Vendor Selection Part one!

Today's topic is a very important one for any bride. Even as a coordinator I know the importance of picking the right vendor because I have to work with these people every day. The reason why you want to make sure you have the right vendor for you is that you are trusting this company or person with an element of your very special day. You want to make sure and interview each vendor and get quotes as well. I will give you some sample questions for each vendor and hopefully that will shed some light onto this for you.

Reception Site:
1) What is the charge? What is included in that rate? How Many Hours will that cover?
2) What is the seating Capacity?
3)How is the parking situation? Is there Valet Parking?
4) Is Catering provided and if not can you provide your own?
5) Is Alcohol provided and if we have to provide our own is there a charge?
6) If we would like to have a band or a DJ is there a place to set them up?
7) Is there a cleanup fee or is that included in the rental?
8) Can we rent other necessities? What are the fees associated with this?

Cake Vendors:
1) Do you have pictures of cakes you have made for other weddings?
2) If we want something different, can you do a customized cake for us?
3) If we need a cake for a certain amount of guests can you do that? How much will that cost?
4) Will you deliver the cake to our reception site? Is there a delivery charge?
5) How far in advance do we need to order the cake?

Catering Vendors:
1) What can you offer us within our budget?
2) What about substitutions for special dietary needs?
3) Will we need to provide our own dishes, silverware, napkins and so on? If you provide them can we see samples?
4) How many servers will there be, and will there be cleanup?
5) Is there a charge to cut and serve the cake?
6) What is the deposit schedule?
7) When Do you need the final count?

These three things are a lot to think about. Tomorrow we will focus just on flowers and music.

Above anything the importance of great selection is that this is YOUR day. You want everything to be perfect and you need to find a vendor who will supply you with what you need. Do not get discouraged right off the bat. If you live in a small area and you think there is only one way to go you may be surprised to find out more by going to bridal expos or just joining forums.

As always the importance of having a coordinator is that they can go with you to these consultations and make sure that the vendor is a reliable one. Coordinators also have a suggested list of vendors they have worked with before.

Good luck!