"Big 5" Wedding Vendors Who Make or Break Your Day
Photo by Michelle Staley at Jorgensen Farms.
Imagine this. You wake up on your wedding day. You and your bridesmaids start getting ready. You get your hair and makeup done. You enjoy mimosas and laughter. You’re not even thinking about all the details because you know you have amazing vendors who are taking care of everything for you.
While you’re enjoying yourself, your bouquets arrive and they’re perfect. You aren’t thinking about the flowers being delivered to the venue or the coordinator setting out your decor that was delivered earlier in the week. When you arrive at the venue for your ceremony, everything will be set, the music will cue at the right moment, and the venue coordinator will send you down the aisle while the photographer snaps photos. It will be magical and you won’t have to stress about it if you have good vendors.
There are 5 main vendors who make your wedding day a reality. I call them the Big 5. These five vendors are the first you should book because they book quickly. Right now it’s November 2021 and most experienced, quality vendors are likely booked up for most of 2022. You don’t want to wait around when it comes to the Big 5! Your selection of these 5 will affect your whole wedding day. They are the ones that carry your wedding day on their shoulders. If you pick well for these five vendors, you can relieve much of your wedding planning stress because your vendors know what they’re doing and have got you covered.
Venue
Venues can have so many different offerings that just picking one can be overwhelming. The more all-inclusive the venue, the easier your wedding planning will be. Some offer catering, coordination, tables, chairs, linens, dishes, glassware, and bar service. Some venues offer only a space and all of these other things you need to find separately. The venue that’s a beautiful space might seem really cheap, but when you add up all of the things you have to provide, the costs add up. Think ice trough and cooler for the bar, silverware, linens, serving utensils for the dessert table. The list goes on and on.
Caterer
If you settle on a venue that doesn’t provide catering, you’ll want to find a caterer that not only provides great food, but great service. Do they provide dishes, silverware, and glassware? Do they dismiss tables, clear dirty dishes, provide a beverage table or water pitchers? Do you want to worry about all the small details or do you want them to take care of it for you? A good caterer will make the serving and clean up of dinner seem effortless so that you don’t even notice that it’s happening.
Photographer
You want pictures of your wedding day, right? A photographer can only be in one place at a time, so they’re limited in the number of weddings they can book in a year. A good photographer is one that you don’t really notice throughout your wedding day. They know you and all the special moments you will want to preserve and they’re there for every one of them! You will enjoy the fruits of their labor for years to come. I highly recommend Michelle Joy Photography, Gibson Photographics, and Derks Works Photography.
DJ
Some people don’t think about the DJ right away. Some people think it’s just music and are considering a spotify playlist. I’ve seen DJs who aren't much better than a playlist, but that’s not what you want for your wedding day. A DJ can do a lot more than provide music. He/she provides atmosphere, personality, entertainment, flow for the event. He keeps the timeline moving and makes sure things happen according to plan. He also knows music so well and his couple so well that he can play the right thing every time to keep the crowd engaged and the dance floor hopping. See this post to see how much the DJ does beyond music. Check out Turn Up Columbus to see if we’re available for your wedding date.
Florist
If you decide you want floral centerpieces or lots of flowers for bouquets, backdrops, or chair decor, you need to book a florist early. Similar to a photographer, a florist can only book so many weddings at a time. Even though they can hire extra help, it’s a lot of work to create everything needed for a wedding. Get this item checked off your list with a company who knows what they’re doing, and delivers, so you don’t have to worry about it.
Now that you know, don’t delay. Find your Big 5 and get them booked for your wedding day!
