Remember how awesome it was being a kid and talking about the newest toy that caught your eye?
It didn’t matter how or where it came from—that toy was shiny, new, and you wanted it.
Fast forward to wedding planning: you know you want a delicious wedding cake and the best wedding band in town. But you won’t be able to just tell someone and watch it miraculously appear as a gift. You’ll need to make some choices on which vendor will be providing the service.
If you’re shopping for vendors, by now you’ve probably set your ideal wedding timeline, started your guest list, chosen a venue and settled on a budget. If you’ve done any of these things, you’re in excellent shape!
We’ve lined up another handy worksheet to help you compare potential vendors, and highlighted some key info about vendors below. Keep reading to make sure you know the basics when it comes to comparing and hiring your wedding vendors.
Don’t panic, Pheebs. We can help.
It started out with a list
We know the feeling—you’ve probably looked at so many lists that you fear seeing lists in your dreams. But when it comes to vendor comparisons, it’s best to start with one. You’ll want to make sure you list all the items you’ll need to rent, and a list of items you’ll want to purchase and own.
Also, make sure that you’ve checked with your venue to determine what type of vendors are approved for you to use. The venue may not have a full kitchen for your caterer, or they might not allow stages to be set outside. Double check before you book a vendor for something you cannot use.
If you’re not sure where to start, here are some common vendor categories to consider:
- Stages
- Dance floor
- Furniture
- Tables and chairs
- Linens
- Dinnerware + Serveware
- Lighting
Keep the number of vendors limited
Just a quick pro tip: Think about limiting how many vendors you’ll need to manage. Many vendors offer multiple items to rent. Dealing with fewer vendors means fewer contracts and payments to deal with. It also means fewer potential tips to hand out on your wedding day.
Budget & quality
You’ve likely spent a lot of time on your budget, and cost plays an important factor in choosing a vendor. Choosing and meeting with vendors to nail down all costs is tedious, but necessary.
However, some vendors may hold higher importance for your and your partner. For example, you may want to spend a bit more time—and even money— researching a photographer to work with, because their work is based on the quality of their services. You may then spend less time worrying about the fabric style of linens that will decorate your tables. Be sure to note which vendors are worth the higher value to you.
Once you decide, stick to it!
Look, we know firsthand how easy it is to fall into the never-ending comparison trap. You make a decision to rent cream linens from one vendor, but then next week you stumbled upon a vendor that is slightly cheaper.
Trust us when we say: stick with your first gut decision. If you were happy with the vendor, the quality, and the cost then there’s no sense wasting precious energy over looking again. Paralysis of choice is real. You’ll have plenty more decisions to make down the line, and you don’t want to burn out!
Final thoughts
We’ve made you a Vendor Comparison spreadsheet to help you stick to your style and your budget. It’s free to use, and you can download it right away. However you decide to track your vendors, just remember to be true to your vision!
show me the worksheet download the worksheet
