Making Sure Your Wedding Vendors Play Nice

On your wedding day you have two options... (1) a wedding team that works together or (2) unconnected vendors just doing their jobs.

The Team

I believe the wedding team should be just that - a team. Not just a bunch of hired hands but a team that values each other's services. Beyond just vendors and more like a group of experts in their own field trying to make your wedding day the best it can be.

The wedding team should run like an expensive watch. It should be made of the highest quality parts that all work together in perfect harmony. If one gear is out of alignment the rest suffer.

A bride's selection of vendors can make or break the team. She should start with an experienced coordinator to help her. A great coordinator/planner can speak confidently about other vendors' quality and team spirit. If the coordinator knows that a particular photographer works well with a particular videographer, she knows they won't be fighting for shots but will instead help one another to get the best shot they can. Think of how a caterer and a baker can work together to create a super-tasty dinner/cake combo. You get the picture.

The coordinator is also the vendor wrangler so to speak. She gets to be the one handling last minute problems and not the bride. The bride doesn't even have to know that the caterer dropped a plate of meatballs. The coordinator is the one calling to be sure the team will all arrive on time. She is a stress-free bride's best friend.

Planning Prevents Problems

The planning stages are also critical. Here are a few tips we can offer:

• Details. Details. Details. (Give as much info to your vendors as possible!) - When I know that the decorations were hand made by your great aunt, I'll be sure to get lots of photos of them. If you tell me that you bought them at the party store then less time will be spent on photos of them. You probably can't overload us with details, so make sure you pass them on to us.
• Quality Vendors Play Nice - Vendors should abide by the unspoken code to work together. Caterers should pause setup to allow for photos. Photographers shouldn't walk in the videographer's shot. Photography and videography vendors should talk ahead of time to be sure they are on the same page. In short, professionals act professional.
• Think The Schedule Through - For example, if you need flowers in the pre-wedding photos, make sure the florist knows that and is arriving early enough to get it set up . Also talk to your video and photo guys to set up a shooting schedule before you set the hair and makeup appointments so that you will have allowed plenty of time for the shots.
• Don't Wait Until the Last Minute to Book - The best vendors and locations tend to go first. We are already booking weddings for September 2011 - 21 months away!

Looking Back

When you are on the way to your honeymoon, all the guests are gone, and your vendors have packed up and gone home, you want to look back and know that you had the easiest, most beautiful wedding ever because you took the time to hire the right vendors who worked together to make it happen.

We're Team Players Who Absolutely Love Shooting Weddings

Want us to be a part of your wedding team? Contact us and tell us about your wedding.

If You're Wondering Who We Enjoy Working With...

• Wedding Planner/Coordinator - Cocktails & Details
• Hotel/Wedding Site/Caterer - Jekyll Island Club, Epworth By the Sea
• Videography – iMint Media
• DJ – Island Sound
• Florist - The Flower Basket

But we love meeting new people too!

Got Tips?

If you have other tips or stories, please help the wedding world by adding them in the comments.