Need some input from OOT brides please!!

ChrissyBeachBride

I know there are a ton of posts asking for various vendor suggestions but I'm just wondering what the preferences and experience has been for OOT brides.  I've been making a lot of calls and sending emails and I find with some vendors I have to wait a long time for responses.  Makes me worry about dealing with someone I might have a hard time tracking down.  Doing this long distance is stressful enough!

Cake
Trying to set up a tasting for our vendor visit in the summer.  Simple to plan with haydel's but haven't been able to reach Royal Cakery.  Any thoughts about this?  I mean maybe it's not weird I can't reach them?  Maybe communication skills are not the most important thing about a bakery?  Or is it a red flag?

Photography
Should I wait until our vendor trip to pick one?  Isn't the most important thing just their photography portfolio?  I was thinking it would be nice to have photos taken for our website on our trip but that would mean choosing one ahead of time.  Is that what most OOT brides do?  Did it matter to you to meet your photographer in person before signing a contract?  has anyone done their engagement pictures with a photographer and then changed their mind about them based on the photos?  How did you select a replacement?

Coordinator
Kind of the same question.  I want a full-service coordinator so I'd like them to come with us to our vendor meetings.  Doesn't that mean I have to hire them before the trip?  What do most of you do?  Did your coordinator visit vendors with you?  Did they recommend vendors?  Did you just go with their recommendations?

Venue
Waiting 2 more months to pick a venue is stressing me out!  Has anyone picked one based on pictures alone?  Why are some of them so difficult to reach?  Is this normal where it takes days to call me back?  Just makes me wonder what it will be like closer to the wedding. And by the way, does ANYONE know how to reach Montegut House??

Hair & Makeup
So I've narrowed it down to one I like.  I'm scheduling my makeup trial for my summer visit (and hopefully engagement photos) but the point of the trial is to see if I like them.  What if it deosn't work out?  Do I just hire someone else sight unseen?

I appreciate any advice here.  Sorry if these questions seem stupid.  I guess that's why I need a full service wedding coordinator! LOL

egm900

I'm not OOT, but I did have a friend plan an OOT wedding in NYC recently.  She used Skype a lot to meet with potential vendors before going to NYC.  I think this would be a good option for a coordinator, because it does sound like you need to have one ready to go for your planning trip.  

Also, I contacted all vendors via email, and almost all responded within 24 hours, unless it was a weekend.  This would be a red flag for me, unless they're somehow connected to the NOLA Wine and Food Experience that is going on this week (I think) or at least offer some sort of apology for taking more than a few days to get back to you.

louisianablue

I was an out of town bride and was only able to go home twice before my wedding.  It was definitely challenging to do things over the phone, but most vendors are pretty used to working with out of town brides and were very helpful.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

Cake: I had the same trouble geting in touch with Royal Cakery as well.  I called several times, but couldn't schedule an appointment.  I ended up booking with Flour Power, who was very responsive via phone/email to my many changes on the cake.

Photography: Good photographers book up fast and I wasn't willing to wait until I went to New Orleans to schedule something.  I reached out to several that I liked to figure out which ones were in my price range and if they were available.  Then I scheduled phone interviews and sent in my deposit.  I tried to schedule an engagement session prior to my wedding, but the timing didn't work out.  I actually met her on my wedding day.  I don't have my pictures yet, so I can't comment on the work, but she was really nice to deal with.

Coordinator: I did not meet my coordinator until my wedding rehearsal, but I only hired her for the month of.  Again, I would figure out which ones are in your price range and schedule a phone call to see if you have a rapport with each other.  A full service coordinator should recommend vendors to you and accompany you on visits, but I would be clear on your call that is your expectation.

Venue: I totally striked out on my first planning trip on venues, and my mom ended up looking at the board of trade for me.  I saw it for the first time about five months later.  It worked out pretty well, but I think you should try to see as many options as possible before making a decision.

Hair & Makeup: I scheduled trials for hair and makeup in advance with different vendors.  I wasn't totally happy with either trial, so I rescheduled with the hair person and booked another vendor for makeup based on her reputation.  I scheduled one last trial the week before my wedding.

GingerCake

Hi Chrissy!

I am also an OOT bride and my wedding is in October 2012. I have been making a lot of my decisions based on reviews posted here as well as the vendors' portfolios. I chose my photographer, videographer, makeup artist and coordinator sight unseen and feel really good about all of the decisions. I did choose my coordinator before I made a trip to NO and she accompanied me to my venue choices. She also suggested quite a few vendors and I have chosen to use some while not others. I had already done quite a bit of research before I chose her though so there were some vendors I already had my heart set on using. 

You may be having some difficulty with vendors getting back to you because April and May tend to be busy wedding months in NO. A coordinator could also help with this as they may be able to show up to places to book meetings where you are trying to do it all by phone and email. It doesn't seem like brides on the board have had good luck with the Montegut House. There was a number floating around in one of the posts a while ago that you may be able to find if you search the board but not sure if it's functional. 

It seems like you have chosen some great bakery choices so it doesn't seem you could go wrong with either and I have not heard any horror stories about any of those bakeries doing anything like not showing up the day of the wedding. 

In terms of your makeup, I would also look thoroughly at the artists' portfolio to see if you like the work that they have done. That in combination with reviews you can find here posted by other brides should be very helpful. I also don't think there is anything wrong with switching photogs, makeup artists or anyone else if you have a trial with them and don't feel like it's a good match. It's your money and you should feel comfortable with the vendors you hire for your day. 

Hope this helps

RYLZ

I think you're doing fine with everything.  Visiting 10-12 months before your wedding date is more than enough time to work everything out.

