Help!!!

tiffanydaniels

So I feel like there are a million and 10 options for everything wedding, and how do you know which one to choose? Did you meet with multiple different people for everything or did you just research and meet with one?

TheBeckmeister

I know there are a LOT of options for pretty much everything wedding-related.  A lot of our choices were dictated by budget and by the "style" of wedding that I wanted.  Google and some older posts on this board will be very helpful in narrowing down your options - then you just need to meet the people/taste the food/look at the venues/etc to figure out which option is best for you.

I know it can be a little overwhelming, but you'll be fine!  Let me know if I can help with anything!

blondbelle15

Once you decide on your budget it will really narrow your choices (unless of course your budget is unlimited!) I say go with your gut! If you meet with someone and you like them and they fit your price- go for it! Don't be afraid to book some newer people- my photographer, florist and videographer are all younger and trying to get a bigger client base and I love them all! As an added bonus they cost less too! It'll be ok! Just focus on one thing at a time!

clearheavens

I go with with pp said, most of it is dictated by budget.  You know who's within your budget and then you eliminate those who aren't.  Then you go and look at style, service, personality.  Before you book, check reviews here, on The Wedding Wire, and google them randomly to see what others have said about their experiences.

Also, I know everyone has to start somewhere but I don't recommend hiring someone that has never done a wedding before for anything.

In my opinion, the most important decision (besides the groom of course!) is photography.  It's what you keep after the day is over.  I recommend seeing the entire wedding album to judge that photographer's consistency--that is, their "hit" skill.  It tells you about what you'll be getting more accurately.

katy0293

My biggest piece of advice is: If you love someone (vendor) and they fit your budget/what you want, just book them and stop looking!

It's kind of like... if you look hard enough you can always find something else that you love just as much, if not more... except your man of course

I only interviewed one baker (Enticing Icings... fantastic!) and we loved her cakes and her price is phenominal.  We booked her the next day without looking at anyone else.  Sometimes it just feels right.

AlliD11

I completely know what you mean! I felt the same way at first too. I did a lot of research on everything and met with a couple different vendors for each thing that fit within my budget. Once you figure your budget, you will be able to cut out alot of options that just don't fit in your budget. I tried to narrow it down to 3-4 vendors for each thing I was looking at and from there it was easy to pick one that was within my budget and that I could just tell was right. I would just say do a lot of research on everything first, that is what I did and that helped me out a lot. Also, read posts on here - I got most of my ideas/recommendations from posts on here and if you ever have questions about vendors, just make a post on here and you can get a lot of good information that isn't sugar coated! Good luck!

AutumnEnchantment

It is overwhelming when you first start planning.  Checklists will help guide you to what you need (although you'll modify them along the way) and its best to focus on one thing at a time.  Venue (for both where you're having the reception and the ceremony) is probably the most important, as your date may change depending on availability.

But yeah, focus on one thing at a time, narrow down your list, make some emails.  Those that you like based on the responses they give to your questions/examples they can email or is on their site, meet with them.  Once you found a vendor/dress/venue, as previous poster said, stop looking. 

Best of luck, I hope my pre 8am rambling could be of help somehow.

TerraandSteve

I researched via internet and word of mouth then we set up at least three appointments for each.  The best route to go is to already know what you want and then make a list.  Categorize what is a must have for vendors, location etc. and what you would like to have but could live with out.  That list will help narrow the options once you start eliminating the vendors and locations that don't meet your criteria.  Hope that helps

KellyRVT

I chose the majoirty of my vendors from other Knottie reviews.  

artchickjp

For me, choosing a venue helped everything else fall in line.  From the venue, I knew a date, could look at vendors that worked there before, and had an overall feeling of what the wedding should be.  Good luck!  The Knot boards have lots of great advice.

jnkreager

I agree with all of the pp!  The budget REALLY helped us (especially narrowing down photographers) so that is the first step I would recommend.  Then once you book- stop looking or you inevitably have vendor envy for something.

Also, like artchick said, our venue really dictated our "theme," if you will, which in turn helped us narrow down our options.

green795

We started by asking ourselves a few questions about what we wanted as our dream wedding: What time of year? Which color(s)? What style? More formal or less formal?  What's important to us? Who's invited? How do we want our guests to feel during and after? How much money are we willing to spend? From there, we set a budget, and I did my research on the internet (the Knot, Wedding Wire, Wedding Channel) and magazines (Columbus Bride, Modern Bride, etc.) checking out vendors' websites, reviews, and weddings styles. I requested information and if that vendor met our budget then I'd meet with them. We looked at several vendors for the most important categories for us, and sometimes only met with one if we knew they had good style, a good reputation, and mixed well with our personalities. It was mostly me having initial meetings (my schedule at the time was more flexible than my husband's) and I would talk over what I liked and didn't like about each vendor, and his input reinforced who we should use. You will be able to feel which vendor is right for you and your wedding.  I would recommend looking at the Knot's timeline/to do checklist as well so you can keep yourself from being overwhelmed and space out what you should do each month. That tool and the budgeting tool on the Knot really helped. Good luck!

ehighley

It can all be quite overwhelming and there are SO many options for everything.

I basically did all of my research online and through email. I just didn't have the time to be meeting with dozens of different vendors in person.

I agree with the other ladies - if you find a vendor that you love and they are within your budget, book them and stop looking! Be confident in the choices you make and don't second guess yourself.

I never met my cake baker, DJ, florist, makeup artist, hair stylist, transportation company, etc. before booking them. I found all of them through TK recommendations or Google searches and have been completely happy with all of them.

I met with only two photographers and went with the second one I met the day after I met him. And FI and I looked at only two venues and went with the first one we had looked at. Its easiest to just pick something and move on, rather than weighing every option out there.

Good luck!!

SummerTwentyEleven

I 2nd everything already posted -- budget, lots of online research, the knot research, meet with at least a couple vendors in each category.  I also had no idea HOW to come up with a budget and what the average cost was for things (you'll be pretty surprised), so I googled a lot of things like "what is the average cost of a wedding photographer" (highly recommend doing this) and then took those #s into consideration when determining a budget and choosing vendors.  

Start with the reception venue first because the venue that you choose will sometimes determine what your caterering/decor/cake options will need to be, and that narrows those categories down.  Good luck!