How to secure your wedding day suppliers.

 

Over the years of working on Ivory Tribe, as well as being experienced vendors ourselves, we know that ‘good’ wedding suppliers are busy, and ‘great’ wedding suppliers are flat out.

We don’t want to cause alarm, however if you place importance on having a sensational suppliers behind you at your all-important celebration, we’d gently suggest that you need to act sooner rather than later. 

For those of you that are new to wedding planning, you may wonder where on earth you begin and what’s the best and most practical ways to pull your dream team together, and this is where we can help.

Not only do we have a team of wedding supplier talent that you can check out on our directory, but we’ve also put together a few handy tips when it comes to locking in the love for your dream day.

 

 

 

TIME AND PLACE.

First things first, while suppliers love hearing from brides or grooms-to-be about their wedding plans, they need a date and location before they can commit to anything. Once you’ve locked down your date (or multiple if you require options), it’s important you communicate this to check their availability.

Communicate the location of your wedding also. This is important because suppliers will need to determine if they’re happy to travel to this location to work. Some suppliers prefer to keep closer to home, while others are happy to travel, however a travel fee may apply – be sure to ask.

 

HOLDING DATES.

While you may have in mind multiple dates for you wedding celebration, keep in mind that it’s not fair to ask suppliers to hold dates. Hundreds, if not thousands, of weddings take place (particularly on Saturday’s) and as availability becomes limited for 2023/2023, many of these suppliers are likely to have enquiry after enquiry for the same date you might want. Keep in mind that if you’re asking a supplier to hold a date, they are likely to be missing out on other opportunities.

 

TONE.

There’s nothing more off-putting to a supplier than receiving an email that says little more than ‘what’s your price’. While this may be ultimately what you are after, it is both nice and courteous to show a little warmth and personality in your enquiry. Tell the supplier a little about yourself, and your plans for your day – ensuring a vendor fits your style is equally as important as them ensuring you fit theirs.

 

Here is an example of an email a vendor might be pleased to receive….

Hello xxx

Hooray, we are getting hitched and we’d love to enquire about your services to see if you might be the right fit for our day.

We are getting married on the {DD/MM/YY} and the location is {venue or location}. We would love to check your availability on this date as well as begin to understand your pricing.

A little about our day.

Example – insert your own details

We are hoping to create a magical marquee wedding on a private property. We anticipate there will be approximately 100 guests and we are hoping to create a relaxed vibe, with much laughter, love and fun.

We look forward to hearing about your availability and next steps.

 

 

CATCH UP.

Once you’ve confirmed availability, many of you will like the chance to speak with your suppliers prior to locking in the love. Arrange a time to catch up! Be sure to be compliant with any regulations in place, so a catch up over the phone/FaceTime etc might have to suffice for the time being.

In saying that, if you’ve already got the vibe that you want to lock in the love with a wonderful wedding supplier, with no catch up required, do so!

 

NEXT STEPS.

You’ve communicated with your dream supplier (be it over phone, via email or in person) and they are the perfect fit. It’s time to lock in the love.

 

CONFIRM.

Confirm with the supplier that you wish to lock in the love with them in writing, being sure to re-confirm all of the important details of the day.

Something along these lines will suffice….

Dear xxx

We would love to lock in the love with you! Just to confirm our wedding is taking place on {DD/MM/YY} at {venue or location}.

Please let us know what the next steps are to ensure you’re all locked in.

 

 

READ THE FINE PRINT.

Most suppliers will send a contract to you. Be sure to read it over and make sure you’re happy with everything, ask for clarification if you’re unsure.

 

DEPOSITS.

Let’s chat money for a moment. In most cases, wedding suppliers will request a booking fee in order for you to secure their services. It’s important to realise that when it comes to a wedding, just as you’re spending months and many hours planning – so too are your suppliers. A wedding day takes a mountain of work to pull together – much of which is completed before the day itself.  These booking fees look different for each supplier and every category and for the most part, are non-refundable. As with many of the current weddings being postponed however, suppliers are being as accomodating as they can to simply transfer these funds to your newly appointed wedding date.

 

ENJOY.

It’s time to focus on pulling your big day together. Draw in inspiration, use your wedding planner to keep up-to-date with checklists and your budget, and do a little happy dance every time another piece of your wedding day puzzle comes together – it’s going to be amazing.

 

Want to lock in the love with the best of the best when it comes to wedding suppliers? Lucky for you, we have a host of talent that we fully endorse. Check out our wedding directory and lock in the love stat!