Overpaying For Vendors

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That's so nice how you were able to create friendships with your vendors!

I didn't make spreadsheets for vendors (but did for other stuff!), but I did do a ton of research. Average price points for things in my city, vendor reviews (and if they didn't have any, or they were old reviews, I didn't go with them), social media, how quickly they answered emails...and then when we met people in person, it was about how they 'felt'. My fiancé and I were huge on picking vendors that meshed with our personalities, and who felt right to us. It's actually resulted in us becoming friends, outside of our wedding, with some of them!

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I have had a couple of vendors offer me cash discounts too (which I gladly took them up on). I haven't had any Indian vendors (not for any reason, just haven't come upon any), but I'll remember that when looking for my remaining vendors!

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I prefer to check Instagram too (over other social media sites), though sometimes clients leave reviews on Facebook!

The hours or searching vendors and comparing rates of services.

I did the same and tried to get the vendors to come down to the price I was looking for budget wise. I did come across Indian companies that provide the same service as any and cash deals saved a lot.

This may be of help if you're considering choices and budget costs. They are great for their service, yet friendly too.

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That is a horror story! I've heard some crazy stuff too like, my cousins $6000 photographer did a terrible job. Like, all of their wedding photos are awful.

I'm glad that your moms 6th sense works. I thought my mom had one but I feel like hers doesn't always seem to be working lol.

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How many guests is 10K for? It really does sound like a pretty good price!

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Yes the emails! I feel like the way they answer emails (professional or not) and they speed of response were extremely important to me too.

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That's wonderful! I feel like as long as they follow through with what's promised (which I'm sure like 99.9% of them do) then there's nothing to worry about.

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That's great that you were able to go with your gut! I think sometimes too many options really does blur things (and drive people like me to create spreadsheets lol), and complicate the process more than it should be. It's really nice to hear that you're so happy with all of yours!

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Oh the spreadsheets. I was still in school when I started researching vendors, so my entire life was already spreadsheets, so I figured, why not? Now I find it fun!

Hmm do they have examples of their work online? I wouldn't even know how to start comparing videographers (since it's not something I'm having)!

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You know, aside from Instagram I never researched my vendors on social media, it just never occurred to me. I'm the same way where I definitely booked one or two too quickly, but am (fingers crossed) still happy with them.

I totally get this! I know someone who's photographer lost the SD card that had the wedding photos on it but luckily found it 6 months later - totally the stuff of vendor horror stories but using that experience, when I was screening for photographers one of the questions I asked was: what is your process after the photos were taken? The photographer I went with answered this with: her SD card stays in the camera until she gets back to the studio where she'll upload the images right away. She also has an external hard drive to back up all images (edited and raw) so there very little chance of things getting lost.

Overall, when meeting with vendors, I went with my gut about how I felt they handle themselves professionally, how open they are to ideas, etc. My mom has a sixth sense about feeling someone's vibe, so I brought her along to initial meetings when I could since that sense is fairly accurate lol.

I also made sure to do my homework and read reviews, view portfolios, etc. It had definitely been nerve-wracking at times, but I feel confident in the decisions we made.

A little nervous but... I'm now okay with it. We were quoted 10k for full service catering (bartenders, servers, on-site chefs, setup, tear-down, coffee station, dessert startion, hors d'oevres, dinner, late-night snack, tables, chairs, cutlery and glassware/dinnerware). The more I thought about it the more I think the price is actually pretty good. Our venue is 5k and pretty much doesn't include much but it's gorgeous. I'm a little nervous about the prices but to me, if about what feels right.

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Oh goodness, what kind of place would quote you such a wild price just for set up? Our ceremony price is costing us a bit but it was still much cheaper than some of the alternatives.

Especially the main ceremony/ reception venue. I feel like the pricing is all over the board! One place quoted me an insane price and it only included setting up chairs and turning their outdoor fountains down... like whaaat?!

I was reading reviews of them. Then when I went to go meet the vendors if I had a good feeling I went with them. I also took into account how fast they answer emails.

I do the exact same thing! I have made so many lists and charts comparing vendors l! So far so good. There hasn’t been a vendor that I have had trouble with.

I think once we booked people, we were super happy with our decisions, and haven't really thought more on it. We're genuinely excited for each and every one of our vendors, and we think that their product is worth their prices.

Maybe the trick is to not shop around too much? I only seriously considered 2 or 3 vendors of each category, so no spreadsheets here. Every one of our vendors that we met we had great vibes about. Not once did I ever consider that this people might not follow through with their work. You should definitely trust the professionals you're hiring.

If you have 1 or 2 vendors booked already, there's no harm in asking them for recommendations. Everybody in the wedding industry knows everybody. They work together often, and they'll tell you who is great and who they like working with.

I found some of our vendors through our venue's website (florist and photographer), or vendors that our friends used for their weddings, so I trusted the sources and their recommendations.

I have the same worries, but just maybe not as much motivation to make spreadsheets... lol

I went to the wonderful wedding show here in Winnipeg on Jan. 20th and still haven't made any discussions on a videographer even with discounts... I just don't know who is better and if I keep prolonging it then they may book up or they may no longer give the discount!! Overall, it will come together and be perfectly imperfect though!

No, you're not alone! I look at their website, reviews (if there are none then I avoid them), social media (if applicable), and compare quality and price before making a decision. I will admit there are a few vendors I could've taken more time to book, but overall I'm pleased with what my fiancé and I have gone with!