The Right Order In Which To Book Your Wedding Vendors

The order in which to book your wedding vendors can be one of the most confusing parts of wedding planning.

For many engaged people, it can be tempting to go ahead and book vendors based on your priorities. And, book them based what excites you the most. However, I would caution against doing that. Yes, it may appeal more to you to lock in certain services ahead of others, but there really is a rhyme and reason to the order in which to book your wedding vendors. Some actually do need to come before others.

The great thing is that once you know the method, you can proceed as planned. And, before you know it, every service will be booked and taken care of. This will create a huge sense of calm and relief as you get closer to your wedding. Remember, being careful and methodical is your friend when you plan an event this big.

The Right Order In Which To Book Your Wedding Vendors

This post is going to share with you the right order in which to book your wedding vendors. It will review why certain vendors should be booked before others. It will also go over priorities, and some of my personal opinions. Remember, use your own best judgement. It’s okay to go against my advice. I’m just here to help, not dictate. If booking out of order feels best for your situation, do what feels right.

Let’s get into it!

BOOK YOUR VENUE, WEDDING PLANNER, AND PHOTOGRAPHER FIRST

Before you do anything else, you need to book your biggest wedding vendors first.

For starters, book your venue. Your venue will give you information needed to book literally everything else. It helps you set the date. Without a date you can’t make additional plans. A date is the first thing that every other vendor will ask you, because a date will determine if they are even available to help. Without a date, you can’t move forward. So, start with your venue.

After you have a venue, I suggest booking a wedding planner. Of course, you can book a wedding planner first, and they may help you find a venue. However, some venues come with wedding planners. And, you’ll want to make sure that your wedding planner isn’t overloaded around your wedding date. This means that with the venue picked out first, potential wedding planners can decide if the date and location works for them.

The last big vendor you should book is your photographer. Now, there are a lot of wedding photographers. However, the talented and affordable ones get booked up fast. Plus, booking your photographer early has perks. You can schedule engagement photos, which can be used for your wedding save the dates, invitations, and website. Booking a photographer early on is a big benefit to your wedding.

BOOK IMPORTANT BUT ABUNDANT VENDORS NEXT, LIKE YOUR CATERER, BAKER, DJ, AND MORE

This next section is all about the order to book your wedding vendors who are important but may have many options.

Let’s start with your food and drink vendors. Your caterer, baker, and bar services. Depending on your venue, you may be limited in your choices. Some venues have their own catering and baking, and others have a preferred vendor list for you to choose from. In either situation, you’ll want to narrow down your food vendors so you can proceed with tastings and decision making.

Next comes your wedding entertainment. I’m talking about booking a DJ, band, or additional entertainment for guests. Again, these types of vendors book up fast if they are talented and affordable, so get them nailed down as soon as you can.

The last four vendors you should book in this chunk are your florist, day of coordinator, photobooth, and videographer. Now, I would make the argument that each of these vendors are non-essential. Meaning, they may not be at every wedding. Whether or not you hire them is totally up to your budget, style, and vision. However, if you want any of them, you should book them at this point.

THEN BOOK VENDORS THAT MAY HAVE TIME CONSTRAINTS OR LIMITED AVAILABILITY, SUCH AS YOUR CLOTHES OR TRAVEL

The next set of vendors should be booked because they pose unique challenges.

For example, vendors who will provide your attire. Wedding gowns are typically ordered at least seven months before a wedding, and earlier in many cases. They tend to be custom made, and that can take awhile. Plus, you want time for alterations, which can also take some time. So, figuring out where you’ll get your wedding gown from early enough is crucial.

After the dress is determined, it’s time for all the rest of the attire to be booked. This may mean that bridesmaids order dresses from a salon. And groomsmen rent their outfits. Grooms may rent or purchase their wedding day attire. No matter the situation, figuring out where everyone will get their clothes from is important. Custom made outfits, and alterations, can take a bit of time, and rentals can book up quickly.

The other type of vendor that has limited availability has to do with travel accommodations. If you are staying in a hotel, AirBNB, or other type of vacation spot, you’ll need to book your stay early on. This is really important if you’re trying to book a hotel room block for guests. You’ll need that information for your wedding invitations, wedding website, and with enough time so rooms aren’t all taken by the time your guests get to booking them.

BOOK VENDORS THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE WITH LESS TIME NEXT, LIKE YOUR HAIR, MAKEUP, AND RENTALS

This set of vendors can be booked a little closer to the wedding, with less urgency. In most of their cases, there are plenty of options, lower demand, and less lead time needed.

For example, your wedding beauty team. Now, if you have your heart set on a certain high-demand team, book them early. However, if you’re asking a friend or a trusted stylist to help you out, you may have some time to wait on settling on the details. The same goes for your officiant. Many people have a friend or family member officiate their weddings. While it’s important to decide on this detail, you do have time to figure it out.

I’ll also lump your wedding jewelry, lighting rentals, table and linen rentals, and stationary into this category. Rings don’t usually take a long time to purchase. Your venue may have connections to rental companies, and there are tons of options when it comes to save the dates, invitations, and thank you cards.

BOOK VENDORS THAT ARE LOWER PRIORITY OR LAST MINUTE, LAST (THIS DEPENDS ON THE WEDDING)

Okay, down to the wire. The last wedding vendors you need to book.

By the time you get within a couple months of your wedding, you’ve got almost everything figured out. There are a few remaining items, though. Depending on how your wedding gown fits, you may need alterations. This is not something you’ll know until you receive your dress. Because of this, you can’t really book your tailor or seamstress until close to the wedding.

Additionally, many people figure out their wedding transportation right before the wedding. This is when they are more confident in what they will actually need in terms of who in their wedding party or family needs a ride, and where everyone will be coming and going to. Now, of course, if you want to book your transportation early on, go for it. Conversely, if you are all staying at the same spot as the wedding, transportation is something you can skip booking.

THOUGHTS ON THE ORDER IN WHICH TO BOOK YOUR WEDDING VENDORS

Friends, there you go. The order in which to book your wedding vendors, from most urgent to least. The thing is, this is just a rough guide. When it comes to your wedding, follow your gut. If something is a high priority for you, book it early. If something isn’t needed for your wedding, or you’re not sure, book it later. Your wedding, your way. Happy wedding planning!

More On Wedding Vendors From Hummingbird Wedding Advice

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Discount Wedding Photography (What You Need To Know)

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