Vendor with no reviews

I would not unless a good friend highly recommended them but if it comes to the wedding I would not take that risk.

I would not. I check all reviews from yelp, google, ww, and trip advisor. Check out pictures from their clients instead of theirs too 🥂

I wouldn't necessarily rule them out, especially if you like their work, because everyone has to start somewhere. But I would be more cautious - meet with them, ask questions, look over the contract, ask if they have references, and get an idea of how reliable you think they are. If everything seems legit, go for it! For me, I personally wouldn't hire a vendor who doesn't have reviews, but I also used the reviews to help me determine which vendors to consider, so I would have skipped past the ones without reviews.

It depends, are they new? Did you discover them in a reputable place? At minimum, I would get on the phone with them and ask why they don't have reviews and if they could provide any customer testimonials. I would be very very diligent in vetting them if you do decide to go that route.

Definitely see if you can get in contact with them and how responsive they are. I found a good way to spot new vendors versus scams/unreliable businesses was to cross-check their info across multiple platforms. I.e. if I found them on Thumbtack, I would see if they had a website, if they were on Facebook, and if their photos were real or stock using Google image search. If they pass all of those and they are willing to talk to you before signing a contract, then they could be worth looking into

Unless I had a friend who utilized their services previously and could provide a good recommendation, then no, I would not.

I would trust reviews from friends/family first as applicable. Then Google and Yelp. I wouldn't automatically assume they were a new vendor if they didn't have any listed. Not everyone who uses business services writes reviews despite the popularity of doing so. Nor would I confront a vendor as to why they don't have any.


Contact them for a quote of what you need and gauge their responsiveness. Trust your gut whether to go with them or not.

It is most likely they are new or just established an online presence. However I would not book someone if I could not read reviews first

No, I wouldn't take the risk unless I couldn't afford anything else.

I wouldn't unless family or friends knew them and highly recommended them then I might consider it.

We’re on a tight budget but I’m still looking for people with at least a few reviews. I would personally be too nervous to hire someone completely new.

I would not . That's like playing with fire ( I know far fetched lol) but still. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. Like what most people said , if a friend recommended them to me then I would look further into it.

I wouldn't my wedding is very important to me and I want to only hire people who are going to make it great

If there’s zero reviews anywhere, I’d be skeptical. I may still talk to them and inquire about it and see what they have to say about it and decide if it sounds reasonable.


My officiant didn’t have any reviews in WeddingWire. I think I had skimmed past the name and saw no reviews so past right on by. After reaching out and having conversations to a couple highly reviewed ones that I HATED , I expanded my search to Google, and re-found this woman. She DID have a Facebook page with reviews on it, but that was her whole platform basically — I think she used it as her website ? Well, I reached out, and ...adored her! She ended up being so wonderful.
LOL now that I’m really thinking about it, I didn’t see ANY reviews about my photographer I don’t think haha. My mom literally found her on the street 😂. She wasn’t on any of the wedding websites ! I stalked her galleries and liked her work and I spoke to her on the phone and we connected INSTANTLY and over the course of several phone calls I became super comfortable and totally came to trust her and she was SO perfect day of! She was new-ish to the wedding business and had been doing it as a side gig mostly via word of mouth. I just looked her up out of curiosity and looks like she got on The Knot just last year ....and now has all 5 star reviews! Maybe I should add one — frankly I would’ve loved to review her after our wedding but there wasn’t really a platform for it!

Definitely no. I don't buy things or hire anyone off line unless they have reviews, good reviews. It's very very risky to hire someone who doesn't have reviews, I'm not trying to saying that every vendor that doesn't have reviews must be horrible I'm just saying it's a risky move. You may put your trust in them and be extremely happy with their service or you could totally regret it.

Also I want to add, that I always check more than one site for reviews on them. I bought something online and before making my purchase I checked the reviews on the companies website. After being very disappointed with the company I decided to try and make a review on their website and learned that there is no way to make a review which means that the reviews on the site were fake. I found the company on Facebook and found hundreds of bad reviews.

It depends on the vendor. If it was something very important to me (ie: photography, videography) I probably would not. However, something to keep in mind is they might be just starting their business. You could always meet/speak with them and ask for references.

I would, I'm hiring a videographer that is new to the buisiness, but he has does good work, and he's offering me a great deal.

I would depending on a conversation with them. While I agree being able to read reviews is good, they have to be taken with a grain of salt. I don't put a lot of stock in glowing reviews nor do I put much stock on the few nasty reviews. If I was able to meet with the vendor and have a conversation, I woukd trust my gut reviews or not.

I'd be cautious, but there can be any number of reasons why a vendor doesn't have reviews, and if you are just looking on their personal website and Wedding Wire you may just be missing places where there are reviews (Facebook, Google, Yelp, The Knot, other wedding websites, etc). I'd be more concerned about a vendor with a lot of negative reviews vs a vendor with no reviews.

From what I understand vendors need to actively promote themselves to be listed on WW, The Knot, and other wedding websites - its similar to buying ad space. If that isn't a part of their marketing strategy they may just have less visibility on those platforms.

I would contact the vendor and be diligent about your screening process. Do they respond to inquiries in a timely manner? Do they communicate clearly and professionally? Is the pricing structure and their policies clear? Do they have a contract? Do you generally get a good vibe from them or does your gut tell you something seems off?

You can also always ask for testimonials from previous clients, or be up front and ask why you can't find reviews for them. They should be able to give you a straight, legitimate sounding answer. For example, maybe the photographer you are hiring has a TON of experience as a second shooter but is branching off into their own business and doesn't have their own client base yet.

If a vendor is brand new, that could signal a lack of experience, which might be a concern, but it also depends on the vendor type and what you are looking for. I would be wary about hiring a caterer with zero experience catering large events or weddings, but might not concern myself as much when hiring a talented photographer breaking out into their own business, or a local florist for simple bouquets and boutonnieres.

In general, I would not consider a lack of reviews a deal breaker, but I'd definitely be diligent about researching those vendors in other ways and making sure I felt confident in their ability to deliver a quality product with excellent customer service before hiring them.