I had a similar experience as you with Royal and actually ended up going with Haydel's.  But only because they were half the price, not so much because I thought she wouldn't show up. 

I had a makeup trial scheduled for our first trip, and e-pics with a potential photographer.  Based on that experience, we decided NOT to go with either!  Fortunately, I made 2 trips before the wedding so I scheduled another makeup trial.  Though I picked our photographer on the basis of her portfolio and a long chat we had on the phone.  My 2 BEST vendors were chosen that way-- our coordinator and our photographer and they both were TOP NOTCH.

I did have a bad experience with a vendor I only met over the phone and my best advice as a result of that is, yes, unreturned calls and emails should cause concern.

I can understand wanting to see the venues in person.  I'd be in touch with all the ones you're interested in and make sure they have your date and reconfirm before your trip.  You are getting married during a busy time so you probably want to nail that down as soon as possible.  By the way, I found the number for Montegut in a 2 year-old post and called to make sure it was still valid before sharing.  The contact person's name is Kristin (225.614.5753) and she says your date is available :-)

 Good luck!

ChrissyBeachBride

oh, WOW!  You guys are awesome!!!  Thank you so much for putting my mind at ease.  I was feeling really overwhelmed and like I was going to have to spend 3 weeks in nola figuring this all out LOL.  This is really great advice.  Thank you all.

**Bezlu you are amazing.  I just sent you another email.

NO2012

Hi- I'm a September 2012 OOT bride and the previous posts all have good advice.  I have made 3 planning trips in total and don't have anymore planned until I arrive the week of the wedding.  My first trip I met with my coordinator for the first time (hired her tentatively prior to that based on phone calls and emails only:  I interviewed 3 or 4 over the phone, read as many reviews here as possible, and went with my gut feeling about who was best suited for me and my needs.  I have never regretted the decision).  I handed her the signed contract and deposit check at that first meeting.  She did not accompany us on all of reception venue visits that trip (she was recovering from surgery and I'm not sure how she even made it to our initial meeting!), but she guided us in our choices.  I would say that with any of your vendor choices, especially this one, if you start second guessing your choice- listen to your instincts and do something about it.  Kelly has been such an invaluable resource and support system to me through all of this, I can't imagine if I had spent this much money on someone who was not fulfilling my needs. 

I have made many, many vendor decisions based on email and phone exchanges alone(email is my preferred form of communication anyways).  This includes photographer, planner, ceremony musicians, florists, hair, makeup, etc.  I either got their info from this board or from the recommendation of my planner (often overlapping advice).  The only major decisions I made based on an in-person planning trip were my reception venue (ceremony at the Cathedral) and the hotels for my room blocks.  I did have my make-up trial on my last trip, but my hair person had an emergency at the last minute so I will have my hair trial just a few days before the wedding.  I have been very comfortable with all of these decisions and I am a type A control freak. 

That being said, I do not think I could have made a decision on the reception venue without seeing it in person.  I also don't think I could go with a caterer without an actual tasting.  But I probably could live without a cake tasting if it came down to it.  I guess it really depends on what your priorities are. 

On the cake, I do not have any experience with Royal.  My planner recommended Haydel's, I knew they were tried and true, so I scheduled a tasting with them and that was that.  The in-person tasting was probably a waste of time and the taxi cab fare I spent getting out there from the FQ, but it made me feel better I suppose and since then they are great to work with on the details via email and phone. 

If you have your eye on a certain photographer, I would go ahead and book them now.  But I would wait on your venue until you can get down there.  As pp said, don't be surprised if you get slow responses from everyone right now since it busy wedding season.  I regulary get "out of office reply" emails from my vendors right now saying they will reply as soon as they can (which they of course do within a few days).  HTH and good luck.  Once you get your major decisions out of the way (planner, venue, photographer) you will feel much better, I promise!

ChrissyBeachBride

Thanks for the great advice. 

I have some phone calls scheduled and I think I'll have my coordinator & photographer booked by tomorrow.  Scheduled 2 trials just to give myself peace of mind.  Woo hoo! heard back from Royal Cakery , so I think we'll taste both when we go down.

Thanks again girls!

mnols

OOT also here

I picked my photographer based on samples and referrals

Waited until I visited to pick venues

Tasting cakes when I go down this weekend

Really, other than venue, I did almost everything else remotely.  I had the same frustration with responsivness.  I think part of it was busy vendors, and part of it is that we're from the Northeast and are just used to a different pace for business transactions 

Queen Jane

Just wanted to add....

We were OOT and planned mostly from home. Two visits for planning total. We toured the venues, met our DOC on one of the tours and decided to hire her a few months later. Did one cake tasting (we went with Royal) and 2 caterer tastings. I hired the photographer, both bands, DJ and other miscellaneous vendors without meeting them. 

Hope that helps!

ChrissyBeachBride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_louisiana-new-orleans_need-some-input-from-oot-brides-please?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:84Discussion:0887ef72-e8b3-4218-b6cd-b758427be232Post:af6714fa-c2b5-42ea-ab67-54482ed77a2f">Re: Need some input from OOT brides please!!</a>:
[QUOTE]OOT also here I picked my photographer based on samples and referrals Waited until I visited to pick venues Tasting cakes when I go down this weekend Really, other than venue, I did almost everything else remotely.  I had the same frustration with responsivness. <strong> I think part of it was busy vendors, and part of it is that we're from the Northeast and are just used to a different pace for business transactions</strong> 
Posted by mnols[/QUOTE]

Lol, I think that may be it!
Thanks again, everyone.  I'm feeling a lot better about it all now.