Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life and the memories you make will last for the rest of your life. It’s important that things go smoothly on the day, which is why you hire vendors to take care of the catering, the flowers, the photography and so on. It’s vital that you can trust these people, so you need to be able to spot signs that your vendors might not be all they make themselves out to be. Here’s five major red flags to watch out for.
The vendor doesn’t have a website
Any business, in 2018, should have a website. Some vendors operate more from a Facebook page, and if they’re very active and responsive on there, then this is OK, but do you want just OK? A lack of website suggests a business owner who doesn’t really care that much and doesn’t take their enterprise very seriously. Will this person take your wedding seriously? It’s not worth the risk to find out.
The vendor doesn’t have a process
Each vendor’s process will be slightly different, but they must have one. Does yours send you your contract online followed by hard copy? Or does he ask you to sign a piece of scrap paper with a few notes scribbled on it? If there’s no professional process, no timescales and no documentation, you may be dealing with someone who is unprofessional and disorganised.
Does the deposit seem excessive?
Most deposits are around 25%, with most of the sum being non-refundable.Remember, there’s other couples they could be dealing with, so if you have to cancel, they’ll be out of pocket. However, if the amount is more like 50%, this could indicate cash flow problems, which in turn could indicate a business on shaky grounds. You’re probably booking your vendor eight or nine months in advance, so you need them to be around when the time comes, right?
No reviews or lots of poor ones
Of course, a new vendor might not have many reviews yet, but they should be able to offer you contact details of previous clients. Only a few reviews for an established vendor also means that they’re so-so at best. Lots of bad reviews is a definite red flag – everyone gets the odd awkward customer, but they can’t all be awkward…
Poor communications in the first few days
The first few messages and phonecalls between you and the vendor will tell you how things will be from then on. If they always get back to you promptly, even if it’s just to let you know they’re looking into something, then it’s a good sign. Long periods of radio silence (holidays and illness apart) don’t look so good.
Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, despite signs good and bad. Oftentimes it’s about the chemistry, regardless of reviews, levels of experience and maybe even a bit of disorganisation.
