Tag Archives: wedding vendors

December 9, 2011 · 8:49 am

One Day in December

banner design by Cris Kiss My Tulle

One Day in December is a collective project with 23 incredible bloggers and wedding professionals from all over the globe. The idea is simple really… fill December with positive moments from the past year in an effort to reflect, inspire, and be grateful for the good things in life. The brains behind the idea is Orly, a photographer based in London. Join us as we share our best moments from the past year. The fun begins today!

One Day In December Honour Roll

09th Dec} Shannon {Shannon Kelly Photography}
10th Dec} Cris {Kiss my Tulle}
11th Dec} Layla {Simply Savannah Events}
12th Dec} Amanda {Bacidesigner}
13th Dec} Allie {Honey Bee Invites}
14th Dec} Jen {Blush Printables}
15th Dec} Colleen {Soundtrack to Ido}
16th Dec} Shaffone {Making your Event Special}
17th Dec} Wendy {Just Wenderful}
18th Dec} Louise {Bijoux Bride}
19th Dec} Chandra {Oh Lovely Day}
20th Dec} Emma {Aphrodites Weddings}
21st Dec} Lisshan {Wrapper Couture}
22nd Dec} Ilse {Secret Jewel}
23rd Dec} Jessica {Two Wedding Belles}
24th Dec} Krissy {Make Believen}
25th Dec} Alicia {The Charity Wedding}
26th Dec} Orly {Intimate Wedding Photography}
27th Dec} Adrienne {Ruffles and Tweed}
28th Dec} Sandra {The White Library}
29th Dec} Tara {Cut the Cake Designs}
30th Dec} Laura {Laura Lavender}
31st Dec} Kewain {NolaBelles Soirees}

3 Comments

Filed under Wedding Blogs

Tagged as wedding bloggers, wedding vendors

October 27, 2010 · 9:45 am

Vendors Know Best

The way our wedding was structured (with donated services or hefty discounts) often makes it difficult to compare it to other traditionally planned weddings. However there is one element that we incorporated due to our situation that I think more people should test out. Because our vendors were donating time or services my goal was to be SUPER laid back and let them have a little fun. Creativity can get majorly hampered by really strict instructions which prevents all sorts of amazingness that could have been. I didn’t feel like I had the right to be overly picky and well that really isn’t in my nature anyway. The majority of people out there have a clear vision for what they want at their wedding from the colors to the flavor of the cake. Some people even get down right nasty about details that HAVE to be perfect. My advice, loosen up the leash a little and give your vendors some room to be creative. Wedding vendors are absolutely some of the most creative people around and while you have just one wedding, they have seen hundreds if not thousands. Trust me when I say, vendors know best. There is a double bonus here- Not only is it possible that they will create something even better than you think you want but it also takes a little stress away if you just trust them to do what you are paying them to do. Case in point: Flowers. My vision was a typical fall bouquet- reds, oranges, sunflowers, perhaps some foliage. When Dana asked what I had in mind I said- Fall colors and lots of texture. Then I sent her some pictures of what I just described. However I also said, I have no set flowers or design in mind, I trust you. What she created was nothing short of amazing and I could have NEVER come up with it. She used a much more sophisticated palette of deep purples, golds, and red with flowers that I didn’t even know existed. It truly was spectacular. Another example, we did NOT have a set color scheme! WHAT?! I know, crazy. But it’s true. What I didn’t want for sure was anything matchy, matchy. I didn’t know the colors of the linens until I got to the wedding. While the wedding party wore black and red, the decor was more earth tones and fall colors of sage, brown, and oranges. Guess what, it totally worked and totally suited us. If we had been stuck on black and red for the whole thing, I don’t think we would have liked it as much.

Please understand that I could be considered by some as a control freak. I fully stand by the belief, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” I say this because I don’t want you to think I just didn’t really care about the details or I am just incredibly laid back. In one meeting with Kim she was telling me some of her ideas and I said, “Sounds great.” To which she said, “You really don’t care do you.” I said, “No of course I care, I just know whatever you do will be fabulous.” I knew her expertise trumped even my best ideas for how things should look. I also know how important wedding details are to people, some dream of specific things for their big day since childhood. So, I am not suggesting you don’t give direction or if something truly is important to you, to get exactly what you want. But if there are areas that you are less certain on, trust the vendor to use their discretion. They just might blow your mind.

To prove the point of how amazing vendors can be I give you an event designed by Kim Duncan and photographed by Melissa Dunstan:

And an event by Dana of Glamorous Occasions also shot by Melissa.

