Vendors

Nati05

I know you should allow minimum 48 hrs for a vendor to respond. K, no prob. But how about maximum time before you contact them again?

I've got a few issues with vendors not responding to my emails. Since it's DW, most people here aren't used to booking until 6 months before. However, some couples are starting to catch on and book things earlier than the norm. So I don't want to take any chances. I've even had to start not mentioning the date since I noticed they'll ignore me if I do. (annoying right??) At first I thought, if they don't respond, I won't bother and just move on. But that doesn't seem to be working lol. I'm running out of vendors. And I just mean the big, 1:1 stuff; reception, ceremony venue, photographer, catering.. the ones almost all other girls of my month had booked months ago! SO.. how long would you say is enough to contact again??

**Edit: Btw, I've been waiting for about 2 weeks for a catering company to respond (which around here, the catering companies handle EVERYTHING, so it's a pretty big deal to do early.) I don't want anyone to misunderstand that I'm going nuts over a couple hours or a few days.

Meg1979

I booked a year in advance for my reception hall.  The other stuff I waited on.  Unless you have an unusually popular location, I would give them some time to respond.  I would say at least a few days.  They also might not be booking so far in advance, that could be why they are ignoring you.

jessicabessica

It could be that it is their off season right now, and they're not responding to new inquiries until they're back full-time.  I would probably find that annoying, but if the norm is booking 6 months out, you are way ahead for that location, and I would just accept a slightly slower pace.  You might also want to start your inquiries with something like "I know my date is over a year away, but I'd like to start gathering information, so please send me xyz and let me know when you begin booking for July 2012."  While it might seem like all vendors would be anxious to want money down ASAP, that's not always the case. 

My FI and I got engaged at the end of December and are getting married in July...I would try to relax a bit since you have so much time.  It's good to be on top of things, but sometimes you need to tone it down a bit when the people you're trying to work with are more laid back. 

aragx6

I would assume, if it's been two weeks, that you'll never hear from them. I'd either send a follow-up email or look at different options.

Nati05

I totally understand. Although we were supposed to get married this summer and when our venue fell apart on us at the beginning of the year we had to start looking for available places quick. At most venues our date was already booked, and where it wasn't... someone always managed to beat us to it right when we were ready to sign a contract. It was a disaster for a good several weeks. I'm just trying to avoid that situation again. Having somebody take your date, and all alternate dates possible, a few hours or days before you really sucks lol. Thanks for the suggestion on the inquiries though! That's a good idea, I'll start doing that!

jessicabessica

I didn't see your edit until after my previous post.  Have you been waiting 2 weeks for multiple caterers, or just one?  I would put out multiple inquiries and follow up with the one you've been waiting on.  We got some flakiness/nonresponsiveness from a caterer (that was also handling the venue booking) and we ruled them out based on that, but we had a tighter time frame (< 6 months) as I mentioned in my other post.  If all the vendors in your area are slow to respond, though, I'm not really sure what you can do. 

Nati05

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_vendors-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:79235cc6-fd88-4179-84c4-30511a8cd640Post:1b522a16-bbb1-433a-82f4-1d8ae986ae44">Re: Vendors</a>:
[QUOTE]I didn't see your edit until after my previous post.  Have you been waiting 2 weeks for multiple caterers, or just one?  I would put out multiple inquiries and follow up with the one you've been waiting on.  We got some flakiness/nonresponsiveness from a caterer (that was also handling the venue booking) and we ruled them out based on that, but we had a tighter time frame (< 6 months) as I mentioned in my other post.  If all the vendors in your area are slow to respond, though, I'm not really sure what you can do. 
Posted by jessicabessica[/QUOTE]

No prob, I edited later when I remembered I had forgotten to mention the wait time. Really it's just one. The caterer has amazing reviews and offers really great things, I met them personally in a bridal show and mentioned they hadn't responded to my first inquiry (when I was getting  married this year) and had decided to not work with them. I thought that would wake them up a bit, but it really didn't lol. They gave me some info I really loved so I thought I'd give them another try. I've been debating whether to call or email and thought I'd post my question in the meantime. "<strong> If all the vendors in your area are slow to respond, though, I'm not really sure what you can do. "</strong> This is what I'm afraid of haha! 

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I would call and just say you're following up from an email because you hadn't heard back. Then you'll be talking to someone in person, hopefully, and they can't ignore another emial.

Unfortunately, I did cut some venues and other vendors from my list because of their flakiness/lack of response. Early bird catches the worm and all that.

lyndausvi

I would call them directly.  

While email might be you primary form of communication it's not everyones, even in this day and age.