Hello all you lovely blog readers! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!!
You may be confused by the blog post title, and asking yourself, Didn't the 1st post in this series (and day 7) originally say that today would be "Why engagement photos are important to the wedding day"?
Well I decided, after talking to Eric Upton of 916 Entertainers, that it was important that I add another day to the series! As well as working with 916 Entertainers where they focus on "providing entertainment that reflects your unique charm and character", he also just got married this last summer! So Eric has a fresh perspective on wedding vendors both as a vendor as well as recently being the groom!
Eric shared with me, "I've noticed that a great way couples can help achieve amazing wedding photos is to choose wedding entertainment that is sensitive to the needs of the photographers as well as the desires of the Bride and Groom. When choosing your entertainment spend some time asking them how they work with other vendors. What do they do to ensure that all the vendors can work and communicate with one another during the event? As it pertains to the photographers specifically, will the DJ communicate with the photographer throughout the event to let them know when and where things will happen (i.e. the cake is about to be cut, the Bride & Groom will be having their first dance, the toasts will be in five minutes, etc.) Having wedding entertainment that allows for cohesion between the special events and the photographers will ensure that your photographers will be prepared and able to get all the shots that are important to the bride and groom, as well as the family members."
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We couldn't agree with Eric more! It's very important that ALL of your wedding vendors share this vision, that your wedding day is a team effort, not just the DJ or photographer, or wedding coordinator. We try to work closely with the DJ, the wedding coordinator, the venue, your videographer, etc. If there is one vendor that is just focused on their agenda, it can not only affect their success, but possibly negatively affect rest of your vendors success at providing you the wedding of your dreams.
Another thing that this discussion brought to mind is that most vendors will have a "Preferred Vendors List". Check with your venue, DJ, Photographer, or Coordinator, etc., as to why they have those vendors on their list, and if anything is required of those vendors that are referred.
While many vendors in the area list vendors that they work well with, respect their work, and know they provide an exceptional service to their clients, we have heard of other vendors that require a "bonus" or even "membership" to be included on their preferred list. This we see as a huge conflict of interest, and basically is a "kickback". The vendors that require such "gains" are not giving you the vendors that they most respect, but the ones willing to pay. Now there is nothing inherently wrong with a vendor paying for advertising, many wedding websites have paid listings. But that information should be revealed, and not appear or be perceived as anything other than a paid advertisement.
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Make sure ask your vendors how others get on that referral list, and what it is about their service that they find valuable. This will give you helpful information, not only to make sure that these are quality leads, but also give you some insight into the vendor you are talking to, as well as the vendor they are referring.
We often share vendors with our clients, and love talking to the couple about what it is about that vendor's service that we think would be a good fit for that specific client's wedding. We are very particular about the vendors we pass along to our clients. We value the service we provide our clients so much, we find it of utmost importance that the other vendors we refer also provide an exceptional service. Because like mentioned above, to provide you with the best service possible, all your wedding vendors need to work together as a team on your wedding day.
Below is a photo in the photobooth provided by Artistic Imagery, of the wedding team from one of our May 2009 weddings. In this photo is the bride & groom, Alan & Amber Silva from Artistic Imagery as well as Doug LaVine & Jara Harmon from Music On The Move DJ's This was a perfect example of a group of vendors who truly got the "team effort" mentality!!
Again, thank you for following our blog series thus far! I hope you are enjoying it! As always, if you have any tips you'd like to add, or any questions, please feel free to add them in the comments below.
Be sure to check back for the next installment of our blog series, we will be talking about "Why engagement photos are important to the wedding day". (for real this time! haha)
