Why Preferred Vendors?
Warning, this post may cause wedding nightmares.
I am posting this topic because although most of my couple's understand the
importance and value of working with one of my preferred vendors, a few of my
couples do decide to work with someone I have not had the opportunity to work
with previously or worst case scenario they have already booked a vendor I know
is not a good fit for them due to my past experience with them at weddings.
Disclaimers all situation below are true and first hand experience with the less
than desirable vendors in Austin and you would never know any of these things
could happen with professionals you are paying to create your dream wedding.
No names are given since that isn't the purpose of my blog, but I do want to
make sure no other brides has to deal with less than stellar vendors. I realize
than my one strike policy with vendors does not make me popular with every
one in the Austin wedding industry, but the gratitude of my brides and the
vendors I do recommend, more than makes up for it.
1. Vendors that apparently don't realize they have been hired and paid
to work at a wedding. That does not include drinking alcohol, dancing
with guests, jumping into group photos or making a fool of yourself.
Solution: None really other than not working with this type
of vendor. There are TOO many fantastic vendors in each
category and price range to risk this type of behavior from
someone you are paying to make your day unforgettable.
2: Delivering the wrong color flowers and/or design and not doing a
thing to fix it although you have been given a two hour lead on the
error you made. Solution: My staff switching out the flowers
from arrangements on site so the bride never knew.
3: Leaving a key item at the office and not having the staff or even
desire to go and pick it up. Saying "Oh well, I guess the bride is out
of luck" is not the right answer. Solution: We sent one of our
interns to buy the CD with the missing first dance song.
4: A photographer confiscating all the guest's cameras just prior to
the ceremony so no one could capture photos other than the
professional photographer and telling the guests it was at the bride's
request. Solution: Making sure to 1. never hire you again,
but 2. have the cameras re-distributed to the guests.
5. A band telling me they didn't have the chance to learn the couple's
first dance, although they were asked to 5 months earlier. Solution:
Tell the band either they know the song, go buy it at the local
Wal-Mart or download it on their iPOD, but it will be played.
Wouldn't you know they ended up knowing it and playing it
after all.
6. Florist delivers 1 less bouquet than ordered, they didn't have enough
extra flowers to make an additional bouquet for the maid of honor, the
bride's bouquet does not have any ribbon on the stems and the mom
says "This is what we get for the price we paid?". Solution: We used
the good sized toss bouquet for the MOH, we had ivory ribbon
in our emergency kit and requested a refund for the mom.
7. The entire string group not showing up, so the others wouldn't play.
Solution: We always carry extra music CDS in our case.
8. Your friend the DJ had something else come up the night of your
wedding and didn't show up. Or he did come, but didn't know he had
to a microphone. Solution: We contacted the venue who
contacted their A/V company to bring a mike on site. For
the one who didn't show up we fortunately had a system
on site to hook up several iPODs to.
9. Your friend at work makes great birthday cakes for everyone and
she wants to start her bakery business, so you agree. She delivers the
cake the day of the wedding, it didn't travel well, the layers are sinking
into each other and when she sets it down on table the frosting on the
sides fall off. She starts crying. Solution: We don't cry when cakes
fall so we are able to focus on fixing the problem. We re-frost
it with a knife and hot water, add flowers on the bad areas
and no one knows the difference.
10. The mother of the groom surprises you with a limo for your end of the
evening exit. We confirm their time and pick up location the week and
day before , but they don't show up. When we call them, they are sleeping
and say they forgot. Solution: We had 2 options with either a
second limo able to be there in 20 minutes or the couple rides
the bus with their guests. They chose to ride the bus back to
the hotel and continued the party in the hotel bar.
This topic is only meant to show you things happen all the time, but by
hiring vendors I have worked with before gives you a fantastic team
of vendors working together to make your day perfect. Of course, you
would never dream of doing all the vendor selections without at least a
"day of" planner, but you can definitely see how we earn our fee.
Happy planning,
Barbara
www.barbarasbrides.com
I am posting this topic because although most of my couple's understand the
importance and value of working with one of my preferred vendors, a few of my
couples do decide to work with someone I have not had the opportunity to work
with previously or worst case scenario they have already booked a vendor I know
is not a good fit for them due to my past experience with them at weddings.
