Am sure you have heard feedback from family and friends about some of their wedding vendor experiences, like:

A PA System that died just before the bridal party made their grand entrance into the reception area. A no-show DJ. A fruit cake that melted. A fruit cake that had too much brandy in it and started leaking. A cake that looked like the leaning tower of something (no it wasn’t a deliberate part of the design). A photographer who never delivered the photos. A videographer who spent 10 hours filming nothing – there was just no footage after the wedding. A florist who did not turn up at all after being paid. An MC who double-booked himself and was trying to conduct a whole reception programme in 2 hours; An MC who got stage fright; An MC who got drunk. A hiring company that never delivered the chairs.
The Golden Rule for choosing your wedding vendors is “listen to your wedding planner.” If you have opted not to hire a wedding planner then you need to ensure you choose vendors through reputable, tried and tested recommendations. When you get into your key vendor selection, be aware of that everyone in your family and every friend of yours claims to know someone who does “the best décor”, “the best wedding cakes”, “the best outfits” and everyone knows “the best DJ, photographer and videographer.” Please check references regardless of who has recommended these vendors to you. Also make sure that the final decision is yours, and that no one has twisted your arm or made you feel obligated to choose a certain vendor.

Making vendor decisions without taking all factors into consideration is not worth the stress and regret. This is where your wedding planner has the most value to contribute to your wedding day, and you need to trust him/her to lead this process.
To ensure that you pick good vendors, always do the following:
Use checklists/questionnaires when meeting potential vendors.
Always request for work samples where possible.
Always ask for at least 3 references, and check those references.
Ensure that they give you enough information on how to contact them and where to find them.
Ensure you get contracts from every vendor. Read those contracts carefully before making a commitment.

Remember:
Vendors are professionals – experts in their field. They are creatives – artists. Don’t go hiring the best and then expect the best to not have suggestions and input. You need to get the best out of your vendors and only you as a couple can elicit the best from them, by opening up, co-operating, providing the necessary information, and giving them room to work.

If you have been sitting on the fence about whether you need a wedding planner or not, now is the time to make the right decision and hire one before you start this process.

Yes, this is your special day, so it seems right that everything should be centred around you as the bride and groom. But…it is important for you to remember that as much as it’s all about you, you have also invited a significant number of friends and family to share this day with you. You will most likely do the bulk of the planning and decision-making by yourselves and for yourselves, but people will attend your wedding to honour your union and celebrate with you. They haven’t come just to watch the two of you have fun. You should want them to have a good time too. So remember that there will be decisions that you must make with all stakeholders in mind:

Your Invited Guests
You have invited these people to come and celebrate with you, so you want them to be comfortable and to
enjoy your day with you. Consider your guests in terms of venue accessibility, menu choices, drinks and
entertainment.

Family
Whether we like it or not, family will be directly and indirectly involved in some of your decision-making.
From the get-go, sit down as a couple and agree on the aspects of the wedding that you will involve them
in from the start. It’s not as easy as it sounds – in any culture. But you have to manage this and
communicate it well from day 1 of planning.

The Bride and The Groom
There are certain things that are fundamental for you on your wedding day, and as a couple, it is highly
likely that your fundamentals are not the same. A Bride has her own priorities, and so does a groom. Identify
these now and discuss them as a couple.

The Bride and The Groom
There are certain things that are fundamental for you on your wedding day, and as a couple, it is highly
likely that your fundamentals are not the same. A Bride has her own priorities, and so does a groom. Identify
these now and discuss them as a couple.

When it comes to family involvement in your wedding, well – they are just as excited as you are – and often your parents are even more excited than you are. So before you have that big family wedding meeting, you need to decide what’s important to you as a couple. You need to have full decision-making control of your fundamentals. It’s not a good idea to allow someone else to be involved in decision-making as far as your fundamentals are concerned. Have an understanding of what is most important to you, and what is most important to your partner. Sometimes you don’t need to understand why a certain aspect of the wedding is so important to your partner, just understand that it is important, and keep this in mind throughout the planning process, to avoid conflict. You will both need to learn to compromise during the wedding planning process – very good practice for your marriage.