The Best Ways to Research Your Wedding Vendors in Canada

Curating your perfect wedding vendor team can initially feel quite overwhelming, but it can also be an exciting and creative part of the wedding planning process. Maybe you’ve been stalking a particular Canadian wedding photographer on Instagram. Or you’ve still not got over the flowers your friend had on their wedding day? Your vendors are the talented team that will ultimately create a beautifully styled, impeccably planned and perfectly executed wedding day.

Regardless of which Canadian wedding vendors you choose to work with, you must ensure that you trust them and, most importantly, like them! You’re probably going to be spending a lot of time (and wedding budget) on your wedding dream team, so it’s vital that you all get along and you can see them delivering the perfect day for you.

Okay, if you’re reading this, perhaps you’re deep into your wedding planning journey. Well, now is the perfect time to bring all your thoughts, ideas, and personal styles together and start seeking out the potential wedding vendors who can turn your dream wedding into a reality. But where to begin? Keep reading to find out the best ways to discover your wedding vendors in Canada…

Word of Mouth

It’s fair to say that word of mouth is probably one of the most trusted and genuinely reliable sources of information that there is. Especially if it’s coming from your experienced wedding planner who will have likely worked with loads of brilliant and talented Canadian wedding vendors before, and if so, listen to them - they’re the experts, remember!

Also, now is not the time to discount honest, real-life experiences either. So if you get a hot lead from a work colleague or your friend at the gym, it really is worth looking into. This is often where you end up finding some wedding vendor gold!

Wedding Magazines

Years ago, the first place newly engaged couples would head for wedding inspiration was a glossy wedding magazine packed with features, vendor ads and helpful tips and advice. Whilst some publications have been phased out as digital reigns supreme, there is still nothing like flicking through a physical magazine to get into the wedding planning spirit!

Most publications also have brilliant online resources now, such as Canada’s largest bridal magazine, Today’s Bride. They have an archive bursting with helpful wedding planning blogs, inspirational editorials, and real wedding features, and some will have wedding directories showcasing the best wedding vendors too! If you see something you absolutely love on a feature, don’t forget to check out the credits and note down any of the wedding vendors in Canada that you would like to do a bit more research on.

Wedding Planning Research

Another platform which is perfect for modern wedding planning is Culture Wedding Blog, a stylish resource packed with design and wedding inspiration for couples planning their wedding in Canada. Featuring articles such as ‘The Best Wedding Vendor Payment Tracker for Couples’ and ‘10 Romantic Newlywed Bucket Lists Worth Attempting Straight Away’, there’s a wonderful blend of serious wedding planning tips and guidance as well as some dreamy wedding inspiration thrown in there too!

For modern wedding planning couples looking outside of Canada, no one can deny the wedding industry website heavyweight, Brides. Although based in America, their platform is renowned the world over for incredibly beautiful and inspiring real weddings and some of the best planning articles out there. What Brides don’t know about planning a wedding probably isn’t worth knowing! Plus, it’s worth remembering that your wedding vendor list doesn't necessarily have to be based in Canada. Wedding suppliers, especially those at the top of their game, will travel around the world for dreamy destination weddings. So if your wedding budget can afford it, why not consider casting your net a little wider? Outside of Canada, you might end up finding the wedding vendor of your dreams.

Search Engines

Finally, of course, the key place we all head when we have a query, however big or small, is an online search engine. Whether that’s via social media, Pinterest, or Google – these are all invaluable wedding planning tools and platforms that will help you A LOT during wedding planning and hunting for the perfect wedding vendor or two!

When using search engines specifically, try not to be too vague when submitting a query. The wedding date and location are set, and if you want your theme to include the colour blue, for example, then use these when creating your search terms. The internet is saturated with content, so niching down is going to seriously help and ultimately save you a lot of time. Try searching for terms such as ‘Toronto documentary wedding photographer’, ‘blue bridesmaid dress designer Canada’, or something appropriate to you and your big day.

Instagram is awash with incredible wedding suppliers, from fine art wedding photographers to luxury dress designers and Canadian wedding caterers. Use Instagram as you would Google, utilise the search tool and follow wedding-specific hashtags; you never know what you might stumble upon! A wedding vendor’s Instagram profile is also likely to be much more up-to-date than their website, and if it’s not, that’s another issue in itself. Browse the images on their grid, have a nose through their highlights and why not simply follow them for a while to see what their online presence is like?

We can’t imagine many couples have planned a wedding without the help of Pinterest. It’s bursting with every style of wedding inspiration you could ever imagine, featuring different types of wedding vendors too. Use our search term tips above to dive into the platform and get as much information and wedding supplier research done as you can. If wedding businesses have good marketing skills, they should definitely be hanging out and advertising their wedding services here.

To summarise

It might take a while to dip into each of the areas we have suggested, not that you have to explore them all, of course! But once you’ve shortlisted some of your favourite wedding vendors and established their availability, why not schedule a meeting or Zoom call to ensure you get along? As we mentioned earlier, you really need to envisage working closely with this person because you’re ultimately entrusting them with one of the biggest days of your life! Use this as an opportunity to ask all the important questions and really try to get to know their style and if you can see yourselves working well together.

Our biggest piece of advice, though, is not to rush. Whilst impulsive decision-making is fun and exciting at the time, you really don’t want to regret your choices later down the line. Yes, the most popular and well-established wedding vendors in Canada may get booked up the quickest so we understand that you won’t want to hang around too long, but just take a breather before you sign on the dotted line - you might be missing a hidden gem elsewhere!