I heart wedding vendors. They work so hard to make couples feel taken care of and happy, to make their wedding day dreams come true. From the inquiry, to the first phone call, email, and meeting, to the very last, to the wedding day, and maybe even beyond, the vendors that you choose to have by your side are 100% there for you. That doesn’t mean that they don’t have needs or deserve a little TLC. What do I mean by that? I mean, providing your vendors with that little something extra and all the tender loving care you can possibly provide.
photo by Krista A. Jones Photography of Natalie Franke Photography
The first and best thing you could ever do is appreciate them. Whether it’s your stationer, caterer, cake baker, wedding planner, photographer, makeup artist, or hairstylist, they are doing everything in their power to make your day as special as it can possibly be. The least you could do is show them how much you appreciate them. Tell them thank you. On more than one occasion, ok? You know how you feel when you do something for someone and they say thank you? It’s exactly like that for your vendors. It’ll go a long, long way, I promise you. And don’t forget your handwritten thank you note after your wedding day has come and gone. Guests who give gifts aren’t the only ones who should be on the receiving end of that heartfelt gesture.
The second and most important thing you can do is respect them. Yes, they’re there for you, but they’re humans too. They have families and off hours, try not to disrupt those. They’ll do their best to accommodate you, to answer you as soon as they are able to, be there for you, and make your day as perfect as possible. But remember that they have many more than just one client (you) to attend to. Realize that, understand that, respect that, show them you care by respecting their time and their service. Make payments on time. Make sure they get tipped on wedding night. Answer their questions and emails in a reasonable amount of time. And most of all, trust them. They truly do have your best interests at heart. Let them do their job, they wouldn’t be doing it if they weren’t good at it.
The third thing you can do to show your vendors that you care is to feed them. Yes, you read that correctly. I have heard some horror stories about this, and honestly, it kinda breaks my heart. Sometimes it’s the venue, sometimes it’s the bride and groom, there are many variables and many different scenarios. But the bottom line is this, all of the vendors working the day-of your wedding are hard working individuals and have technically been “invited” by you to share in your wedding day with you. Maybe they’re running the show, maybe they’re photographing it, either way, they’ve been “invited” to be there by you. They deserve and should be fed well. Don’t just provide them with a vendor meal, or soggy sandwich, or worse, nothing at all. How would you feel, on your feet all day, starving, smelling all kinds of delicious dinner smells? Cue what sounds like a whale’s mating call from your stomach area. Just feed them. Ok? Kapeesh? :)
We figure these are the best and most important ways you can show your vendors that you care. But we’d love to hear from you: vendors AND brides, how else tender loving care can be shared between you? xoxo
