Tips on communicating with wedding professionals

As you plan your upcoming event you realize you have dozens of deadlines to meet and maybe a few pesky relatives to calm and details to communicate with vendors. Without the luxury of more leisure time to give us the time to understand others better, misunderstandings are likely to develop.


Tip 1: Meeting Face to Face

As common sense as it may seem, some people don’t have the time to meet each vendor face to face and end up booking them online or over the phone or because someone recommended them. You have to take the time to meet each vendor. During the face to face time it is important that you let them know who else will be contributing to the success of the event. At La Bella Bride Magazine experts recommend that you distribute a contact sheet with vendors’ names and telephone numbers to each supplier, you should encourage vendors to feel free to speak with each other. Why? When vendors go off and work by themselves there’s a disconnection and not everyone will see or understand your vision. Letting everyone know who the other vendors are crates a bonding energy that money can’t buy. You’ll have a united team on your behalf expressing your desires and putting their best effort.


Tip 2: 24 Hour Rule

Respond to all emails and phone calls within 24 hours. It may seem impossible to do at times with your busy schedule but the 24 hour rule still applies. If you ignore emails and think, “I’ll get to them this weekend,” what you are really telling your vendor is you have other more important things to do and that you’re not on top of things. This also gives them permission to do the same thing. To keep yourself organized we at Fancy Party Planning recommend you invest in a binder, plastic sheet protectors and folders. Fill your binder with fabric swatches, pictures of flowers, table décor, pictures of the favors and every other little detail you can think of, keep one folder for your signed contracts. Next, have a smaller note pad with all your daily-to-do-list and contact numbers and keep it with you at all times.


Tip 3: Giving

If you treat me well, then I’ll treat you well. According to a number of wedding experts they suggest to take the time to speak and make a personal connection with the people that most people tend to ignore, assistants, coat check girl, waiters, lobby doormen, videographer, photographer. By the time the wedding day arrives the large staff would feel invested in making the day a triumph for you and your family. Even if things don’t seem or appear to match what you expected just have fun and enjoy your day. We’re just suggesting that treating others with respect can reap rewards if you don’t diminish others when things don’t go your way.


Tip 4: Smoothing the Edges

For most couples, money and budgets are an important consideration and the major planning difficulties do relate to budgets. When someone seems completely upset, the best thing to do is simply let that person express her concerns and listen. The reason people calm down as you replay what is upsetting to them is because they feel they have broken through the communication barrier. We all need to be heard. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to agree with them, it just simply suggests you understand their concern. Never dismiss them or the emotion as something silly.