The booking order
- Venue (and caterer if not in-house)
- Photographer and videographer
- Planner or day-of coordinator
- Band or DJ, officiant
- Florist, hair and makeup, rentals
- Cake, stationery, transport
Compare quotes like-for-like
Send every vendor in a category the same brief: date, venue, guest count, hours of coverage, style references and budget range. Then line quotes up on the same sheet: what’s included, hours, staff, deliverables, taxes and fees, payment schedule and cancellation terms. The lowest quote is not always the cheapest once exclusions come back in.
Questions that reveal the most
Specific lists: questions to ask a wedding photographer and questions to ask a venue.
Contracts: what to look for
Every contract should list the date, times, location, services and deliverables, total price with taxes and fees, payment schedule, cancellation and postponement terms, what happens if the vendor can’t perform, and overtime rates. If a promise was made in an email or a call, ask for it to be added. Our vendor contract checklist goes clause by clause. For anything unclear, ask a qualified local professional.
Planner, coordinator, or neither?
A full-service planner helps from the beginning with design, budget and vendors. A partial planner joins midway. A day-of (really month-of) coordinator takes your plan and runs it. A venue coordinator looks after the venue, not your whole day. Read planner vs coordinator.
Tipping without guesswork
Tips are customary for service staff, bartenders, drivers, hair and makeup, delivery crews and anyone who isn’t the business owner. Put cash in labeled envelopes and hand them to one trusted person. The tipping planner builds the list and total for you.
Vendor red flags
- Slow or vague replies before you’ve even paid a deposit.
- No written contract, or one that doesn’t match what was promised.
- Pressure to pay in full early or to sign the same day.
- No reviews you can verify, or portfolios with no full galleries.
- Unclear answers about who will actually be there on the day.
Trust your instincts: the vendors you choose will be with you on one of the most important days of your life.
