Nic's Button Buds, Wedding Planning
Wedding Planning Advice
Feb
How to get the best of your suppliers and pick the ones right for your wedding day!
Wedding planning can be stressful for everyone involved. However there are ways you can help to relieve some stress from you the bride as well as host a completely amazing wedding day. The best way though is to chose the elements of your wedding day that are most important and then select the best suppliers for the job.
Your wedding suppliers can make the job of planning your wedding MUCH less stressful if you let them. Many of these businesses have been working with brides for many years and if you trust them with your big day the outcome will likely be phenomenal. However there are a few tips that I would give (that I learnt when planning my own wedding) that can make the journey one of fun and ensure that your day runs smoothly and is everything you have ever imagined (and more)
Be up front with expectations
It can help your suppliers immensely if you are up front about your expectations, special requirements and your budget constraints. Stating that you are on a tight budget doesn’t help the supplier to be able to tailor the perfect package to you – but you giving them a quick rundown of what you are hoping for V exactly what your budget is will.
Set expectations of what you can get for what dollars. We work hard, and we have set minimum standards that our work will be, we have families to feed just like you. If there is a price difference, there is a reason. If you’re only shopping for price, I won’t always be the right florist for you. But for those brides who choose me to be part of your wedding day, know that I will do whatever I can to make your day awesome
Be realistic
We would all love to have those lavish weddings we see daily on Pinterest, but reality can be a completely different thing. Talk to your suppliers about your dreams, but be realistic about what can and can’t be done within your budget. Your suppliers are out there to do the best for YOU. They want your wedding to be magnificent as it’s great for their business too.
Set reasonable expectations and discuss them with suppliers. Much like taking a photo of Gisele Bunchen to your hairdresser and being disappointed that your haircut didn’t make you a Victoria’s Secret angel – when you take an inspiration photo to a supplier make sure you discuss and understand what they are able to achieve and where things are likely to be different working to the budget and materials available. Because they will be. And that is the beauty in using a smaller hand-crafted supplier over a chain product.
Be flexible & open-minded
Your suppliers are there to help you bring your wedding vision to life. They may have ideas that may be a little different to what you had first hoped, but are likely to save you money and still achieve that look that you have in your head. Your suppliers are professionals in their field – at least listen to the advice they have (you don’t have to take it)
I have a lot of tricks up my sleeves to make my clients look good. What I don’t have is a magic wand. If they insist on a style that is not flattering to their body type, or on a budget that is too restrictive, my hands are tied. Constantly changing their mind on design details, particularly at the last minute makes it difficult to get supplies and meet deadlines. Those changes and delays, eat into the time I have scheduled for someone else’s gown.
Lannette from Design by Lannette
Don’t make decisions based solely on price
We all have budgets to stick to, regardless of if you have $5000 for your wedding or $50,000, you still have a budget/limit set. However its important for you have an understanding of your budget. Be up front, don’t be afraid to be honest about your budget. I know for example there has been many times i have been able to work out a package to suit a particular budget OR make suggestions on where compromises can take place. Your suppliers are professionals in their field and work with brides on all sorts of budgets all the time, so don’t be afraid to ask them for some advice.
What i hear from many suppliers is that many clients expect the best work but at the cheapest price these days, unfortunately in this world you do get what you pay for sadly.
A true Business person quotes based on their industry experience, qualifications and the costs to keep up their skills constantly to keep delivering the highest of standards in work for the most important day in a couples life and also to use high quality stock/products to achieve the perfect result.
Think carefully about what parts of your wedding are the most important to you and go and find the suppliers that are best equipped to deliver them. Look at their history, portfolios and check that are real businesses, not just hobbyists. Make sure that they have insurance, and backups/emergency plans in place. You want people who are truly passionate about what they do, so that their passion comes through in their work. If you really love a particular persons work then talk to them about where there may be some compromise, so that you will still be able to utilise their services.
Communicate with your suppliers
By this we don’t mean constantly calling, texting and emailing them. Think about what you need and perhaps save up some of your questions for one call or a single email. Be considerate of times you are calling and remember that these people have families and lives outside of their business. Most of all be clear about what your questions are and realistic about response times. The nature of the wedding industry is that many businesses work through the weekends – so enquiries sent on a Thursday/Friday may take a few extra days to come back to.
This doesn’t mean you should wait weeks for a response either, but perhaps following up at 9am the day after you sent an email at 8pm at night is a little soon. At the same time if your supplier does contact you for more information or with questions, do take the time to respond to them. The more time they spend chasing you for information the more time they are not actually getting their job done. It can be frustrating, and cause delays and sometimes may mean you might miss the boat on something that is perfect for you. Don’t get me wrong – we are not suggesting you need to reply right away either (we know you have a life outside of your wedding planning too), but usually within 3-4 days is great.
One thing i would say to brides is the best suppliers are busiest, during peak season if they don’t reply to your email straight away, its not for lack of interest it generally a time thing. I have an auto-reply set to let brides know i am working on other weddings so will have a few days delay with response. I’ve quite often contacted someone back in a reasonable time frame and still had them say someone else got back to them sooner. Don’t feel disheartened by not being replied to instantly.
Pick whats important to you
There is no right or wrong way to have a wedding so pick out what is important to you and spend your money there. Pick the elements that are truly the most important to you and then focus your budget there and find other ways to compromise. Don’t just go for the cheapest option but expect the same service/quality as the more expensive option. If you talk to your suppliers chances are they will be able to make some recommendations for you. Ultimately you need to be realistic about the cost of these services and figure out what is that is truly important. Lastly remember you only get this day once and you want to get it right!
Be upfront about what they’re hoping for. If they’re hoping for the cheapest possible price, be honest about that. There’s no shame in that, but when you’re not upfront about it and continually haggle with people it’s a huge headache and waste of valuable time for all. And understand that quality of both product and design comes at a cost.
I always told my brides to choose 2-3 things about their weddings that are most important to them and focus the majority of their time, energy and budget on those things.
Lastly, Go with your gut feeling. If you aren’t confident with a supplier, look elsewhere. Those doubts are in there for a reason.
Your suppliers want to make your day as beautiful as possible; they want you to rave about their products / service to your friends. Your wedding is their business and how they pay their bills. Most of us out here are the same as you, we live week to week and have bills to pay as well. Treat your suppliers how you would expect to be treated as an employee at your work and you will get it back ten fold as they help you achieve the wedding of your dreams.
More tips from some friends of Nic’s Button Buds
Planning is the key, we come across too many bridesmaids who get completely overwhelmed by the cost, organisation and lack of commitment that they get from other invitees. Giving plenty of time to plan financially is a big one for us
Set reasonable and realistic budgets.
Have reasonable expectations in regard to cost and value the quality and expertise of the person you have hired.
I love when brides plan well in advance because that gives them the option of paying everything off over time if need be. This is also a bonus because they can get all the little extras along they way & can find out that there are so many new things available that they’ve never seen before.
‘When the Mother of Bride or another sibling has strong opinions / beliefs about what the Bride should wear, have, do etc then it has the ability to undermine the efforts of the Wedding Service provider to give the Bride the very best, based on what suits the Bride not the family! Certainly for me in my business I would prefer the Bride to bring a supportive friend who has their best interests at heart rather than a family member who often is competing for attention. Unfortunately the Bride doesn’t often have a choice in this matter. Footnote: of course a supportive friend could be Mother of the Bride!
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