Wedding Planning Essentials - Choosing Wedding Vendors
No matter the type of wedding, large or small, intimate or raging, you will want to use the services of some wedding vendors in the planning and organizing of your wedding. From the initial invites to the reception, this article will help guide you through picking and choosing the right vendors to incorporate into your wedding helping you to stay organized so when the big day comes the focus is on you and not last minute vendor searching.
Before you even begin to pick any vendors, make sure that you have a clear idea of your budget and what's most important to you for your wedding. You may find that throughout the process, things may cost more than you originally were expecting, which is why it is important to prioritize what's most important to you. After you have a clear sense of what's important and your budget, a good place to start searching for wedding vendors is to get recommendations from friends who have recently gotten married within the past two years. Having gone through the whole process, they will have the inside knowledge on the level of satisfaction they had with their chosen vendors and also will be able to give you a clear idea of what things cost.
There are some vendors you can get away with forgoing, however there are a couple that are usually a must. Unless you are planning on eloping you will want to invite guests to your wedding and hiring a stationer to help you pick invitations is most likely something you will want to do. There may be many specialty paper stores in your local area, or many chains are now offering services like this such as Costco. You can also find an abundance of resources throughout the internet. Costco and other internet stationary sources offer both convenience and are also very budget friendly compared to other specialty stores.
The second must have for your wedding is an officiant, or pastor to perform the ceremony that will actually wed you and your loved one. If you do belong to a church, you may have already expected your pastor to be involved in the ceremony. The general rule is to make a $500 donation to your church for this kind of service. If you do not belong to a church, you can choose to hire a non-denominational officiant. If you go this route, they will let you know their fees upfront, since they are not donation based. You can also expect to give them a tip of $50 to $100 after the ceremony depending on how well you enjoyed their services.
Many of the rest of the vendors you can decide to hire or not depending on your budget, as they are not entirely necessary, however one more vendor that you most likely will hire is a wedding photographer. A wedding photographer will help you to keep a pictorial record of you wedding day's events and special moments. Photographers are usually highly competitive, so you might expect that the pricing across the board to be the same. What you should do is meet with individual photographers to see if you guys get along well, chemistry is important. Also meet with photographers so that you can view their sample work, and pick a photographer whose style you really appreciate.
There are many other vendors you might want to include in your wedding to make your wedding complete. One to include will be the location or venue you wish to wed in. Many hotels offer wedding packages which offer all inclusive options that may help you save. There are also other venues that you can choose to wed including local restaurants, clubhouses, public locations such as a beach or even a family home. Other vendors you may wish to look into include a florist, catering, hair and makeup, entertainment, dress maker, videographer, and finally a wedding planner to help you tie everything together.
Organizing a wedding from start to finish can be a huge task, but if you do your research ahead of time you can pick and choose the vendors you will need for the specific needs of your wedding. There are many vendors you can choose from, several are necessary, and others you can pick at your leisure depending on your budget. In the end if you still need help with your wedding planning, you can always hire a consultant who will make sure every last detail is taken care of. This article should serve as a guide to help you pick the right vendors for your wedding to ensure your wedding is a dream come true.
Before you even begin to pick any vendors, make sure that you have a clear idea of your budget and what's most important to you for your wedding. You may find that throughout the process, things may cost more than you originally were expecting, which is why it is important to prioritize what's most important to you. After you have a clear sense of what's important and your budget, a good place to start searching for wedding vendors is to get recommendations from friends who have recently gotten married within the past two years. Having gone through the whole process, they will have the inside knowledge on the level of satisfaction they had with their chosen vendors and also will be able to give you a clear idea of what things cost.
There are some vendors you can get away with forgoing, however there are a couple that are usually a must. Unless you are planning on eloping you will want to invite guests to your wedding and hiring a stationer to help you pick invitations is most likely something you will want to do. There may be many specialty paper stores in your local area, or many chains are now offering services like this such as Costco. You can also find an abundance of resources throughout the internet. Costco and other internet stationary sources offer both convenience and are also very budget friendly compared to other specialty stores.
The second must have for your wedding is an officiant, or pastor to perform the ceremony that will actually wed you and your loved one. If you do belong to a church, you may have already expected your pastor to be involved in the ceremony. The general rule is to make a $500 donation to your church for this kind of service. If you do not belong to a church, you can choose to hire a non-denominational officiant. If you go this route, they will let you know their fees upfront, since they are not donation based. You can also expect to give them a tip of $50 to $100 after the ceremony depending on how well you enjoyed their services.
Many of the rest of the vendors you can decide to hire or not depending on your budget, as they are not entirely necessary, however one more vendor that you most likely will hire is a wedding photographer. A wedding photographer will help you to keep a pictorial record of you wedding day's events and special moments. Photographers are usually highly competitive, so you might expect that the pricing across the board to be the same. What you should do is meet with individual photographers to see if you guys get along well, chemistry is important. Also meet with photographers so that you can view their sample work, and pick a photographer whose style you really appreciate.
There are many other vendors you might want to include in your wedding to make your wedding complete. One to include will be the location or venue you wish to wed in. Many hotels offer wedding packages which offer all inclusive options that may help you save. There are also other venues that you can choose to wed including local restaurants, clubhouses, public locations such as a beach or even a family home. Other vendors you may wish to look into include a florist, catering, hair and makeup, entertainment, dress maker, videographer, and finally a wedding planner to help you tie everything together.
Organizing a wedding from start to finish can be a huge task, but if you do your research ahead of time you can pick and choose the vendors you will need for the specific needs of your wedding. There are many vendors you can choose from, several are necessary, and others you can pick at your leisure depending on your budget. In the end if you still need help with your wedding planning, you can always hire a consultant who will make sure every last detail is taken care of. This article should serve as a guide to help you pick the right vendors for your wedding to ensure your wedding is a dream come true.
About the Author:
Hawaii weddings specialist Lauren Ellis had been helping brides plan their dream weddings. Her website has some of the greatest resources for wedding vendors on the island of Oahu. Visit her website http://alohabridalconnections.com for more information on selecting the perfect wedding vendors for your wedding.
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