You Can Really Get to Know Them

When working with local wedding vendors, you have the advantage of potentially having several in-person meetings with that person before your wedding. Personal meetings are beneficial for many reasons, mostly because you can get to know the person (or team), discuss ideas and expectations at length, and sometimes get “sneak peaks” at the final product.

For example, you could have your florist make up a mock bridal bouquet to make sure the colors and textures are coming together the way you envisioned them. Other local wedding vendors—such as DJs—can be important, because you can meet with him or her one on one to discuss your music preferences for each part of the celebration, the mood you want, and the specific songs you want played at each key moment in the ceremony.

Before you choose any vendor, it is important to get his or her references, and if possible, read their wedding vendor reviews. If you are looking at local wedding venues, you should read online reviews to see how the staff treats their clients. One wedding venue (which was a non-profit establishment/art gallery) offered gorgeous facilities, but the staff treated the bride and her parents terribly. If this bride had read reviews on the location beforehand (as opposed to being swept away by the beautiful ocean view) she may have had a clue as to how the staff treated brides in the past and chosen another venue.