Where are all the detectives?I need to know if a vendor is legit.

Can you ask her for references you can speak with? If she's been in business for 2 years (and is good at her job), she should be willing/able to provide some.

I think I should also mention that the person who did the Yelp review also did a WW review, so just 2 reviews

Definitely meet with her and as Reenski suggested - get recommendations (multiple). to be honest, i just looked through the website.... the site itself is not terribly impressive (a template), which is a bit of a flag to me as this is a business selling design and look and feel... do you know what i mean? the site just seems amateurish and even the text -- i don't know, a lot of the pictures were just tables (and not that impressive) there weren't any that seems to be actual events... a lot of links that didnt work... just do all the research you can and go with your gut. good luck!

Ask yourself: Are you hiring her for her price, or for her skills and ability? I doubt you're going to find many DOC's for that price. Perhaps she's very good, and trying to build her portfolio. Perhaps she worked with someone else before and now she's finally gone out on her own.

"Legit" is something that's hard to determine. Does she have a business license? a web site?

Rather than figuring out if she's legit... I think you should concentrate on whether or not you have a good connection and if you feel confident she can do the job. If the answer is yes, hire her. If not... then you know you're better off finding someone else (even if it costs more) to have that peace of mind.

Good suggestion Mindy.. I think I might do that and take FH with me for protection

Reenski- That's a good idea too! I'm just not sure if people will be ok with me, some random chick calling them up

Well, first see if she has people that you can even call up. I would happily recommend my photographer and DJ's to others -- I may screen the call, but if the voicemail said "I'm a bride considering this person for my DJ," I'd have no problem calling back and telling them that he was awesome, spirited, timely, etc.

And I would also have no problem telling a bride if they sucked and to stay away. So, yeah.

The one thing i am schetchy on is this " Dime Designs proudly donates 20% of its proceeds to an organization or charity of the clients choice." !!! I would have a sit down with her and write out a legal binding contract

Yeah.. we're a little tight with the budget, so that's why I am looking at what we can afford.. and honestly in my area all I have been finding is $900+ which is not good for my wallet.

I think I am going to listen to you Reenski and call her up. If it doesn't work out and still feel uneasy about it I'll just starve myself for a week or two.. then I'll be able to afford a different DOC

I'd be leery too. First of all, if you want to donate to a charity, donate to a charity; you don't need a DOC to do that for you. Talk to some other brides, REAL brides, and ask about things that matter to you. Was she on time? Did she keep everyone else on a timeline? Can she talk intelligently about what has to happen that day and how she will facilitate that? With two years in the biz, she should have couples and other vendors who recommend her, and that price sounds way too low.

And lastly, don't be jealous of a venue provided DOC; usually they only handle things that are directly connected to the venue. It's a great help, but it's not the same thing....

I was talking to a DOC about possibly contracting with her for day of only. She charges $400 and didn't have a lot of reviews. The one's she had were good, but I wanted more info. She has been prompt to reply to emails. and has emailed me a contract that is very detailed and looks professional in terms of details. I asked for references. She provided me with 3 clients, and the month / year / type of event she worked for them doing. Additionally, she also provided me with 3 more references of other professionals in the area that she has worked with. (caterer, event rental company, photographer). I'm looking forward to the feedback of the other professionals. I just emailed them all the last couple days, heard back from one so far.....

SO,, don't be afraid to ask for clients AND professional references.

^ Great tip.

I agree with meeting her and getting more references. I started a wedding planning/coordinating business a year ago. The thing with being a DOC or Planner, is weddings take time. After one year in business, I've only had one wedding that worked for, and my second is in April. I only have one review on WW for my business. Weddings take a while to plan, so therefore their product doesn't come as quickly as say an designer who creates invitations, who can make a lot of samples, etc on the spot. Talk to her, feel her out. She's probably low cost because she is building her portfolio. Really weigh out her answers, and make sure she is confident in her skills and taking charge that day! Good luck!

References, references, references!!! Get names, phone numbers & e-mails. I always ask my clients if they are willing to serve as references after the wedding to future clients and I have a list of recent weddings for future clients to contact with any questions. I have only recently started asking brides to review me on here so there are not too many (which I hope it will change in the near future).

The problem with online reviews is that you are really wondering if they are real or not. I know a particular vendor with whom I have worked with in the past that I am amazed at the volume and quality of reviews he gets for his services. Maybe his customer service skills really improved in the past 2 years but I am always skeptical when I see a new review pop up for him.

Regardless, the most important thing is to trust your own instinct. If you already don't feel comfortable with this vendor don't gamble. She could be a great DOC coordinator or someone who is just going to add stress.

Here are other things you can check:

- Does the vendor have a business license? (should be registered with the county)

- Do they have any claims against them on the Better Business Bureau website?

- Are they insured?

As a wedding professional who has been in business for 5 years here is my opinion on this.

I am not a paid vendor on wedding wire. I have only had the account for maybe 1 1/2 years (give or take)? I am booked out most weekends with weddings but because my brides don't find me on weddingwire they don't review me on here (and I don't nag them like a lot of vendors who have tons of ratings do). Almost all of my brides come to me through word of mouth (which is traditionally how wedding vendors get brides) or through finding my website on google. To me having less reviews doesn't make my business any more or less legitimate.

My work has been seen on celebrities and in magazines. If you look at my facebook you can see people who rave about my work and before and afters from photoshoots and weddings I do every weekend.

It's always good to use your gut feeling judgement but just remember a lot of world famous professionals don't have wedding wire so its not the end all be all.

I've been officiating weddings for over 20 years, joined WW almost 3 years ago, have only 12 reviews here (because most don't find me here) from couples I've married & 31 endorsements from pros who know me.

However, I have 10 typed pages of reviews/testimonials/thank you from couples I've married.

WW can tell if her 2 reviews were sent from the same computer or from her computer.

You are looking for a vendor to fit within a certain budget. If the budget for the DOC category is lower than the going rate, you will need to focus on vendors who may be new to the business.

I imagine she may be somewhat new to the industry. Maybe working part time before taking the plunge, perhaps working for another company before setting out on her own, either way, I doubt any vendor starts off in business with 100 weddings under their belt. It takes time to build up a good solid business.

She may be fantastic at what she does but until you hire her, you really won't know for sure. You have to decide if this is an area where you can take a chance. Go with the gut instinct.

Keep in mind, everyone has to start somewhere. I am forever thankful for those who were willing to take a chance on me in the beginning. I've learned a lot in the 20 years of being in business, but if it hadn't been for those first few special individuals, I would not be where I am today.