YOUR WEDDING TEAM, SETTING YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS
It’s exciting to imagine your wedding day. If you are like most brides you will read every wedding book and magazine you can get your hands on and you will sign up for online resources like TheKnot.com, HereComesTheGuide.com, WeddingWire.com and others. Dreaming about your wedding and planning your wedding, as you are sure to discover, are not exactly the same. There are so many decisions to be made, it is no wonder that many brides quickly become overwhelmed once they begin the planning process. Much like a professional sports team, putting together a winning wedding “Team” is how you set yourself up for success on your wedding day. When all is said and done you may easily have over twenty different event professionals to coordinate. Your core wedding team are those professionals that you will interact with the most leading up to and during your wedding day, ultimately they have the most impact on the success of your wedding. Your core wedding team is made up of your Wedding Planner and Coordinator, Ceremony and Reception Sites, Caterer, Photographer and DJ or Band.
Before you can begin to assemble your team, you must first set your wedding budget. There are hundreds of sites, caterers, photographers and other wedding vendors to choose from and their fees vary widely. Your wedding budget will help you to narrow your selections. It is best to think of your wedding as a puzzle, start with the biggest pieces of the puzzle then finish off with the details. If you intend to hire a Wedding Planner you should do so before making any other arrangements. A good Wedding Planner can help you establish a realistic wedding budget and then suggest venues and vendors in your price range. A good Wedding Planner can also use their experience and relationships in the industry to negotiate better rates for you.
After the Wedding Planner your Ceremony and Reception Sites are the next biggest pieces of the planning puzzle. Once you have secured your Ceremony and Reception Sites then comes Catering, your Ceremony Officiant, Photographer, DJ or Band, Hotel Accommodations, Florist, Cake, Transportation, Event Rentals, Lighting and Décor, and Video. It is important to put together a team that will work well together and always act in your best interests. Sadly, there are many people in this industry that will treat your wedding as ‘Just another wedding.’ You will want to work with professionals that will understand that this may be one of many weddings for them, but the ONLY wedding for you. Only work with professionals that understand how important this celebration is for you and your family and will conduct themselves accordingly.
With so many people in this industry, how do you find professionals that will suite your needs and expectations? Talk to friends or family that have recently been in or otherwise involved with another wedding. Search online, go to Bridal Shows, and ask other wedding professionals if they can refer someone. Get a Wedding Planner you can trust to help you navigate through all the choices. If you choose not to use a Wedding Planner and opt to do it all yourself, then when you find the right venue, they will most likely have recommendations for you. Remember, a recommendation is just that, a recommendation. You will still need to validate that vendor. Be aware, some venues will recommend vendors because the vendor pays to be on their preferred vendor list, not based on performance or quality. I know it will be tempting to choose the least expensive vendor, however, if your want to really enjoy your wedding it is best to consider the whole package not just the price. As is often true in life, by cutting corners you end up spending more money or, just regret the decision all together in the end. There are a few simple criteria to consider when choosing any wedding professionals:
Personality: Only work with people you like. There are so many professionals out there, it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone you enjoy working with.
Confidence: Choose vendors that not only exhibit confidence, but also instill confidence in you. Do they sound like they are knowledgeable? You need to build a well qualified team and every vendor on your team needs to know what they are doing.
Quality: Are they good at what they do? A confident photographer that has a great personality doesn’t necessarily posses the skilled eye. To judge quality you can taste the caterers food, see the photographer’s photo’s, and get references from others that have experienced the service.
If the vendors you choose are not familiar with the venue, ask that they visit the venue before your wedding day. Each venue comes with it’s own set of challenges. Your vendors need to be aware of any circumstances that may have an impact on the service they provide for your wedding.
Jason Diavatis is a Certified Wedding Consultant at Bay Area Entertainment and sits on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE). Bay Area Entertainment, based in Benicia California, has been providing Wedding Planning, Day of Coordination and professional DJ and Live Entertainment in the San Francisco Bay Area and Napa Valley Wine Country since 1993.