Disclaimers all situation below are true and first hand experience with the less
than desirable vendors in Austin and you would never know any of these things
could happen with professionals you are paying to create your dream wedding.
No names are given since that isn't the purpose of my blog, but I do want to
make sure no other brides has to deal with less than stellar vendors. I realize
than my one strike policy with vendors does not make me popular with every
one in the Austin wedding industry, but the gratitude of my brides and the
vendors I do recommend, more than makes up for it.
1. Vendors that apparently don't realize they have been hired and paid
to work at a wedding. That does not include drinking alcohol, dancing
with guests, jumping into group photos or making a fool of yourself.
Solution: None really other than not working with this type
of vendor. There are TOO many fantastic vendors in each
category and price range to risk this type of behavior from
someone you are paying to make your day unforgettable.
2: Delivering the wrong color flowers and/or design and not doing a
thing to fix it although you have been given a two hour lead on the
error you made. Solution: My staff switching out the flowers
from arrangements on site so the bride never knew.
3: Leaving a key item at the office and not having the staff or even
desire to go and pick it up. Saying "Oh well, I guess the bride is out
of luck" is not the right answer. Solution: We sent one of our
interns to buy the CD with the missing first dance song.
4: A photographer confiscating all the guest's cameras just prior to
the ceremony so no one could capture photos other than the
professional photographer and telling the guests it was at the bride's
request. Solution: Making sure to 1. never hire you again,
but 2. have the cameras re-distributed to the guests.
5. A band telling me they didn't have the chance to learn the couple's
first dance, although they were asked to 5 months earlier. Solution:
Tell the band either they know the song, go buy it at the local
Wal-Mart or download it on their iPOD, but it will be played.
Wouldn't you know they ended up knowing it and playing it
after all.
6. Florist delivers 1 less bouquet than ordered, they didn't have enough
extra flowers to make an additional bouquet for the maid of honor, the
bride's bouquet does not have any ribbon on the stems and the mom
says "This is what we get for the price we paid?". Solution: We used
the good sized toss bouquet for the MOH, we had ivory ribbon
in our emergency kit and requested a refund for the mom.
7. The entire string group not showing up, so the others wouldn't play.
Solution: We always carry extra music CDS in our case.
8. Your friend the DJ had something else come up the night of your
wedding and didn't show up. Or he did come, but didn't know he had
to a microphone. Solution: We contacted the venue who
contacted their A/V company to bring a mike on site. For
the one who didn't show up we fortunately had a system
on site to hook up several iPODs to.
9. Your friend at work makes great birthday cakes for everyone and
she wants to start her bakery business, so you agree. She delivers the
cake the day of the wedding, it didn't travel well, the layers are sinking
into each other and when she sets it down on table the frosting on the
sides fall off. She starts crying. Solution: We don't cry when cakes
fall so we are able to focus on fixing the problem. We re-frost
it with a knife and hot water, add flowers on the bad areas
and no one knows the difference.
10. The mother of the groom surprises you with a limo for your end of the
evening exit. We confirm their time and pick up location the week and
day before , but they don't show up. When we call them, they are sleeping
and say they forgot. Solution: We had 2 options with either a
second limo able to be there in 20 minutes or the couple rides
the bus with their guests. They chose to ride the bus back to
the hotel and continued the party in the hotel bar.
This topic is only meant to show you things happen all the time, but by
hiring vendors I have worked with before gives you a fantastic team
of vendors working together to make your day perfect. Of course, you
would never dream of doing all the vendor selections without at least a
"day of" planner, but you can definitely see how we earn our fee.
Happy planning,
Barbara
www.barbarasbrides.com
Posted by Barbara at 7/20/2009 8:00 AM 
Categories: Wedding Facts
Tags: wedding planners wedding cakes venues wedding flowers Austin wedding photographers
Categories: Wedding Facts
Tags: wedding planners wedding cakes venues wedding flowers Austin wedding photographers
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