Wedding Hive Podcast
Giving you the tea and ALL the buzz in the wedding world! New episodes every Wednesday!
Wedding Hive Podcast
015- Mastering the Vendor Booking Timeline
Kelsey and Grace break down everything you need to know about the vendor booking process, from establishing your budget to selecting the perfect team for your wedding day.
• Setting your budget and finalizing your guest list before booking any vendors
• Priority checklist for booking: venue first, followed by catering, photography, videography, planner, DJ, florals, and attire
• Secondary priority vendors: beauty services, cake, stationery, transportation, and officiant
• Create a comprehensive spreadsheet to track vendor details, payment schedules, and contract terms
• Read contracts thoroughly, paying attention to cancellation policies, change limitations, and rescheduling fees
• Interview your vendors and ensure your personalities click before booking
• Consider trending additions like live painters, mobile charcuterie carts, or late-night food stations if budget allows
• Get a videographer - it's worth the investment for capturing your special day
• Ask for referrals and thoroughly research reviews when selecting vendors
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Hey Queens, it's Kelsey and Grace back with the Wedding Hive.
Speaker 2:Giving you the tea and all the buzz in the wedding world.
Speaker 1:Let's jump right in. Hey Queens, welcome back to another episode of the Wedding Hive podcast. It is so exciting to be here today. We have had an amazing little break, as both Grace and I have been traveling and having some good vacation time with our family. So, before we hop into that, today, this episode is going to be all about vendor booking the process. This was a questionnaire that went out on Instagram end of May. I want to say and we are just now getting around to it but we are going to give you all of the information you need to be successful in your booking process. But before that, grace, how has life been?
Speaker 2:Life's been good. Yeah, we took about like three weeks off, which was nice because everyone was doing vacations, which I think is well-deserved. So this episode might be a little rough because we're getting back into it. So please be with us. And I told myself myself today this is maybe just a me thing. I'm gonna get better with not saying like and um. Okay, I'm gonna work on that.
Speaker 2:Okay, I need to get like a little. Oh see, I just did it. I need to get a horn every time I do it, because I'm gonna work on that well, we don't want our listeners to crash and they listen to us in the car.
Speaker 1:Okay, you're right, we won't do that. Maybe a silent horn.
Speaker 2:I know I'll do this, or like a zapper if I hear it I'll zap you yeah you just see me like tweaking the whole time.
Speaker 2:Everyone said, oh, is she okay over there? I said no, um. But yeah, life's been good, just been relaxing, spending time with my husband, our dog. We went to the lake this past weekend and took our puppy for the first time, so that was a good time. It was definitely a lot, because taking a dog just going there yourself is already a whole thing, but then bringing a dog so it was fun. But we had him wear little booties, so that was cute. And we took him paddle boarding or we were in a kayak, excuse me. So that was fun. And yeah, I'm ready for the 4th of July. I got my nails all ready and going to go to a cabana out in Scottsdale for a girlfriend's birthday and just hang out for the day and have fun. So how have you been? I know you went on a long road trip and you had some issues in the beginning.
Speaker 1:Yes, I am constantly reminded. I know I posted on Instagram. I think it was the first day of my vacation. Hey, life happens sometimes and it happens around wedding planning too, so don't be discouraged. We hit a lot of road bumps not literally, figuratively, on our trip, but we had an amazing trip. We drove 2,200 miles in six days. I think we were in a total of five states. We saw some really cool things. We were on a boat and we had so much fun. We were with my dad's side of the family and had an absolute blast. We stayed in cabins like on the lake and, girl, I am not made for that camping life.
Speaker 2:We've discussed this no camping for me ever.
Speaker 1:No, I thought I was for it. I was a camper growing up. I didn't mind it as a kid. I want to be one with the nature, but it just it's.
Speaker 2:I like my hotel rooms, I love a shower. I just it's not for me.
Speaker 1:These did have running water and toilets, and Okay, so maybe I could do it. It was one of those boxes in the wall that turns on air condition.
