How to Choose the Right Wedding Vendors for Your Big Day

Congratulations! You’ve finally chosen your wedding venue. After touring venues and asking countless questions, you can take a breath and start planning the meaningful details that will make your wedding day special. It may feel like you’re beginning the venue search process all over again with endless questions and phone calls to make sure you’re choosing the right wedding vendors, but it doesn’t have to feel like starting from square one. With a little research and collaboration with your venue, choosing your wedding vendors can be a smooth and stress-free experience.

Our event planning experts have put together a list of helpful tips to guide you in choosing the right vendors for your wedding day, so you can spend less time worrying and more time enjoying your engagement season.

Vault 634 wedding venueStarting at Home Base: Asking the Right Questions

One of the best resources for choosing wedding vendors is your venue. Venue teams work with vendors across a wide range of industries, wedding styles, budgets, and preferences, giving them valuable insights and recommendations. At Vault 634, we offer in-house catering, décor, and event planning services, making the planning process easier by reducing the need to coordinate multiple vendors.

If your venue is not all-inclusive and requires outside rentals, catering, or clean-up services, your venue coordinator will likely be able to provide a list of trusted preferred vendors for those needs, as well as additional services like florals, entertainment, photography, and more.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to your venue’s event staff. They’re there to help make your planning process as seamless and stress-free as possible.

Consider Hiring a Wedding Planner

Your wedding venue may have an in-house event coordinator—like we do at Vault 634. If your venue does not, you may want to consider hiring a wedding planner. A wedding planner’s job is to ensure that all vendors and planning details are organized and coordinated before your wedding day, as well as to oversee every step of the event, from vendor arrival to departure.

Wedding venues usually have a list of recommended wedding planners who have experience working in their space. If you’re having your wedding at Vault 634, here are some of our preferred wedding planners.

Vault 634 event staff working together to plan an eventOnline Resources for Researching Vendors

There are several online wedding directories that connect couples to local vendors. These will help you create a list of suitable florists, entertainment, and more for your wedding. The following websites offer simple processes to help choose vendor options:

Keep Track of Vendor Information

Staying organized while wedding planning is a key part of making this process successful, which is why we’ve put together a downloadable template to help you stay organized throughout the vendor selection process. By putting your vendors in a list based on availability, cost, outreach, and other important factors, you can simplify the process. This will help you stay on track of your wedding planning timeline and make choosing the right vendors even easier.

A bride at Vault 634 reading a note from her husbandQuestions to Ask Along the Way: Vendor Preferences and Non-Negotiables

In the beginning stages of wedding planning, you and your partner should have already decided on a theme, budget, and preferences that are important when choosing wedding vendors. This list of important items should stay with you as you decide which vendor(s) works for you.

Here is a list of questions you may want to ask to help choose your wedding vendors:

Florals

  • Do they offer floral packages for weddings?
  • Do their floral packages have bridal bouquets for the bride and bridesmaids included?
  • Can they work directly with your venue for a seamless day-of delivery?
  • Do the florals match your vision?

Entertainment

  • Do they let you curate the wedding playlist?
  • Do they require a large parking space or loading zone for band equipment?
  • Do they require electricity?
  • Do they need a waterproof space if your wedding is outdoors?

Catering

  • Do they offer allergen-free food?
  • Will your venue accept them if they have an open fire/flame?
  • Is this drop-and-go style catering?
  • Will they handle set-ups and clean-ups?
  • Is silverware, glassware, plates, chargers, napkins etc. included?

Photography & Videography

  • Does their package include engagement photos?
  • What kind of images/video will they capture? Candid? Formal? Placed?
  • Do they offer both photography and videography in their package?
  • What does their portfolio look like? Does it match the vision you have?
  • Check reviews: Did people feel like they were in the way of the moment?
  • Look at their social media pages to see if their style fits your vision.

If you’re looking for additional guidance when choosing wedding vendors, Vault 634 features a dedicated page of trusted vendors we recommend. One of the best resources is your venue’s preferred vendors list. In addition to your venue’s preferred vendors, don’t hesitate to reach out with specific questions to the vendors themselves for services, packages, availability, and offerings to ensure they’re the right fit for your wedding day.

Your Venue is There to Help

Choosing wedding vendors is one of the most important parts of creating a day that feels seamless, personal, and unforgettable. By staying organized, asking thoughtful questions, and leaning on trusted resources like your venue and recommended vendor lists, you can make confident decisions throughout the planning process. For more help in the planning process, read our guide on how to stay organized while wedding planning.

Most importantly, remember that wedding planning should be an exciting and meaningful experience. With the right support team behind you, you’ll be able to spend less time stressing over details and more time celebrating this special season of your life.

At Vault 634, we’re here to help make every step of your wedding journey easier. Start planning with us today.

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