likes them, not because they’ve paid to advertise. We wouldn’t put a bridal show on the Private Receptions blog unless we were behind it.

Publications are another way to find out about good bridal shows. Local and regional magazines will often list shows on their online calendar. Other media outlets such as TV and radio stations will do the same.  If you have a favorite vendor (florist, band) or know a planner, ask them which shows they’ll be in. If you like them, you might like the other vendors they’re doing a bridal show with.

Take a look around and create a list of shows that look good and we’ll see you Thursday when we talk about choosing the right show and how to get the most out of it.

Facebook Apps for Brides!

Looking for creative and fun applications to spice up and share info for your big day? Check out seven top Facebook wedding applications that other brides are using…

1. What is Your Wedding Song? – This application is a personal music recommendation engine that helps you find the perfect wedding song based upon your personalities.

2. Wedding Countdown – You have been dreaming of this day since you were a little girl.  Now, that is it right around the corner, set up this application to share with friends how many days are left until your wedding day.

3. Wedding Tip of the Day – Add this application to your account and get daily advice and ideas to help you plan your wedding. There are different themes to suit each bride.

4. myWedding map —  myWedding was designed to help brides announce, plan and share with wedding guests, information on their upcoming wedding day. Once set up, you can share a Google map with everyone, so they will arrive to the church on time!

5. Wedding Gifts –This applications lets you view and choose the perfect gift for everyone in your wedding party and share it with them through Facebook.

6. My Wedding — This application allows you to include a wedding announcement on your Facebook profile page and share your news with all your friends.

7. Wedding Video –Share you entire wedding video through Facebook.  Let family and friends who couldn’t make it to your big day relive it with you through your online video.

Tie the Knot with Facebook Apps

MANIC MONDAYS by Jessica Ozrek

FACEBOOK BRIDES

If you’re a huge fan of Facebook like I am, you probably frequent the site to reconnect with old friends and know who else is preparing to tie the knot.  Now you can play with wedding planning tools while you share what’s on your mind!  Facebook applications have taken off and wedding experts are joining the craze.  Here are some Wedding Facebook applications that you should know about:

Wedding Book

• Meet other brides and grooms
• Share your wedding details
• Create a wedding registry
• Plan your wedding
• View your friend’s Weddingbook

Wedding Wire

• Wedding Blog
• Wedding Party
• Search for Vendors

Connected Wedding

• Free Personal Wedding Website
• Seating chart that uses your Facebook Friend List!
• To-do list with over 150 of predefined tasks
• Gowns, tips, articles and more!

Let your friends join in the fun by counting down to your big day with you – add a wedding ticker to your Facebook profile with Daisypath wedding and anniversary ticker!

and of course…DON’T Forget to be a Fan on Private Receptions™ Facebook Page!