Speaker 2:It's not like an actual air conditioner, so like in a hotel almost right.
Speaker 1:I don't even know what that thing is called, but it was a box and I kept like like in hotel rooms, yes.
Speaker 2:When you're like please, yes, and you're like I don't have to pay for this shit, so I'm turning it all the way down. I'm like it's gonna be 67 in here all night long, so it's gonna be freezing so, but the kids had a blast.
Speaker 1:Um, we are all. Everybody got sunburned. I am peeling like a little lizard. So are my kids. So it's been. It's nice to be home. My husband is so excited to do some camping this summer, and I'm just like I think I've I've done it and I don't want to do it again.
Speaker 2:I think the compromise would be you go have fun and I'll stay at home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm like we have to get a really nice RV.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's what I told John. I said I'll go camping again, but if we rent an RV, because that's just what I think I need, I think for my sanity and to even enjoy the experience, I need that.
Speaker 1:Or here's my other thing If I'm going camping and we have no cell phones and we have no photos and there's no documentation of it, I think I could like cave woman it and just like it is what it is yeah, no mirrors. But the fact that we're like taking photos and we're doing this and we're doing that, and I'm like, oh my gosh, don't post that on social media I yes, I look like I just walked out of the sewer.
Speaker 2:Whenever I look at the pictures of the, the two times I stuck up camping for my husband, I said what the actual f? Because it's just you're dirty, you're sweaty, or we went during winter and I remember I woke up one day and I was so bundled up because it was freezing that, like, my hair was just unbrushable. It was so bad, correct. I? Just I, if you like camping, I just don't get it I don't know people, I love nature, we love hiking, we see, I love one with the earth but I'll be down with the earth for about an hour and then that's about it.
Speaker 1:I love hugging trees, but like I don't know, I just it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I definitely was made for the 21st century oh, for sure so I'm glad you guys had fun though even though there are some bumps in the road yep, fourth of july?
Speaker 1:um, we don't have. I don't know what we're doing. My husband's birthday, um, is the day before fourth of july. Oh, I didn't know that, yeah so getting ready to celebrate him. Uh, he, he's so stupid spoiled. We have been in vegas, we've been in utah, we've been in hawaii for his birthday this year. He's like so what's the plan? And I'm like that road trip was you know, you are gonna be home for your birthday this year, and it wasn't in your birthday soon too, right?
Speaker 2:yeah, next month in august. That's like me and John's birthday. We're two weeks apart and it's terrible. We it's literally on the 16th and he's the 30th in November, and it's always money crunch or we try to do like one big trip so that way we just can celebrate both of our birthdays. But, oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:I think it's hard because his birthday is like three weeks after father's day and so I'm always juggling like the father's day birthday thing and about that. But at least he's not next to christmas, which we do have a daily buzz coming out. Um, we had a question asked about planning your wedding around holidays, so that will be in a daily buzz for everybody to listen to, because I don't know your thoughts on it, but we'll dive into that. We will dive into that, but buzz for everybody to listen to, because I don't know your thoughts on it, but We'll dive into that. We will dive into that. But you want to start us with a yes or no.
Speaker 2:Yes, so obviously we're talking all things vendors today. Obviously, there's so many vendors you can book for your wedding, so I just thought it'd be fun to do one of those yes or no for a live painter. You know how they do the.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah you know how they do the yeah, yeah, I have. I've only worked with one live painter multiple times. She is absolutely phenomenal. Uh, and I would say yes only if it makes sense with your timeline okay because when we've, when I've worked with how does it even work with that thing?
Speaker 1:uh, people are under the perception that the live painter like takes a mental picture and then paints it and it's usually like the ceremony or it's a sunset photo. They need to take that early enough in the day because they watch it from their phone and they live paint it throughout the reception like throughout cocktail hour and reception, so they spend hours working on it from a photo they took on their phone.
Speaker 2:Got it.
