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Follow these simple steps to choose the best wedding vendors. Plus, helpful suggestions from a wedding coordinator on how much to tip each vendor.
As a general rule, when choosing the best wedding vendors, keep it simple and use the preferred vendors’ list supplied by the venue you booked. Between $20-and $250 is the average amount acceptable to tip vendors.
How intimate, big, or elaborate your wedding is will determine how to choose your vendors and which vendors are essential. Wedding vendors have specific duties and responsibilities, and this will help decide their tipping value.
How to Choose Wedding Vendors
Most venues have a pre-set preferred vendor list. This is a vendor menu for you to pick and choose from. In addition, some venues have wedding packages where vendors are already included and built into the package. Map out your wedding day and decide which vendors are a must to have.
- Caterer
- Officiant/Clergy
- Photographer
- Videographer/Photo-Booth
- DJ/Musician/Band
- Florist
- Bakery
- Beauty Professionals
For example, If you have your heart set on a specific DJ, and the venue you booked has a preferred DJ they only use and is included in the wedding package, you need to know this early in the planning process.
Since most venues have a preferred vendors list, this is a great starting point. The vendor already has a relationship with the venue. The vendor would not be on the preferred vendor’s list unless they had already worked events at the venue and served their clients and venue staff well.
Partner with a vendor that already has experience at the venue you have booked. Why? Because the vendor is familiar with the location, where to park, where to unload, where the service elevators are located, where to set up, and already knows the venue staff, which helps ensure everyone will work well together for a smoother event.
Suppose the venue you booked doesn’t have a preferred vendors list. In that case, the beginning of every year, January-March, is wedding-bridal expo kick-off season in most areas (usually held at convention centers or hotels). This is a great place to get inspiration and meet different vendors.
Hint: Bridal expos are a good resource to shop for venue locations too. However, attending an expo while shopping for a venue and vendors can be overwhelming. Enjoy the planning moments step by step. Don’t feel pressured to make rushed decisions.
Which Vendors to Book First
If your budget includes a wedding planner, then book the planner first. A wedding planner will already have a list of preferred vendors they know and trust.
For example, if the planner you are considering already has a relationship with a DJ and/or a Photographer, this makes the situation so much easier. Working with a team of vendors that have prior wedding and event experience together over a span of months or even years will set up your wedding for success from the very beginning.
Some vendors, such as the planner, caterer, photographer, DJ, etc., will only book one event for a given day, so these are the vendors you need to secure first. Florist, bakery, and officiant/clergy could have multiple events booked for the same day, so their schedules are more flexible.
Check out my article on Outside Catering Tips.
How to Book Wedding Vendors
Another way to find great vendors is by being an “invited” guest at a wedding (no crashing, please :). If you see elements of the wedding you love, inquire who the vendor is and get their contact information.
Referrals can be a good source, but be cautious if the referral is a friend, acquaintance, or work colleague just getting started in the industry. I realize an amateur photographer can be an enticing offer budget-wise, but you only have one shot at getting this right. A wedding is not ideal for a newbie vendor to get their feet wet and gain experience.
Expos are a great platform to interview multiple vendors at the same time, see samples of their work, see how personable they are, check their availability, schedule a one on one appointment at a later time, and also inquire about any promotions or discounts they are offering if you book their services by a specific date. Always remember to ask if they have ever worked at the venue your wedding is at. Ask if there are any discounts for paying by cash versus a credit card.
Hint:
- Secure a wedding date before meeting with vendors. It doesn’t make sense to meet with a vendor if they are unavailable for your wedding.
- Check out the vendors’ social media presence and reviews. Some brides I have worked with in the past have popped into a wedding discreetly to check out the DJ. Not recommended, and this is “wedding crashing.”
- After you have listed all the vendors you want to be included for your wedding, Select 3-7 vendors in each category you want to “vet” out.
- Make sure you have a phone, virtual, and in-person appointment with the vendor. It is important that couples (both) are present for these appointments. This is a joint decision on which vendor(s) to book.
- After negotiating and determining both you and the vendor(s) will work well together, request a signed contract with all fees, rates, deposit/payment schedule, wedding date, and times are included.
How to Tip and Care for Wedding Vendors
Hand out tips in sealed envelopes at the end of the evening and toward the conclusion of the wedding. If the wedding is hosted by one of the couple’s parents, then a parent can hand out the appreciation envelopes. If hosted by the couple, this is a great task for the maid of honor or best man.
Take care of your vendors and feed them first at the reception. Most venues will ask how many vendor meals are needed, and then the venue staff will make sure these meals are provided to the vendors at the start of the reception (usually in to-go boxes). It’s so important that the wedding planner, coordinators, photographers, DJ, videographer, etc., eat at the start of the reception so they can refuel. Meals only need to be provided to the vendors that are working the entire event.
If tipping is not in your budget, here is a good alternative. Offer to write a Google or Yelp Review for the vendor. Or a shout-out on social media, as well as an offer to be a reference should a potential wedding couple reach out to you for a recommendation on the vendor’s product and services. Positive “public” feedback is priceless for a business owner and the vendor’s future growth.
Story Time:
Always ask what your vendors will wear to the wedding. It seems like such a petty question to ask, but it’s still a good idea. It’s very common for vendors to wear all black, even the banquet staff.
One DJ I worked with for the first time back in 2013 thought it was appropriate to wear a Superman costume (cape and all) on the wedding day. So, always ask so there are no surprises.
~ Check out my article on how to become a wedding officiant ~
Conclusion
Don’t cut corners when it comes to hiring wedding vendors. Hire professionals. If you have chosen correctly, everything will fall into place beautifully. Vendors want you to be pleased with the outcome. Remember to reward “good” vendors generously (monetarily or in a kind gesture). Have faith and trust the process.
~ Happy planning and enjoy your wedding day steps ~