Top 10 Questions to Ask Your Potential Wedding Vendors

Choosing the perfect wedding vendors for your big day should be an exciting, enjoyable process where you can spend time researching and poring over suppliers’ websites, social media pages and testimonials. Beforehand it’s always a great idea to sit down and discuss your styles and wedding priorities with your partner before you start making any enquiries. What colour scheme are you leaning towards? Are you having flowers for decor or balloons or drapes? Whatever your style, once you start making some enquiries there are some key questions that you’ll need to ask your potential dream team. Here are our top 10 questions to ask your potential wedding vendors, to make sure you’re finding the right vendors for your personality and style, in the right place, and at the right price!

1. Are you available for the date of our wedding?

Ok, this may sound obvious but remembering this as your first question will save both parties heaps of time. If you’ve already got into long conversations about your wedding plans and payment options and then it turns out they aren’t actually available for the wedding day, well, disappointing probably doesn’t even begin to cover it.

2. Do you have a brochure and price list?

The supplier’s brochure and price list may be available to view on their website and / or linked to their social media pages. If these aren’t easily accessible you’ll need to request these details first before you get way too excited about hiring that premium editorial wedding photographer, and then realising that it would swallow half of your budget. Eek!

3. Do your prices include tax?

Some vendors will include or exclude their tax charges on their website or brochure. This could make a substantial difference to the overall cost so it is always worth double checking!

4. What deposit would you require and when?

An important question to ask as this is the initial payment you’ll need to put down to secure them in the first place. Make sure you have this amount readily available but remember that this amount is often non-refundable, so if you’re not 100% sure don’t start putting down payments on vendors you might end up changing your mind about later down the line.

5. What are your payment options?

If you are saving hard for the wedding and working out your budget, figuring out the payment options available for various vendors is a really good idea. Most will require their fee paid in instalments whereas some might require a payment in full. Therefore it’s always best to ask first. This information will help you manage your outgoings and is a vital question to ask when budgets are strict.

6. Is travel and accommodation included?

Depending on their business some vendors will be willing to travel for your big day. In fact, some travel all around the world working on weddings, whereas some may simply be unable to. Wherever your wedding is taking place it’s always a good idea to ask if they charge an additional fee for travel and accommodation. These are additional costs that could end up mounting up very quickly!

7. Do you have insurance?

This is super important. Vendors should have public and employers liability insurance to cover any accidents on the day, errors that may occur and to cover their work for you. Ask for a copy of their certificates and keep them on file…just in case.

8. What happens if the service can’t be provided at the last minute?

Always ask if a vendor has a good backup plan if, in the unfortunate instance, they got sick or were unable to provide their service / goods for your wedding day. Photographers may have a community of photographer friends that they could use as a backup whereas some suppliers may even offer some type of refund in extreme cases.

9. Will we see you on the day?

You may be lucky enough to create a lovely bond with some of your wedding team so it is always great to know if they will be there on your wedding day. Firstly because you can thank them in person but also in terms of organisation and practicality; you may like the comfort of knowing that they will be there on the day to set up, pack down and work out any issues that may arise.

10. Are there any additional charges that may be added?

You would hope that your vendors wouldn’t start adding any additional charges to your bill but if you are already working to a tight budget simply asking the question is sure to put your mind at ease. Extra charges could include additional hours, extra items, or damages / later payments etc. Always find out all the details before confirming your booking and putting down a deposit.

Asking these crucial questions will help you choose the suppliers that best suit your big day. Not only will they help you get to know the people behind the businesses better, you’ll also feel more confident knowing that there shouldn’t be any nasty surprises cropping up later down the line. Leaving you safe in the knowledge that your day is in the most capable hands and will be as amazing as you had always planned!