Speaker 1:So when you do things like without a first look, then they can sometimes grab areas to start working on, like the scenic surroundings.
Speaker 2:Behind areas of it.
Speaker 1:Yes, but if you want a picture of dancing at 9 PM and you want her to paint that, she needs to start hours in advance. So yes to a live painter, as long as it makes sense with the timeline, yes, okay, see, I didn't.
Speaker 2:I didn't know that about the live painters I've seen them and, um, I've seen people's work and I think it's so cool and something fun to add and basically, you know, a momentum to keep from the wedding, but I don't um, I'm down for them. I didn't have one, but I think they're really unique and, like you said, if it's in the timeline, that makes sense, and I think if it's in your budget, then I say yes, love it, I'm here for it.
Speaker 1:Cool. So talking about vendor booking, that process, we are starting with the same thing we preach almost every episode. I feel like Before you start picking your vendors, you have to set your budget and guest list. There is no point in pulling out your vendors from the sky if we don't have a budget set. So make sure you start working on that budget, that guest list. You want to allot your budget in categories. The allotments are those percentages. What do you need to put most of your money towards? How are you paying for it? Who is paying for what?
Speaker 1:All of those conversations and that guest count is a rough idea because you need to know how much of what you're going to need. It even comes down to the tables. You're thinking, oh, table decor, not a big deal. Well, it is a big deal because your guest count is going to determine how many tables you need. Why are you going to buy stuff for 25 tables when you might only need 12 tables because of your guest count? So set your budget and that guest list to start really looking at those vendors.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And then, of course, after you're picking your budget and all that good stuff, we kind of want to go into priority checklist of booking timelines. So, on priority when you are starting your wedding planning process venues, first. You want to knock out catering, photography if you're wanting videography, if you're wanting to do planner DJ, florals and attire, I would say, are the top priority checklist for things to get done right away. And then, when it comes to kind of a second priority, beauty. So hair and makeup that you're booking for day of if you guys are doing cake, and of course you, once you pick your venue and date, you have to do your stationery. So RSVPs, save the dates. If you're doing any type of transportation and you're efficient, yes, so we want to have that locked to you because they're going to be the ones marrying you.
Speaker 1:I love that. I have a question for you. But before that I have found more so than not. I've had couples. We've locked in all of their important vendors, everything is handled whatever it needs to be, and within the last, maybe six weeks prior to wedding, they say hey, I've had a little money left over, or a grandparent has donated money, we're going to add this, or we're going to do late night bites, we want to bring in a taco truck or whatever it might be. When did? And? So that's exciting, because you have leftover money.
Speaker 2:We love leftover money.
Speaker 1:We love that we can spend extra money and we will go into the timeline of booking in a second. But those other extra last minute pieces you can usually pull it. When did you book your marquee sliders Cause you had Marquise letters at your wedding? I did.
Speaker 2:I. I want to say I booked them maybe like six months before the wedding. So, um, and it was that a priority to you? Not really, it was really. I started planning and then I saw a picture and I said, oh my gosh, I have to have those. So it was kind of in the process of nothing.
Speaker 2:When I first started planning my wedding I never thought, oh, I want more keys, letters. But then when I saw it and on the dance floor and like pictures at night, I said that would be something that would be fun to add. That was in our budget. So remember, just because you like it and it doesn't mean you can always should get it or have it, be sure it allocates with your budget and if it works for you.
Speaker 2:But I do remember we booked our photo booth like super early for some reason, I don't know why, and I remember I forgot that we booked our photo booth because I did it so in advance. It was like the email saying you know, hey, your last payment's due and you know we had all of our money set aside and I said, oh my God, I totally forgot we even booked the photo booth. So I guess maybe don't book stuff too far in advance. But I mean, I guess better safe than sorry that I already had it booked. You know, I would hate to get close to my wedding and then think, oh shoot, I didn't book a photo booth, which I really did want.
