Unjustifiably paranoid?

Junebug2015

With ten months to go, we have most of our major vendors booked - venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, and photo booth. Because of budget concerns, we booked our photography, photo booth, and DJ through a wedding group. Obviously finding a renowned photog and DJ would have been ideal, but the package deal gave us more wiggle room for great food and open bar.

Now I can't help but find myself completely paranoid that something is going to go wrong. Our individual photographer has good reviews, but I stumbled across some negative ones for the group as a whole. I'm terrified that our DJ will be awful because we didn't individually vet him out.

Are other people going through this as well? How much of it can I control by communicating far in advance? How can I calm down and just trust that the day will go smoothly? Is the answer more wine?

Sugargirl1019

I would be in contact with your DJ, flowers, whichever is part of the package, diligently 2 months before the wedding. Schedule in person meetings. And drink wine until then!

JoanE2012

Junebug2015 said:

With ten months to go, we have most of our major vendors booked - venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, and photo booth. Because of budget concerns, we booked our photography, photo booth, and DJ through a wedding group. Obviously finding a renowned photog and DJ would have been ideal, but the package deal gave us more wiggle room for great food and open bar.

Now I can't help but find myself completely paranoid that something is going to go wrong. Our individual photographer has good reviews, but I stumbled across some negative ones for the group as a whole. I'm terrified that our DJ will be awful because we didn't individually vet him out.

Are other people going through this as well? How much of it can I control by communicating far in advance? How can I calm down and just trust that the day will go smoothly? Is the answer more wine?

Does your contract guarantee this particular photographer?  Most one stop shop places won't.  Generally speaking, they are not viewed very highly.  One notorious one is The Pros.  My girlfriend used them to save money and sadly she got what she paid for - crappy photos.  She regrets it.

pinkcow13

JoanE2012 said:

Junebug2015 said:

With ten months to go, we have most of our major vendors booked - venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, and photo booth. Because of budget concerns, we booked our photography, photo booth, and DJ through a wedding group. Obviously finding a renowned photog and DJ would have been ideal, but the package deal gave us more wiggle room for great food and open bar.

Now I can't help but find myself completely paranoid that something is going to go wrong. Our individual photographer has good reviews, but I stumbled across some negative ones for the group as a whole. I'm terrified that our DJ will be awful because we didn't individually vet him out.

Are other people going through this as well? How much of it can I control by communicating far in advance? How can I calm down and just trust that the day will go smoothly? Is the answer more wine?

Does your contract guarantee this particular photographer?  Most one stop shop places won't.  Generally speaking, they are not viewed very highly.  One notorious one is The Pros.  My girlfriend used them to save money and sadly she got what she paid for - crappy photos.  She regrets it.

SITB

I actually emailed The Pros based on a friends recommendation! I was not a fan of their work, though. And they emailed me once, then never responded to me which I found unprofessional. I would personally be wary of the one stop places, which is why I didn't follow up with The Pros.

Junebug2015

The contract lists the particular photographer and the coordinator communicated to me that the contract is valid with that photographer even if they leave the "group." FWIW the group is NOT The Pros, but Classic Wedding Groups based around New England.

I guess I'm looking for a little bit of reassurance because we did not have a ton of options due to our budget and, though we could eat the deposit and search elsewhere, can't do much to change our vendors now. Even if we could, I'm not sure we would be able to find similar services within our price range.

KnightsNurse

pinkcow13 said: JoanE2012 said: Junebug2015 said: With ten months to go, we have most of our major vendors booked - venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, and photo booth. Because of budget concerns, we booked our photography, photo booth, and DJ through a wedding group. Obviously finding a renowned photog and DJ would have been ideal, but the package deal gave us more wiggle room for great food and open bar.
Now I can't help but find myself completely paranoid that something is going to go wrong. Our individual photographer has good reviews, but I stumbled across some negative ones for the group as a whole. I'm terrified that our DJ will be awful because we didn't individually vet him out.
Are other people going through this as well? How much of it can I control by communicating far in advance? How can I calm down and just trust that the day will go smoothly? Is the answer more wine?
Does your contract guarantee this particular photographer?  Most one stop shop places won't.  Generally speaking, they are not viewed very highly.  One notorious one is The Pros.  My girlfriend used them to save money and sadly she got what she paid for - crappy photos.  She regrets it.
SITBI actually emailed The Pros based on a friends recommendation! I was not a fan of their work, though. And they emailed me once, then never responded to me which I found unprofessional. I would personally be wary of the one stop places, which is why I didn't follow up with The Pros.



To the bolded: Really?? I wish that were true for me. I have no idea how they even got my contact  information, but they literally email me at least twice every day and I get a phone call about once a week, even after I have asked to be removed from their contact list since we have all of our major vendors already...

OP, because you never really have full control on the actual service provider who will be at your wedding, I think it's similar to eating out. Some restaurants may have great reviews, but there's always the chance of getting a crappy waiter and vise versa. I wouldn't stress about it too much since it won't help post-contract signing. Just be very clear of your expectations with both the photographer AND the DJ.

ETA: Idk where the quote box went...