Ten Tips For Successful Relationships With Wedding Suppliers.

Ten Tips For Successful Relationships With Wedding Suppliers.
Author : Wedding Photography Select
Article Date : 01 Jul 2015

Your suppliers are responsible for creating your big day. They are the people who arrange the wedding cars, the flowers, the food, the drinks, the photography, the entertainment, the venue and everything else in between!

In order to ensure that you have your perfect day, you need to foster great relationships with all of these people.during one of the most stressful times of your entire life.

Follow our tips to ensure that you have successful supplier relationships every step of the way.

Pay a deposit

You will be asking your suppliers to put in a lot of work, and invest in a lot of equipment before the Big Day itself, so it is only fair that they are paid a deposit in advance. The earlier you pay this, the more motivated they will be to get to work early, so don't dilly dally.

Sign a contract

Once you choose a new supplier, draw up a contract. Specify service level expectations as well as prices, payment dates, and timelines.

Make them feel involved

Make the job more personal for them by letting them in on your other plans, and even inviting them along to the wedding breakfast or drinks reception.

Arrange dinner

Some of your suppliers (the florist, the cake-maker, the photographer, etc) will be hanging around all evening, so be sure to arrange dinner for them while the guests are also eating.

Set realistic timelines

Give your suppliers plenty of time to do their jobs, it is unrealistic to ask a seamstress to alter a wedding dress within 48 hours, or to expect your band to learn ten of your favourite chart songs in a week.

Be specific

From the very start of the planning phase, lay out your vision for your wedding day and be very clear on your 'wants' and 'don't wants'. This will prevent last-minute changes and panics nearer the time.

Delegate

In the days before your wedding, you will be stressed out and in no mood to field last minute requests from suppliers. Rather than losing the rag, put your wedding party (the parents, in-laws, bridesmaids and groomsmen) on supplier duty so that they can sort out minor issues such as directions, timings, etc.

Pay on time

The last thing you need is an anxious supplier on your wedding day, or a call from their accountant while you are on honeymoon.

Trust them

Your wedding suppliers do this for a living, so when they make suggestions or do something unorthodox, just go with it! You hired them because they are experts, so trust them to do their job.

Use a wedding planner

Alternatively, you can bypass this issue entirely by hiring a wedding planner who will liaise with suppliers on your behalf!

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