Paying the booking fee before even seeing a vendor in person

I met every single vendor prior to booking them. i would ask him to see him prior to giving them a deposit. ask for their photos and samples and album samples then decide

I've done this with most of my vendors, in fact the only vendors I've met with in person are my venues and my florist (and technically my photographer since I went to college with him).

If you're nervous about them backing out or not loving the quality of their service I would check out reviews from other couples who have hired them.

For a photographer, try and track down the photos that aren't necessarily in their portfolio. You might be able to find some of these through the real wedding section here on weddingwire because couples can choose what to post

If you’ve never had a in person consultation or a phone call with a vendor or they won’t give you any information about their services and they are asking for a fee that’s a bit of a red flag but if you’ve have some back and forth contact and discussion about their services that’s totally normal.

Totally normal - as long as this is the photographer you will be going with and have already met with them. If this is prior to any conversation then I would ask to meet them in person to talk and see if you "vibe" before handing over any money.

View quoted message Thank you so much for your response. I do feel more comfortable having to pay the fee now.

Hello!

I looked at the reviews and thought it was completely normal to pay a deposit for a photographer. Again, go based on your gut feeling and look at their portfolio and the reviews

Oh yeah that's totally normal in wedding vendor world! It definitely feels sketchy at first, but it's just how it's done so they can make sure there's no double bookings and they are yours for the day that you need them. I haven't had any issues in regards to the vendors I've found on WW, so I think they must get vetted pretty well before they're able to be listed as a vendor. For my photographer, she sent me over some of her previous work/portfolio so I could see her style, which is really what I wanted to see before booking a photographer. That's when I put in my deposit.

It’s very common... if you are 100% booking them you put a deposit. Otherwise you can go meet with them before you make your decision. Only time they ask for deposit is if you are 100% hiring their services... if you’re undecided you can go in for consultation first and figure out whether you like them or not

Our photographer asked for a deposit before meeting. Our first time meeting face to face was our engagement photos and she wouldn't book them until the deposit was paid. It's very normal!


At first I felt a little sketchy etransferring money to a stranger, but in the end I'm so glad she's our photographer!

Every vendor I have spoken with has required a deposit in order to reserve our date. Some of them (like my makeup artist) I didn't bother meeting with before booking. However we did meet our photographer before booking her and paying our deposit. We wanted to make sure we were comfortable with her and discuss package options before making a decision.