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Savvy May 2020

Would you consider less than stellar communication from a vendor a red flag?

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Chelsea, on July 25, 2019 at 11:17 AM

Posted in Planning 24

Im gathering quotes for florals and I’m on a very tight budget. Luckily, we’re getting married outdoors so I’m mostly letting nature speak for itself and I’m going very minimalist with the reception and wedding party florals. That being said, I still want to try to get the best deal possible and have reached out to probably a dozen or so local florists/decor companies.

Some companies I never heard back from which is very frustrating in itself... but overall I’ve received 4 quotes that are almost within budget. The first company has been super responsive but they’re still over budget even after negotiating. The other 3 had cheaper initial quotes but it’s like pulling teeth trying to get responses from them after the initial quote. One of them hasn’t responded in over 3 weeks... the other ones responses are a week or so between and come after I follow up with them.

Should I just bite the bullet and go with the first vendor despite the budget issue since they have been super communicative? Or is it totally normal to have to constantly follow up with vendors (especially since it’s wedding season)?

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24 Comments

Super May 2020
Andrea · on July 25, 2019 at 11:40 PM
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I haven’t had to hunt down anyone. If you don’t want my business, that’s fine. Yeah it’s wedding season, lots of weddings, but even more choices of vendors. I would try to make the first one fit in your budget, if they can’t make it work I would find someone completely different. Usually you can tell a vendor how much you can spend and they can give you options based off that. No good deal with worth the stress of not knowing what’s going on.
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Master October 2020
Mandi · on July 25, 2019 at 11:42 PM
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If they are cheaper and its wedding season, they're probably swamped. My family owns a business too, and while we'd love to promptly respond to the 300+ emails we get a day, it ain't happening.
If they have a store front, you might consider walking in. You might get better service darkening their doorway? Just a suggestion.
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Devoted April 2022
J · on July 26, 2019 at 7:58 AM
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Depending on how crazy wedding season gets in your area you should still absolutely receive a response within I would say one business week. An organized and professionally ran business should be able to keep up with inquiries and current event workloads. I definitely consider missed communication as a red flag, if someone cant get back to me in a timely manner how can I trust them to run a tight ship on one of the most important days? If the flowers from the first company isnt terribly over budget I would go with them! Pay a little extra for peace of mind.

Happy planning!
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Super October 2019
JJAF · on July 26, 2019 at 8:22 AM
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This happened a lot when I reached out to vendors for a quote. I decided to go to the more communicative ones (not overbearing but is responsive). That’s what I’ve gotten throughout the whole process with my vendors and I’m happy I didn’t go with the ones that essentially “ghosted” me!
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