Questions For Vendors
I talked to all of my vendors by phone before booking them. For each, I created a list of questions that helped me start the conversation, and when I got distracted, they helped keep me on track to make sure that I asked the questions I really wanted to know the answers to. You won't need all of these questions to decide if you want to hire a vendor, but hopefully you'll find some of them helpful.
Wedding coordinator
- What is your payment structure? (percentage of the cost of each item booked, upfront fee, other?)
- Does this include your presence at the wedding on the day of? If so, at both the ceremony and reception or ceremony only?
- Do you have an exclusive list of vendors that you work with?
- If I find a vendor that is new to you, will you book them? Is there additional cost to do this?
- Are the vendors that you book covered by your insurance?
- How many weddings have you coordinated? What's the largest? What size is the most common?
- What locations have you coordinated weddings at? Which do you prefer, and why?
- What's are the budget ranges that you usually work with?
- Why do you coordinate weddings?
Officiant
- What's your take on, or your philosophy about, weddings, officiating, and your role as an officiant?
- Why do you officiate?
- What's a typical wedding like that you officiate? How long?
- Is there room for flexibility, and if so, where in the ceremony?
- What role does religion usually play in your ceremonies?
- Ours is a nonreligious or civil ceremony. How do you feel about doing nonreligious ceremonies?
- Do you have any suggestions of what can be done in a ceremony to make it more meaningful and/or personalized for us?
- Are there any rituals that you use in ceremonies, and can you describe them and their meaning?
- Can you send me any sample ceremonies?
- Can we contact you directly, by phone or telephone, before the wedding? Is there a cost to this?
- Can you meet with us before the wedding? Is there a cost to this?
Photographer
- How would you describe your photography style?
- What brought you to photography - why do you do it?
- Why do you photograph weddings, in particular?
- Are there any unique challenged you've found in photographing weddings? How do you deal with those challenges?
- What do you do to make people comfortable in front of the camera?
- Are there any locations you love, and if so what? Are there any you dislike, and if so what?
- What do you do if it rains?
- What time of day is best for photos?
- What do you do to make sure that you get good group wedding photos?
- Do you ask people to pose? If so, what poses?
- What do you do to make sure that you get the best photo you can of people?
- Have you taken photographs at XXX venue? What's your experience been? Are there any complications related to taking wedding photos there that I might not be aware of? (this applies if you know your venue, or if you know which ones you'll be selecting from)
- Do you photograph with a 2nd photographer? Why?
- Will you be my photographer, or will someone else at your company be my photographer? If it's someone else, will I have right of first refusal?
- Can I cancel our contract if I'm not happy with the person you assign to me?
Reception venue
- What is your fee structure?
- Do you have a minimum? Is there any space we can reserve or any time/day we can reserve where the minimum does not apply?
- Are there any other fees that apply? Service fees, automatic gratuity, tax (find out what the rate is - it's very different depending on location, and can make a big difference)?
- Is there a corking fee if we do a champagne toast?
- Is there a cake-cutting fee? If so, can we not be charged this fee if we use cupcakes? :)
- Do you require that we get insurance, and if so, how much?
- What size are your tables, and how many people do they comfortably seat?
- Does your property offer anything other than space - tables, chairs, a kitchen (with appliances), dishes, silverware, serving dishes, linens, etc.? If so, is there a charge or fee if we use these?
- How do you charge for alcohol?
- Can we bring in our own alcohol, and if we do, is there a charge or fee to this?
- When will your prices be confirmed?
- When will your menu be final?
- How soon before the event do you need to know our food selections? Final guest count?
- Is our deposit refundable, and if so, for how long?
- What time can we come onto the property to decorate?
- What time do we have to leave by?
- Who will our contact be?