Top 3 Vendors which make the biggest impact on your Wedding Day
The vendors you pick for your wedding day can make such a difference on how things run and whether you deem it as an overall success at the end of the day. Not everyone has the budget or desire to spend a bunch on each one, which is definitely relatable, however there are a few that need to be on the top of your priorities.
These top 3 can make or break the entire day!
Venue:
As previously mentioned, the wedding venue is an important vendor to decide on in the beginning stages of planning. It sets the tone for the entire event and will dictate quite a bit of your decision making along the way. There are so many options out there to explore.
If you’ve decided to stay local, start exploring top rated venues in your area. Is your ceremony able to be on site or will you be holding it off site? If so, how far away from those two locations are you and your guests willing to travel? It’s important to figure this vendor out on the front end to insure you can lock in your ideal date. Venues often already have the next calendar year or two out already booking up.
Not all venues are created equal, so make sure to ask what is included with booking. Most established venues will have support staff, possible bar options, on-hand standard decor, basic table offerings, etc. Even destination weddings typically will have a more all-encompassing service or hair/make-up, food, photographer, etc. If you end up deciding on a lesser established wedding venue setup, you’ll want to make sure you’re considering the extra support needed.
Photographer/Videographer:
When you close your eyes and envision yourself on your wedding day, imagine all the laughter & fun, endless dancing, family & friends dressed to their best. Not to mention the day you’ve been working towards and excitedly waiting for finally being here to enjoy yourself! Capturing these moments of such a major milestone and celebration in your life, is such a gift to our future selves and those we celebrate with. Seeing the joy of such a big event coming together and getting to treasure that moment in time forever is so special.
Photographers & videographers get to create a beautiful snapshot in time for you and your loved ones to cherish. Making sure those memories are the best they can be is what sets apart the true professionals in this industry. They know how to run larger groups of people and keep to a timeline. While timelines can ebb and flow the day of, staying somewhat close is important to make sure all the vendors stay on track and meet your guests expectations. It can throw off the entire flow if wedding parties are kept taking pictures off for too long and guests are stuck waiting and hungry for food. You don’t want to be scrambling to squeeze in pictures, when you’re supposed to be getting ready to walk down the aisle in 5 minutes either!
The best of the best keep close to the timeline, can wrangle your wedding party and family with ease, and capture your top requests seamlessly with even barely noticing they’re coming and going! Not to mention the STUNNING works of art they create *jaw drop! The close relationships I’ve seen be built between the photographer/videographer and couple is telling as to how much they truly enjoy what they do!!
DJ:
The DJ is a vendor that sometimes gets unappreciated with how impactful they can be on your wedding day. It is the one that I’ve experienced the most horror stories with and try to make my couples realize how make or break they can be! Trust me you want to make sure your DJ has the crisp up to date equipment, a professional communicative demeanor, and understands how to work a crowd. Meaning not just on the dance floor, but remember they are the ones to help you direct the room that entire evening. That means potentially playing music during the ceremony, directing people during cocktail hour, running any wedding party intros, dismissing tables for dinner, speeches, and any announcements needing to be made to inform guests.
Alrighty…I need to share a few of those quick horror stories, so you really understand how important they can be. There was a DJ who streamed the ceremony song on their phone to play while the bride walked down the aisle. Needless to say the location did not have the best reception and I’m sure you can guess what happened… it sputtered and stopped for almost half the time as she walked down!!! I witnessed a lot of awkward side glances during what seemed like the now FOREVER final procession.
Another time, the DJ was a little too mic happy and self promoting. Introducing themselves and their accolades constantly during the dancing portion, along with interrupting during the song itself to announce who it was and any fun fact they knew about the song. The music was played entirely too loud and everything together threw off the vibe for many people wanting to dance. Yikesss!
These are just a few out of more than a handful I’ve experienced myself. The impact of making sure to budget and find a great DJ is a make or break for your wedding! Please think twice before you resort to your friend who DJ’s trivia night and house parties on the side!!
The Venue, Photographer/Videographer and DJ are important vendors to make sure you prioritize at the top of your budget. They are major drivers to make the day run smoothly.
