Prioritizing vendor rapport?

Nope, absolutely not. I wanted to make sure I was comfortable with my vendors. If you are following me around and photographing me all day, I want to feel comfortable with you, etc. We chose vendors we had a good rapport with and liked their product/service. Those were 2 of the most important factors.

This was incredibly important to me. We decided to scale back on other things to be able to afford the vendors we actually wanted on the things that were a priority for us. That means no videographer, no photo booth, no uplighting, and minimal floral arrangements. Giving those things up meant I got to hire the photographer I clicked the most with, the DJ we loved that a friend used, and the venue I’ve wanted for years.

Rapport with our vendors was extremely important for both of us. When we were looking at venues, we hard noped a few immediately after meeting with the owner/rep. Just left a bad taste in our mouths. We finally found a venue that specializes in weddings and events, and even though we have had a few different people from the venue working with us, they have all been fantastic. Same with our officiant, photographer, DJ, and cake. It's our day, and we want to make sure things are done the way we want them. Keep looking until you find vendors you mesh well with. You want to feel confident in their abilities to help run your day smoothly. And that cant happen unless you have a good rapport and feel comfortable with them! Good luck!!

I would absolutely go with a vendor that I connected with. Still staying in budget bit you’re right...so don’t let anyone pressure you.

I’m glad I’m not silly for wanting that comfort that I have people I can trust on my day

You're not being silly at all! The vendors that you chose to hire play a big part of your special day and it’s so important to connect with them. I think it’s worth spending the extra money if you can to feel comfortable with who you hired and to know that you’ll have great customer service along the way!

It’s all up to YOU in the end. This is YOUR (and your fiancés) big day! If you think going with the more expensive option is the best choice to planning and having the best day of your life, then choose them! I went with a more expensive option for my DJ and videographer because of the way our meetings went and the idea that they will be easier and more enjoyable to work with (plus their quality is wonderful)!

Hey Kate! I’m so sorry that you are feeling like your family isn’t supporting your decisions.

Of course, having a good relationship with your vendors is really important and you want to feel comfortable working with them.

Are you family helping you financially with your wedding? If so, they may be trying to help you stick within the set budget.

If you are paying for your wedding yourself, you can prioritize whatever you want when hiring a vendor. You certainly don’t want to feel like you are pressured into something that you do not want for your wedding day.

Having a relationship with our vendors was super important to us. Maybe not so much for people like our lighting and decor company who will just hang things and then leave, but moreso for our DOC, photographer, and videographer. These are people that you're going to spend your entire wedding day with, you want to at least get along with them.

100% agree!! I CAN'T STAND when vendors pressure me to hurry and book. It is almost guaranteed that I won't go with you. It's worth the money to go with someone who gives that great service as well.

I didn't include my family in any of the vendor decisions. They didn't go with me for anything. Do what you need to that makes you comfortable both price and people wise. My mom is coming to the tasting and I honestly need her to because the one man who works at the venue/created it whatever (Idk what his title is) he is supppper pushy and it's annoying. I had to give him my tasting choices on the phone and he's just outta control. Like sorry you are not trying to sell me things on the menu; I want the basic package and sub in some sort of steak. He's really overbearing and Idk how to get a word in. I much prefer my coordinator to speak to. He also was the one who was trying to convince us not to do seated buffet and I about lost it. I can't deal with people like that so my mom is very direct so I am happy she is going.

I did not go with the cheapest options I could either even if I was on a budget. Go with whom you'd want to work with again.

The way we vibed with vendors was super important to us when we were making decisions. If we did not get along with them or see ourselves able to properly communicate with them, they were crossed of the list immediately. I really did not care if they were a lot cheaper. If you can't easily communicate with someone then there is no way they will be able to make your vision come to life. Now, almost 2 month before my wedding, I feel like I am almost friends with a lot of my vendors. And I feel like you should feel that way with them. They are going to be helping you put together the best day of your life. Even if you have to pay a little bit more, pick the people that you have good connection with, not the sucky ones that will help you save money.

This was absolutely critical to daughter. She only contracted with vendors with whom she felt a strong connection. I was also with her a few times when she was interviewing vendors, and it was amusing to watch how quickly she could determine they didn't "have chemistry." However, it was also a little frustrating to know within 5 seconds of the meeting starting that there was no way she would hire a contractor, but to be polite knew we'd have to sit there faking interest for at least a period of time.... For her, it paid off; the day of the wedding (after continuing afterward for photographers, videographers, etc.) her vendors continued to be people she loved working with. If you're the kind of person for whom relationships are important, then listen to your gut when selecting wedding vendors.

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Agree with this. After the wedding, daughter was really sorry to no longer have reasons to interact with her venue coordinator, florist, photographer, DJ, etc. She did feel like they were her friends & supporters throughout the planning process....

I had this issue when picking my venue. There were a couple places that were far cheaper than the one we picked, but it took them literally days to email me back to answer a simple question and would never answer when I called. I decided that just wasn't a place I wanted to do business with. I would rather pay more money and get someone that can do their job right and communicate properly

Two things: You are NOT silly for your feelings, ever and please stop talking about this with your family. It is none of their business, really.

Getting along well with vendors can make or break your experience. I think it's important for vendors and their clients to see eye-to-eye!

You are absolutely correct on this. If they're unpleasant to deal with it will ruin your day! It's worth it to pay more to have a good relationship with someone. Also if you don't like them they can tell and you'll have more problems.