Speaker 1:So that was, that was what I did that is why it's important to have everything organized yes, which you're gonna talk about?
Speaker 2:we're gonna talk about that too. I did not do that, I just balled it, so that's the difference in Kelsey and Grace yes.
Speaker 1:Kelsey's very type a. Oh yeah, everything is documented and in spreadsheets. I know, know, I think I'm a mixture. Grace is like woo. I'm like you know what. Let's just get the party started.
Speaker 2:I was like as long as there's a bar like who cares, anything can be there.
Speaker 1:I don't mind. Yes, that's why we're a dynamic duo.
Speaker 2:Exactly. What's your favorite vendor that you've seen recently? You've been dabbling and hanging out at weddings, so I actually saw one night. And a lotte cart, yes, which I love. I love a lotte, I love a good late night sack. So I actually think if you can incorporate that it's um, I would, I would do it. I didn't do it but I didn't have the money for that, so I just, you know, didn't do one of those things. But if you do, I think you should, because I mean, once you've been, because I mean you eat, of course, but then, depending, if you eat dinner early, then you know you already ate the cocktail hour food and there's no more food coming for the rest of the night. It's just drinking and dancing. So if you can have a taco truck, like you said, like you said um, I know we've seen someone do mcdonald's um. I honestly, actually, if this was possible, I would a thousand percent have done this. In and out burger is my favorite fast stop restaurant.
Speaker 2:I don't care what anyone says, you can shit on it all day. I do not care, it's my favorite.
Speaker 1:I'm not shitting on in and out burger, so then. So then what I've had it at weddings, that's what I'm saying as a late night snack and unless it comes in the truck by the time it gets to your venue, unless your venue is right next door to In-N-Out Burger, the fries are cold and the burgers are soggy. No, and that's what I wanted.
Speaker 2:I wanted, they had you wanted soggy burgers.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not done I'm not done.
Speaker 2:Okay, I wanted the truck, but they only do it in california right now so that's the reason.
Speaker 1:So if I didn't want to do it together, yeah in.
Speaker 2:And out, can we please?
Speaker 1:I will literally redo my whole wedding to just have this in and out burger truck, I will for a late night snack. I'll make kelsey I won't be participating in round two of her wedding. I'll make Kelsey plan my wedding, if I won't redo my wedding.
Speaker 2:You still get to redo your wedding?
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I actually I just went to a launch party for a mobile charcuterie cart. Oh, the charcuterie board, and they're like, they're individualized charcuterie, like in the cups. Yes, look at the cups, yes, those are so cute. They are so cute, they are so good. And so like you go, like the cart is adorable, and then you go through and they like build your charcuterie thing and like I don't, I'm whatever, I don't eat prosciutto, is that what it's called um?
Speaker 1:yeah, so I was able to say like nope, I don't want that, but I want like all of these yummy things and it was like delicious, so I was able to say like nope, I don't want that, but I want like all of these yummy things and it was like delicious. So I think that is going to be an upcoming trend that we see, like especially at cocktail hours, because it was so good, but we can hop to the next one.
Speaker 2:Yes, for third, just like we talked about last priority, any late night snacks we love a beer, burrow um or marque's letters you can really kind of book those, not last minute, but I would say those are the last thing, priority wise, that you can book.
Speaker 1:Correct, I agree. So, going into that booking timeline, you want to have everything booked sooner than later, so the suggestion is four to 18 months prior to wedding. Obviously, we've talked about you want your venue, your date, locked in from there. Start working through it. The last three to four months is finalizing your details.
Speaker 1:One thing that I want to note and I think Grace is actually going to talk about this in her next point but I have noticed in a lot of the contracts that we've that I've been reviewing, you can only make so many changes to it before you get charged. I don't know if you've experienced this, but when you are indecisive in something that you want, make sure that you're confirming what that vision board is, and I hope I'm making sense when I say this. Where I'm finding it is. We are booking things so far in advance, we're locking it in, and then you know at the 18 month mark and then, a year before the wedding or six months before the wedding, the vision is completely changed, and so we're going to the florist or the design team and saying, hey, we actually want that and the deal was you can only make so many changes because that's what the contract had in it, and so we are getting charged for those changes.
