Communication is Key: Communicating Your Wedding Needs to Vendors

Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime celebration and your vendors are there to help bring your party to life! As you plan your big day, think of your vendor team as your support system; their role is to assist and guide you as you navigate the wedding planning process. Since most of the work of executing your wedding vision will fall on your vendors' shoulders, it is important that you understand how to effectively communicate your wedding priorities and vision to your vendor team.

Provide Inspiration and References

At BT Life Events, we believe your wedding should feel like an extension of you, and the more unique the better. We find that this approach is the best way to stay true to yourselves and will help to ensure that each of your personalities and styles is reflected throughout your celebration. We recommend that before you try to determine your wedding’s vibe and aesthetic, you start by evaluating your everyday surroundings.

Take a tour of both of your closets and review your home decor choices; take note of your favorite pieces, whether you’re drawn to bold patterns or sleek lines, bright colors, nude tones, etc. Pay attention to which details and colors occur most in your closets and throughout your home. Let these details guide you; all of these things are small clues to your personal aesthetic and design style.

After you’re done with your research, spend some time browsing the internet for more inspiration (we recommend getting started on online tools like Artling, Pinterest, or Tumblr). Use your collected photos, tangible reference materials, and other sources of inspo to make a mood board and write 3 to 5 words that you feel describe your overall wedding style. Once you’re done, provide your vendors with your inspiration and references, and together, start thinking about how you can translate that vision into your wedding day.

Have Open and Honest Conversations

When speaking with potential vendors make sure that your priorities are clearly known and communicated throughout the entire process; being honest about what you need from your vendors will help facilitate a better working relationship between yourself and each vendor.

It's crucial that you openly express your ideas, feelings, and thoughts regarding each vendor's role in your day, including sharing your likes, dislikes and providing them with constructive criticism. Being repetitive is another great way to convey what's important to you and to make sure that your ideas are clearly understood.

Each vendor should have a clear understanding of which elements are most important to you two and understand the significance behind them. This will help your vendors to understand exactly what is most meaningful to you as a couple, which in turn will help them get to know you and understand you better. If something feels off or you feel that you haven’t been heard and understood, constructively speak with them. Inform them of things you would like to be changed or improved and ask how you can work together to make it so.

Ask Questions

When working with potential vendors, communicating openly and respectfully with them is critical. Any vendor that you work with should always make you feel encouraged to give input and share your ideas, as well as be open to your questions about their role and processes.

Asking questions allows you to clarify what you don't understand and provides you with answers to any questions that may be concerning you. For your vendors, it tells them what you're concerned about and provides them with an opportunity to communicate their processes with you.

This back-and-forth is crucial since while you should consider your vendor's ideas and suggestions, you may still have questions about certain things, and because you want your wedding to be an accurate depiction of your personalities and love story, both parties must be able to comprehend this.

To conclude, communicating effectively with prospective vendors is essential to building strong relationships and working together towards creating the wedding of your dreams.

How do you communicate what's important to you with your potential vendors? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy planning! xoxo