When you choose a vendor for your wedding, you need to be looking at three things: pricing, testimonials, and photos of their work. After all, these are the people you're paying to make sure your dream wedding is exactly how you've pictured it you're entire life! Trust us, we've worked with numerous vendors and talked with a ton of brides and they all have either really good or really bad things to say about certain vendors. Let this list be your intro into how to sort out the good from the bad.
Pricing:
Do you have a vision for your cake or alter that has to absolutely be perfect? Chances are that you are not willing to settle for less than perfect if you are already envisioning your dream. Take a photo, drawing, or vision board to the vendor and ask them how much it would be to execute your dream. If they quote you an ungodly amount of money, take it to at least two other vendors to see what they offer you. Chances are, if the testimonials and photos of the cheapest option come with high recommendations, you're going to end up with an amazing product AND you'll save some money!
Testimonials & Recommendations:
If there's one thing you take from this blog post, make sure its this: the wedding industry thrives on word of mouth and recommendations. If you're doing your research on the "best caterers in Dayton" and the first one you click on has rave reviews, they've probably earned them by providing an exceptional product. If people are happy, they want others to know and use the same vendors as they did. However, if someone had a negative experience, they will also want everyone to know. Just keep in mind all of these are coming from REAL BRIDES and REAL CLIENTS. Choose the vendor with the reviews you trust and that resonate most with you.
Photos:
Pictures are actual proof that these people can do what they say they're doing! Think of your wedding or event as a blank canvas. You want to make sure everything that goes onto the canvas *matches* and is esthetically pleasing your standards. Vendors take their best work and use it for their advertising. If you see that they have a bad gallery on the first page of their website, chances are their worst work is bottom of the barrel. Do your research on Instagram, Facebook, and all social media and look at their tagged work as well. This will show you photos of what people are actually seeing.
If you don't want to have to do any of the work in finding good vendors, look no further than Pearls & Poppy Wedding and Event Consulting. We have a list of vendors we have worked with in the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus areas and we will give you our true opinions on their strengths and weaknesses. We work to execute your vision and we know the best people to team up with!
Best of luck in your vendor searches!
XO, Jenna Barney - Founder of Pearls & Poppy