Speaker 1:So not to freak people out, I know it's, it's in there. But once you have your vision, stick to your vision. Be confident in that. If you are going to make changes to that vision, make sure that it is going to work with your budget, because those changes sometimes do cost money. So you want to book things sooner than later. Like I said, it also depends on your market. How many vendors are available. Here in the Metro Phoenix area we have a plethora of vendors before we would run out. If you're in a more rural area you might only have the option with two local florists. So get those things booked sooner than later that way that, like I said, those last three to four months you can enjoy finalizing details, doing hair and makeup trials, your final fittings, those bachelor, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, those things.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I, yeah, I totally agree. So obviously, with vendor booking and, as we talked about, this is more of Kelsey's area not me, but if you, can?
Speaker 1:I wanted to challenge you today. That's why I'm making you talk through this point. We're growing you, grace, I really should have.
Speaker 2:Definitely, if you can create a spreadsheet of your vendors as you're booking them, have a spreadsheet. Of course, the main thing. Make sure you have their name, their contact information, what exact services they're providing, like how many hours, and things like that. Make sure you know, of course, everything that's included in this vendor booking. Are they dropping it off and picking it up? Are you going to have to take it back? I mean, I know I rented glassware for our signature drinks. I had to go pick it up and drop it off myself, but there's some vendors that can do that.
Speaker 2:So, something to also think about, of course, how much is the cost of the vendor? And also a lot of vendors, of course, do payment schedules or payment plans, which is nice because we, of course, know how expensive weddings can get. And sometimes it's nice to have those vendors where you know it's just like, hey, deposit and the rest is due. You know, a week before the wedding and knowing, of course, the deposits, the amounts that are due and those due dates, because, just like me, I book something very far in advance and the week before getting an email, hey, the payment's due next week, or what have you. So I definitely wish I would have done a spreadsheet just to be more organized, because the last thing you want to do is be overwhelmed or stressed to get that email saying, oh, you have to pay $1,500 tomorrow or next week. You don't want that.
Speaker 2:So, keeping and knowing how much your amounts are and the due dates, and then, just like you said, contract status, essentially, what are their cancellation policies? Or if you, like you said, change you book something and then you, you know months go by and now you want to change it but that's not part of your contract. So, before booking, reading through I know they're not fun, no one wants to read through the five page contract with. Please do it Just do it.
Speaker 2:It sucks. Take the 10 minutes, read it and make sure you know what you're getting yourself into, because you don't want to add more stress onto yourself. Um, or if, rescheduling too. If you, um, you know, book your wedding day and then something happens, then you have to reschedule. So you're rescheduling your vendors. Do they have a fee for that? Is it free if you end up moving your date? Um, and then, of course, the terms of your contract and you know Can I say something really quick?
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course you also want to check in those contracts with that date change. If it is out of your control, are they willing to work with you?
Speaker 2:Yes, COVID's up too.
Speaker 1:I've had clients who their venue shut down or it lit on fire and their vendors were willing to work with them and not charge them for the location change and the date to change. So you want to ask those questions in those contracts and if that can be written into the contract if there's flexibility, because those are things out of your control, you know, so sorry not to interrupt you.
Speaker 2:Good, interrupt me, I just remembered my horse.
Speaker 1:A few of the horror stories that we've had.
Speaker 2:Oh, I bet, oh, you said ooh. And then, of course, if you guys have meeting dates, especially for venues, I'm doing six-month check-ins, four-week check-ins, follow-ups. If you're doing site visits to your venue fun stuff like tastings, making sure you have those scheduled. Fun stuff like tastings, making sure you have those scheduled. If you're doing floral trials and having all those scheduled out and for the girls, the makeup and wedding hair trials too, and figuring out how much, because those are always extra costs. So make sure you're reading your hair and makeup trial.
