Wedding Professional Inquiry Etiquette

Dear Brides and Grooms,

This one is for you.

During your search for the right wedding professionals to fulfill your wedding day needs you'll likely inquire with a minimum of 3 wedding professionals per category.

Since this is prime booking season, I'm here to give you some sage advice on the right way to find your wedding professionals, inquire with them, and communicate with them during this daunting process.

Step 1: Where do I find good recommendations?
1.From your wedding consultant that match your personality, lifestyle, and budget needs is the best place.

2.If you don't have a wedding consultant, look at the preferred wedding professional list from your venue, make sure you ask if the professionals on that list are on there because they are good, or because they paid money to be advertised.

3.From great online resources such as Here Comes The Guide, Style Me Pretty, or Wedding Chicks, to name a few, that list only professionals that are qualified to be there.

Step 2: How do I inquire with them?

1.Because many wedding professionals are busy people, one man entrepreneurial operations at times,  the best first way to reach out to them is with a well thought out e-mail. Make sure to include the following at a minimum:
a.Your name, your fiance's name
b.Your wedding date
c.Your wedding location, remember to mention if your ceremony and reception are in the same location
d.Your phone and e-mail address where it's ok to reach you at all hours
e.When the best time is for you to be reached, or meet

Most professionals can take this simple information and get back to you with details on if they are available, and when they can either do a phone call or in person meeting to discuss your event in more detail.

2.How do I NOT inquire with them?
a.Don't leave out mention of your wedding date, you'd be surprised how many times couple's forget this, if you don't have a wedding date yet, let them know the general calendar time frame you are considering
b.Same thing with the venue, it's ok if you don't have one yet, but just let them know the areas you're open to
c.Don't ask them to send you a quote for their services. A professional wedding vendor will not provide detailed pricing information over e-mail only without first at least having a phone or in person consultation to discuss your detailed needs for the wedding day.


Step 3: How to follow up with them?

1.Reply to them NO MATTER WHAT. You wouldn't believe how many inquiries we've gotten from potential clients who say they want more information about our services and prices, who never respond to our replies. Have common courtesy and let them know you at least got their response even if you don't plan on using them. Here are NLWED ee have a special three strikes your out rule, so on our third time following up, we tell our potential clients that it is the last time we'll be reaching out to them as a courtesy to them and ourselves.

2.Be honest with them, tell them exactly what you think you need, and how much you have to spend on their services per your wedding budget. If you don't know these things you shouldn't be inquiring with any wedding professionals until this prep work has been done with your wedding consultant. This is the best way to save money and reduce your frustrations during searching for your wedding professionals.

3.Remember, it's not about price, it's about value. Don't ask a wedding professional for pricing information through e-mail until you have either talked with them on the phone or in person and have given them a fair chance to quote you. If you don't know where to find the wedding professionals that suit your budget needs, you need a consultant to steer you in the right direction, don't just e-mail everyone on the preferred list, or everyone you find, be courteous of wedding professional's time and energy.

Step 4: How to get a proposal from them?

1.Meet with them for a complimentary initial consultation, or however they tell you they work. After the initial transfer of your knowledge to them and vice versa, the wedding professional will be able to draw up a proposal for you.

Step 5: How to respond to their proposal?

1.If you loved the wedding professional you met with, but the proposal was either inaccurate, or was out of your budget, make sure you take the time to respond to them and give them feedback so that they can adjust the proposal to fit your needs as closely as is realistic. Any good wedding professional will do this for you. Most couples give up to easily when they see a proposal that is too high for their budget and run off to a cheaper professional. Remember, you get what you pay for, and good high value wedding professionals will work with you to fit your needs within reason.

Step 6: Book with them once the proposal looks perfect

1.Most wedding professionals require a signed contract and deposit of some sort to hold the date and move forward working with them. Most wedding consultants will review your wedding professional contracts on your behalf before you sign them so that they can make sure your needs are being met and give you advice if they have concerns for you to address with each professional.

Another small note to make is that you can do this leg work yourself, or you can hire a wedding consultant to do it for you. When a wedding consultant helps you hire your wedding professionals they help you plot out a budget, a plan for when to hire each wedding professional, they arrange the first meeting with the professionals after assuring that the professional is available for your wedding day, and suits your needs, they attend the first meeting with you, help you ask the right questions, review your proposal and contract before booking, and overall help give you advice that will help you save lots of time and money along the way. Remember that professional wedding consultants are repeat customers for wedding professionals, so good wedding consultants have a lot of pull that you won't have as a first time, and probably only time customer. It's good to have us on your side=)

I hope that this advice has helped you! Happy booking!

Love,

Nicole