How To Research Your Wedding Vendors

When planning a wedding, hiring vendors that are the right fit for you to have your perfect wedding day is crucial.

You'll likely start searching for vendors that cover all of your wedding day needs by doing tasks like asking friends who've been married for vendor recommendations, using Google search, reading reviews, looking into availabilities based on your preferred wedding date, and eventually moving on to a meeting with vendors to see if they indeed are perfect for you.

But, if it's essential for you to do your due diligence, and take your research that extra mile, then there are always options you can lean on to learn more about the wedding vendors around the location of your wedding or vendors you might like, before reaching out and starting a dialogue.

This blog is a guide to help you narrow down what vendors you should contact by finding out more about them before meeting in person.

As always, be sure to set a specific budget and follow that. If a vendor is out of reach, it's okay to accept that and move on to something that works for you and your wedding day budget from the outset.

Real Weddings or Events

If you've been researching while planning your wedding, you've likely come across features of real weddings on websites, blogs, and social media before. Real weddings are precisely as the name suggests; an actual couple getting married, not a staged content shoot featuring models by a brand.

Real weddings are the perfect way for industry professionals to showcase their best work because it's how things are for a bride on her wedding day. These real weddings are a great way to see a specific wedding vendor in action and give you insight into what some of their work looks like at a real wedding.

Editorial features such as magazines, blog features, and similar content is another way to see places the vendor has offered their services at.

Social Media, Bridal Facebook Groups, Wedding Forums, Directories, And Blogs

Since the inception of wedding forums, blogs, and online directories, brides have shared glowing reviews and recommendations for vendors they personally used and loved. Looking into these online platforms and reading words from real women like you will reveal some subtle but critical pieces of information about your preferred vendors.

One bonus with blogs and forums is you'll even be able to ask questions on ANYTHING, such as Should I go with the white or the ivory room aesthetic ideas? How much do you spend on your wedding? And so many others.

Always be sure to check out your vendors on social media to get a better idea of how they operate. While you'll be able to see more of their work, you'll also be able to check out their 'tagged' section and see how they operate, what other brands and brides say about their interactions with them, and what their work looked like in different settings, weddings, or times of the year, etc.

Social media is usually kept up-to-date for any business looking for clients, whereas websites are updated less frequently. With this in mind, social media will generally be a more accurate depiction than a website.

An Existing Vendor's Connections

If you've hired one vendor for a service, you could talk with them about other vendors they suggest. For example, if you're getting a custom-made wedding dress and have fittings with your dressmaker, you could ask if they know any florists, photographers, or whichever vendor you're searching for.

The wedding industry is one where brands often work together more than once, people build relationships, and brands will always be able to suggest other brands for different services.

Wedding Expo And Industry Events

Another great place to seek out vendors is attending local wedding expos or wedding-related events in your area.

Vendors will often showcase their work at a stall at one of these wedding or bridal expos, so it can be a great way to find some vendors you might still need to come across.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do if I need help finding reviews or past work from a vendor?

If you can't find any info or reviews on a vendor, and it's leaving you a little uneasy or has you assuming they're not as good as they say they are or are covering up shady work, that may only sometimes be the case.

For example, many vendors existed long before social media, and they'll still do incredible things today. Maybe they still need to adapt to the Instagram age of being always online, or perhaps they're a one-person business and struggle to find the time; whatever the reason, the only way to find out is to chat with them.

You can always meet these vendors in person or ask for a video call, and if they're reputable, they will have photos or information somewhere to back up their history and skill.

How do I know if a vendor's social media or website accurately depicts their work?

When researching any brand, going past the surface level is always important. Look into their tagged and story sections, or Google their name to see their work through the eyes of others.