Now that you have started the base of your wedding vision, written out your budget, decided on where to save and where to splurge, picked your date & time & location your in love with… now you need to find the people who will make it happen!
If you have the budget for your own wedding army or if you are working with a DIY budget, you are going to need help pulling off a full scale wedding.
How do you pick your team? But more important question, who should I hire first…
The art to hiring your wedding team is order! order!
This order is simple… should be based on the importance of the service to your wedding & many wedding pros book up months even year in advance. So here it is…
1st Priority~
Planner… you should hire one because they can recommend wedding pros that not only meet your budget, but personality & style.
Officiant… they have such a major role in your union they should be your first call.
Photographer… many independent top photographers book 1 wedding a day & only 1 wedding a weekend for destination weddings, so they will book up fast.
Caterer… They really are limited on their events and the Oregon is full of foodies, so the many great caterers book up quickly.
Reception Deejay or Band… very important fact in keeping your party flowing they also book early and remember they also book many other events not just weddings.
2nd Priority~
Videographer… Portland has great video companies and they have multiple cameramen, so they can do a couple of weddings a weekend.
Florist… many florist can handle several events in a weekend, so finding a great florist within 7 to 8 months before your wedding is good time frame.
Bakery… Specialty cake designers only do so many cakes in a weekend.. Large bakeries can handle more events in a weekend. So decide early on what type of cake you would like to serve your guests.
Hairstylist… talented hair stylists book very early especially the ones that come to you on the wedding date, being they limit how many weddings a weekend because of travel time.
Transportation… availability of limos, classic cars & other speciality transportation are really based on locale & season here in the NW, so booking early is always a great plan.
3rd Priority~
Invitations designer & Printing… many companies offer design & printing so starting 4-5 months before is a great time to start, for design, print-assemble & mailing.
Ceremony Music… This can be anything from classic strings to Deejay, so you can take a little longer on booking.. even group with your reception music package.
Professional lighting… They can handle multiple events during a weekend and this gives you a little more time to finalize your decor details.
Make-Up… can be a very personal choice for a bride and many brides know someone & even may be associated with the hair stylist.. so finding a make up artist a few months before allows enough time for trial sessions.
Rentals… unless it is the middle of the summer months or it is a big convention season, a few months before to put a deposit on your tents, table , chairs & linens should be enough time.
Remember if you hire the first on the priority list, your wedding planner can give you all the recommendations on the wedding pros- costs, personalities, time frames & can speak from personal experience from working with them.
Of course there are many wedding internet search sites that can be a wonderful resource… but just because a vendor is listed on one of these sites doesn’t mean it passes as a recommendation.
A good rule of thumb when interviewing wedding pros & vendors is a 3 from each catergory… this way you can have a good comparrison but not too may to be confusing!
The wedding business is a very personal one, so choosing the wedding professionals that you connect with personally is the key to having a wedding that truely is your wedding day.
Happy Wedding Planning!
For more information contact us at info@sweetdreamsweddings.com
