Your wedding suppliers are the ones who make the magic happen! Your dream wedding is made possible thanks to the effort, time, and talent of your team of suppliers who go the extra mile to make your big day a memorable one. When working with your suppliers, it’s important to establish rapport and to make sure you get along well so that your wedding journey, from the planning up until the day of the event itself, will also run as smoothly as possible. From tipping practices to providing delicious crew meals, here are some tips to help you build good relationships with your awesome suppliers.

Suppliers need to take breaks in between the rush of the big day. When finalizing the headcount for meals, make sure that your suppliers, including the entire team involved, are included in the count. You can include their meals as part of your catering contract or you can also opt to provide crew meals separately. If possible, you can also provide snacks and bottled water to help keep your hardworking suppliers energized, most especially the ones who will be running around all day like the coordinators, photographers, and videographers. Talk about ideal break schedules with each supplier as well, so they can rest at appropriate times without causing delays or disruptions in your wedding timeline.

Double check the contract to see if there’s a service fee or gratuity already included. If that’s the case, then you don’t have to worry about tipping your suppliers. However, if you are extremely happy with their service and how much effort they exerted in making your dream wedding come to life, then a monetary tip would be highly appreciated. There’s no need to stress over giving it on the wedding day itself. This can always follow after. When deciding on the amount, consider the size of the team involved as well as the monetary amount you are comfortable giving. The amount can be whatever you feel is appropriate, given your budget and the quality of services they rendered.

Your suppliers see you as a priority, but do remember that they also have other clients who require their services and responsibilities at home. You can’t always expect replies within five minutes, but you can trust that as professionals, your suppliers will reply to you in a timely manner. You can also agree on your preferred communication channel, whether that’s emails or messaging apps, to make contacting one another much easier. Communication is a two-way street, so you must both respect one another as well as each other’s their time.

Don’t take on all the work yourself, so you can avoid getting too stressed out. You can assign your Maid of Honor, Bridesmaids, or your fiancé as the point of contact for particular suppliers. Doing so will keep your plans organized, and will help avoid people scrambling to find you, if they ever have concerns or questions on the day of the event. It takes a village to put a wedding together, and you’ll definitely need all the help you can get. If you have a wedding coordinator, you can definitely rely on them to get the show running and make sure every supplier is attended to.

Becoming friends with your suppliers is absolutely amazing, but don’t forget that they are working and have a schedule of their own to observe. Try to be straight to the point when telling them what you need. At the busiest point in your wedding timeline, it’s best to be concise in your emails and conversations. But, of course, there’s no harm in lighthearted conversations. When you have time to spare, you can even send a quick thank you or some words of affirmation their way.

Your suppliers are seasoned professionals who will make every detail of your wedding beautiful. Trust and listen to their suggestions, like which dress fabric is suited for your venue, how to capture your best angles, and so much more. It’s great to have a vision! Your suppliers will always ask you about what you want first and see to it that they achieve what you imagined. However, it would also be much appreciated when you trust and believe in their talents and expertise. If you need some pre-planning advice from the experts themselves, read our articles about tips on dressing your bridesmaids, posing confidently for your photos, and some things to avoid during the big day!

Sources:

Mackey, Jaimie. Vendor Etiquette 101. 20 January 2021.

Pendergast, Alice. 7 Tips for Communicating with Your Wedding Vendors. 24 July 2020.

Mattia, Nancy. How to Have a Good Relationship with Your Wedding Vendors. 03 May 2017.