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Eri
Super October 2020

Vendor response time?

Eri, on September 23, 2018 at 8:46 AM Posted in Planning 0 11

Hi everyone!

I'm in the early stages of wedding planning where I'm sending out inquiries for a date 2 years away. So far, I seem to either get a response almost immediately (or within 24-48 hours) -- or no response at all a week to a month later.

For the ones that I haven't received a response from, I've messaged some again through other methods (WW, email, contact forms on their website, etc.). I definitely understand that this is a hectic industry and people go on vacation and such, but how long do you wait for a vendor reply before crossing them off and moving on?

A friend told me that if a vendor is ignoring you, they probably already have your date booked. I'm not really sure if that's the case because I did have one reach back out to me to let me know that my requested date wasn't available, and asked if I had flexibility.

Another friend suggested calling, but I sort of want to be able to work with someone who is responsive via email since that works best with my schedule.

What are your experiences with vendor responsiveness? I'm wondering if my expectations are just off and I should give people more time. Thank you!

11 Comments

Latest activity by Ashley, on October 31, 2018 at 10:04 AM
  • Kayla
    September 2020
    Kayla ·
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    I’m big on response times. I do Understand vacations and life happens but if I feel like if in the beginning, me just getting information about your services is to much then how will be when it’s crunch time. Now if I get a response in a week and they give some sort of explinantion or apology I could Reconsider them but I’m all about first impressions. Anything past a few days I moved on.
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  • J
    Dedicated February 2020
    Juli ·
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    Hi!
    Our wedding is also a year and a half away (2020) and I didn’t have an issue with their responsiveness. I messaged all of them through wedding wire and majority replied right away and we made appointments. Also, our date was still available. We had a few vendors saying they were not making appointments yet for a date so advanced. I would say call as well because not all of them get the wedding wire messages that are sent through the app. I hope this helps and congratulations!
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  • Kat
    Expert May 2019
    Kat ·
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    I ruled out vendors that didn’t respond within 2-3 days. Most responded very quickly so it wasn’t an issue with many. But I feel like that initial contact says a lot about how responsive they’ll be during your actual wedding planning, so taking weeks to get back to you is unacceptable IMO. Even if they don’t have your date available, they absolutely should respond and tell you that.

    Also, I didn’t use WW to contact vendors. I always went directly to the vendor’s own website and filled out their inquiry form, normally I’d get an email back within a day or two.
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  • S
    Dedicated June 2020
    Shannon ·
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    I would only wait a day or two if they dont respond fast now how are you going to stay in contact with them over wedding details. I feel they should make potential clients a priority to not just ones they already have.
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  • Eri
    Super October 2020
    Eri ·
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    Thank you for the insight so far, everyone! This is all super helpful and exactly in line with what I was thinking. I work in a client-facing job and we have to respond within 24 business hours, so I just wanted to make sure response times of a week+ weren't the norm for wedding stuff. Smiley smile

    I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but first impressions are huge and I'm definitely treating first interactions as indications for what's to come if I were to hire them. It's a shame because there are some vendors that I'm in love with that I haven't heard anything from.
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  • Courtney
    Super September 2019
    Courtney ·
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    Like other people said, if I emailed a few times and didn’t get a response I moved on. If it’s someone you’re completely in love with you could try calling before you cross them off your list. I understand that it’s still peak season so most wedding vendors are super busy, but they should have time during the week to get back to you. I’d be very nervous for the wedding to have a big vendor, like photog etc, that couldn’t make time you send me a quick email when I’m trying to book them!
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  • Tessa
    Devoted November 2019
    Tessa ·
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    Im having the same issues. I get a response right off the bat, but after discussing the wedding details, I dont hear back again. Im having a very small intimate wedding and I think that turns people off. I think they want to keep their options open in case a bigger wedding comes along with the same date. Its all about the $$$ and its unfortunate. I love their work so I might give them a chance if I hear back again. But more than 2 weeks is tough to keep my hopes up.

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  • Eri
    Super October 2020
    Eri ·
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    Thanks so much for the reassurances! Glad I wasn't totally off base -- or the only one experiencing this sort of thing!

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  • R
    Savvy May 2019
    Rhonda ·
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    Response time it big for me. The way I see it is if you are having trouble getting general information from them, then I would be worried about communication if you booked them for your wedding. I want a vendor to respond to me within reasonable time and who is invested in having me as a client. The vendor that I booked replies to all my emails within 24 hours and is always incredibly friendly when I want to meet with them for various things.
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  • MrsD
    Legend July 2019
    MrsD ·
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    I waited 1-2 weeks during wedding season. All the vendors we ended up booking are pretty responsive though. Our day of coordinator sometimes takes a couple days but she is at a wedding almost all the time.

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  • A
    Just Said Yes October 2019
    Ashley ·
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    I’m dealing with the same thing right now with planning a destination wedding. I understand wedding season is crazy, but more than a couple days seems unacceptable. I’m so flustered.
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