Vendors... annoying!

1111luckybride

I just had a meeting with an uplighting company and they tried to SELL me tuxedo discounts. It just left a bad taste in my mouth and I ended up not even wanting to consider the lighting design place even though I liked their work, simply because what they were doing is tacky.

I have been lurking on this board for months, and love the recommendations from most knotties. There are a couple of things I notice, and it seems like the board's rules are very loose or people just don't care.

I remember when I was looking for a photographer, there was always someone pitching for Jon Lo Conte and it was the same person every time. I ended up looking at all that knottie's posts, and about 90% of them are just them writing in and pitching their photographer. I looked at their pictures and they are good, not great in my opinion.

After I get married, I have no problem reviewing all my vendors and imagine I might chime in every now and then with rec's after my wedding, but do knotties REALLY stay on this board a year after their wedding and pitch the same vendor over and over again even when no link to their pictures is ever included?

I am sorry if this sounds like a lonnnnng rant, but after the issue with this lighting designer doing something so tacky, it just got me thinking about the wedding vendors overall and that person on this board came to mind. They probably have a bunch of happy couples they worked with but when I keep seeing the same pitch like a broken record, it makes me think its either the vendor or an employee that works for them.

Needless to say, I steered clear of the lighting company, the tux company, and that photographer even if they had decent stuff to offer, just because of the way they went about getting us to hire them.

megandjay

Yes, it is very annoying when vendors pose as knotties to hock their product. Sometimes it is not even the vendor, but one of their friends/family. It can be very frustrating. I know the knottie to which you are referring and she has been called out many times, but continues to come back for more (and when she gets called out she will post on one or two other threads to 'prove' herself as real, but then go back to just posting her photographer a week later).

However, if you didn't have brides that stayed on the boards after their wedding, who would you be asking for advice from? Other people who are also planning their weddings?

jkepros

LOL....I pimp my photographers all the time!    But I think that's mostly because I think there are more questions from knotties looking for photog recs than just about any other type of vendor (I also pimp my reception venue, chapel, DOC, alterations lady, etc etc etc...AND have more complete reviews in my bio--although I admit I haven't finished them all yet).

We had a 2.5y engagement, and really took our time picking every vendor.  We were so happy in the end!  We really just had 1 issue on the day of our wedding with 1 vendor, and we worked out a solution in the end, so I can't complain.  There used to be an awesome site from another knottie (I think) who cut & pasted, like, all the vendor reviews posted on the knot Boston board, so that you could check them out all in 1 place.  But something happened to the site, and you can't access it anymore (bummer bc it was so convenient!).

Anyway, the advice on this board can be very valuable, but you also have to remember that different people have different budgets and different expectations, so just because 10 people gave a vendor a rave, doesn't mean they work for you, and just because someone hated a vendor, doesn't mean they can't provide what you need.  I think like everything, you just have to go with your gut

GL!

Biotechick620

I booked John LoConte based upon his gorgeous work, pricing, his personality, and reviews from other places.

If you ever question if a review or recommendation on here is legit, I suggest looking for other places with reviews.  I've found WeddingWire.com to be extremely helpful providing reviews.  The vendors I've looked up on there have an extensive number of detailed reviews that are very unlikely created by the vendors themselves. GL

crazybrittni

I know exactly who you are talking about on these boards but want to say that I booked John LoConte based on other recs and so far he has been amazing. I'm sorry one person left a bad taste in your mouth and agree that it can look suspicious. I echo the pp and suggest you also take a look on weddingwire for reviews if you ever need more opinions.

I know I might recommend my vendors after my wedding once in a while but since I'm more of a lurker I doubt I'll do it nearly as much. I think it's mainly people having good intentions though it can come off as annoying.

Shazzie116

I see what you mean and it can get annoying, but it's also annoying to see 5 posts a week looking for photographer recs and the same responses for each post. If people took the time to use the search tools and browse other wedding review sites, I'm sure they'd find the answers they're looking for. I would just hope that you'd judge a vendor by their body of work and portfolio, not by your opinion of a knottie who recommended them. Vendors don't have control over who posts what on sites like this, and I don't think John Lo would hire or ask someone to come on here and be that blatantly obvious and gung ho for him. He had a client who was very happy with his service, it's that simple. 