Happy Wedding Wednesday!! Would you be willing to let your vendors get creative and not give them set instructions to stick by? Where would you be willing to give up a little control?

On an unrelated note, our video is UP!!! In order to see it you’ll have to head over to Facebook, “Like” Get Wed in the Red and watch it! It was shot and edited wonderfully by Taltos Productions! It was SO fun to watch and relive all over again. Let me know what you think! You can watch our Pre-Wedding Video here.

1 Comment

Filed under Decorations, Flowers, Photography, Real Weddings, Wedding Planning

Tagged as event design, florist, Photography, wedding vendors

July 13, 2010 · 10:57 am

Notes on Vendor Selection

Vendor selection may be one of the most difficult and most important aspects of your wedding. They can literally make or break your big day. However, how do you choose from the sea of photographers, florists, and bakeries? In today’s world the majority of professionals have fancy websites which may be the first place you head on your search. Use caution though, anyone can pay a web designer to create a beautiful website and it may not reflect their work ethic or even their talent. I am so grateful to have the vendors that I have as I know I can trust them to handle all the details and create a wedding day just the way I have dreamed of. My wedding is unique in that many of my vendors came to me but it taught me a very important lesson that I thought was worth sharing. Vendors are more than just talent or price, they are people and their personalities have to blend with yours in order to have the most success come wedding day. To many vendors you will just be a number, the wedding on June 12th, to blend in with all the other weddings they have completed and those that are yet to occur. While this is not abnormal or necessarily negative, it could effect the final product. My best friend got married recently and had a great photographer. She was friendly, fun and seemingly professional. Yet when the wedding was over, contact all but vanished. Her mom for example sent her an email to tell her how much they enjoyed her and to thank her for being there on this huge family occasion, no reply. A few more emails were sent when they hadn’t heard from her just to get a time line on when they should expect pictures, no reply. Finally after 8 weeks, a final email was sent to which a replay came, “The contract said it would take a minimum of 8 weeks!” The photographer essentially abandoned the cordial ship when the wedding was finished. Sure, she probably has a ton of other clients and photos to edit and sure it probably did state in the contract that it would take 8 weeks. But any wedding professional should know, especially the photographer, that one of the things a bride looks forward to most are her pictures. She likely missed many of the details in the whirlwind of the day and wants to relive the celebration. Thus the reason many photographers create a website with a few teaser pictures to appease the bride during the time it takes to edit all the pictures they took that day. Would it have been a big deal to send a nice reply stating that editing is quite the process and as per the contract it would likely take about 8 weeks, she also enjoyed working with them, she has some amazing pictures she can’t wait to share and oh, maybe attach just one for fun! That simple email would have gone a long way.

My advice is to ask a lot of questions before you book a vendor. After all it is a job interview of sorts and you are the employer. While I don’t expect you to inquire about their marital status or how they spend their weekends, you may consider asking why they got into the wedding business or how long they have been doing weddings. You will get a better sense of their ethic and their personality in general if you spend a little time discussing details instead of just looking at their work or answering their questions. This is especially important with your photographer because you will have to interact with him or her. From their perspective, they will likely be able to catch better, more intimate shots of you if they know a little more about your personality. Most employers don’t hire anyone solely based off of a resume, they want to know more about your character and your demeanor so they will know if you can fit in with the rest of the team. The same should apply to wedding vendors. Don’t make decisions based on photo albums or displays, those are essentially their resumes, a first look. You need to know that your vendors will treat your wedding as if it is a big deal, will show up on time, will correct any problems that may arise and that will respond to any questions you may have in a timely manner.

What I know about my vendors is that in addition to being talented they are really good people. They dedicate a lot of their spare time to charity efforts and are always willing to lend a helping hand. I know they take weddings seriously and they know how important all the details are to the couple and their families. In fact they recently opened a studio to make wedding planning easier and less stressful for couples in northern Arizona. Here is an article that was recently published about Celebrations Studio. Planning a wedding that doubles as a charity event is definitely more time consuming but I have learned a lot more about wedding planning and had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people that I probably wouldn’t have if I was planning traditionally. What I am most grateful for is the amazing people I have working hard on my big day. I likely would have selected vendors via websites and brief conversations otherwise as I wouldn’t have known there was a better way. So I encourage all planning brides to spend some time finding out who your vendors are so you can relax and know they will take care of everything and you can do what you are supposed to be doing: enjoying it!