And knottie's who stay on and post, I still lurk and try to give advice when I feel I have something worthwhile to offer, and to see the pics of girls I've gotten to know while I was planning, too. I found the advice from already married knottie's valuable because they've been through it already, and though I may have thought I knew what I was talking about when I was in the planning stages, it didn't hold a candle to my actual wedding day experience. 

I understand your frustration, but try not to get too upset. There are vendors out there who will try to wine and dine you and take your money, you just have to say "no thank you" and move on. 

Starmusica

maybe I misread your comment but really.. you come here looking for advice. Who better than past brides? If you don't want our advice.. please don't criticize the wonderful girls who stick around and offer free help to other brides. I pimp my photog and videographers all the time because the work they did for me proved their worth. They gave me great memories and I love sharing them with others.

carolbridebabe

we used john loconte and loved him! he was one of our favorite vendors... sorry to hear about your lighting company... that does seem tacky but i guess you can always turn down the tux offer and just booking the lights... we used rc uplighting and loved him! if you havent checked them out they are very reasonable

hth!

MeaghanandMichael

I don't think this is a big deal at all. From what I have seen, JBs has done a great job of reigning in possible vendors. Also, there are some people who just truly love their vendors. Who can deny Eeyore doesn't love the Seaport or something, you know? I definitely don't think brides loving their vendors and passing it along is a big deal. There are plenty of other wedding things to worry about.

Also, ditto Shaz.

megandjay

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_massachusetts-boston_vendors-annoying?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:89Discussion:e126df2f-0745-4cb1-94b6-4367caf2e0d5Post:9fc44b6e-a725-4e9c-84a9-6c570f597d25">Re: Vendors... annoying!</a>:
[QUOTE]we used john loconte and loved him! he was one of our favorite vendors... sorry to hear about your lighting company... that does seem tacky but i guess you can always turn down the tux offer and just booking the lights... we used rc uplighting and loved him! if you havent checked them out they are very reasonable hth!
Posted by carolbridebabe[/QUOTE]

hahaha

eeyore4771

I agree with pp. When I was planning my wedding, I really appreciated the posts from past brides, especially those who were clearly known to the board and whose personalities, tastes, etc. we got to know.  Unfortunately I've become a little more of a check in every once in a while kind of poster since school has been pretty busy lately and I don't see as many NWR posts on here as there were back in my day (I knew many more of the people on the board back then too), but I try to contribute where I can.  I'm sure if you looked at my recent postings it would sound like I'm a vendor since I tend to only have time to quicly respond to vendor review kind of posts and I feel if I can contribute most it's by sharing my experiences with who I used. 

Anyway, I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with your lighting company.  As you get through the planning, you'll learn that a good chunk of the wedding industry is just trying to sell you stuff (learned that pretty quickly after my first bridal expo...).  You just start to get a feel for what your likes and dislikes are and just have to get good at expressing your thoughts and needs and not being afraid to say no if you don't want something.  I hope you're able to find another place that you're happy with.  Good luck with your planning!

LoveAdopted

I didn't really have too much to add to this post, but I kept reading. So, wow. Just wow.

OP, sorry you had that experience with the lighting vendor. I agree that things like that can set me against using their business. Good luck with the rest of your search!

Blueyed228

I think the most important part of deciding on your vendors is that you do all of your research.  I dont see any problem with people suggesting who they worked with.  Its your job to do your own research and find out if that vendor will work for you. 

Also, I would rather ask someone who already used my DJ what they thought, over someone who booked them but hadnt had their wedding yet.

There are lots of married girls on here who give great advice.  I like having them around.

Pesapenny

This whole industry is incredibly subjective, as are people's opinions and standards.

Do your own research. If you book a vendor based on someone on the knot posting and nothing else, then it's your fault you're disatisfied. Don't read the knot then.