Speaker 1:There we are talking about budget again because it adds up so, as we started your piece of this, we will make a note and hopefully our producer will make a note, as I'm saying this out loud on different ways to organize and have spreadsheets to have all of that done. We'll do a daily buzz on it. I don't think it needs a full episode, but we can do an organizational organizing your wedding, um if you'll make a known one or one organizing your wedding 101 and have everything in and we'll, we'll dive into that.
Speaker 1:and the best way to keep all of your stuff put together so you don't end up like Grace and forget you booked a DJ I know, I just forget stuff.
Speaker 1:Alrighty. So how to select your vendor? Here's some tips. First off, ask for referrals. As soon as you say the word I'm getting married or we're engaged, your algorithm on all social media and the internet is going to explode and you're going to get bombarded Literally With ads. So feel free, Get on the knot. Get on Zola, Literally With ads. So feel free, get on the knot, get on Zola. Whatever you know, WeddingWire, here comes the bride, or here comes the guide, whichever one it is Sorry. Start doing your research. But also, you're going to want to ask for some referrals. Read reviews, get online. Those reviews are great to get into. You want to interview your vendors. Man, I think I did a daily buzz on this. I feel like I'm having a deja vu Interviewing your vendors yeah, I think we did.
Speaker 2:We did do a daily buzz on this, we did touch about that, yeah.
Speaker 1:But it's good to know.
Speaker 2:The importance because, yeah, I think really too. I don't know about you, I'm super big on like reviews and spending time especially. I mean not even weddings like anything. You know, airbnbs, b's, things like that. Reviews do really, you know, show the true colors of the vendors and if they actually are going to, you know, get it done and get it done good. So make sure you do your research If you want to go deeper into reading reviews.
Speaker 1:this is so sassy of me. But when you look at reviews on Google, you can like click on the person who gave the review and see all of the reviews they've given, and so I really love to get into like the head of certain people because I'll read a review and I'm like, yep, this place sucks, I'm never eating here. My husband's like, but their food looks so good. And I'm like, no, it's bad. But if I click on that person's profile and I read all the reviews, I'm like, well, they just hate life in general.
Speaker 2:So it's probably not the food You're like, they're just miserable.
Speaker 1:They're just haters and love being the hater on the internet. Or if somebody puts a bad review on something and you look and they're overall a pretty positive person, you're like okay, this validates this review. So read those reviews, interview that vendor. Oh my gosh, if you and your vendor do not click, do not hire them. You want to make sure that your vibes match. They have a very clear expectation for the day. Everybody's on the same page. They're enthusiastic. This is honestly a very cool job being in the wedding industry. If they are not happy in the wedding industry, please do not hire them. Um, that, yes, uh, you're. You're going to want to compare your packaging, um, the different packages, and then you always want to get those contracts, like we've mentioned. So there are your vendor selection tips. Is there anything else that you have that you want to share on this point from your experience as a bride?
Speaker 2:Um, I don't know. I feel like everything we've said in this episode really like hone in and listen to it, because it's so true and I think just making sure you have the vendors that you know are going to make your day the best is what I think is most important, and getting vendors that you want and doing it for you. I remember I wanted a videographer and my mom was like I don't did. I wanted a videographer and my mom was like I don't know why you're spending money on that. And you know I said I totally hear you, but I know I'm going to want it. And then, as soon as we got the video, she said, oh my gosh, I can't believe I ever said that you shouldn't have done that because it looks amazing. And now you have your whole wedding day captured, so um. So I guess my biggest thing if I could pick one vendor to for sure book on your wedding day, get a videographer. That is my two cents and I think that's something that you'll have forever and cherish.
Speaker 1:So that's what I would say, All righty Queens. Well, that is your episode for today. Be sure to follow us on all social media platforms TikTok, Instagram. You can find us on Spotify, Apple Music and, of course, YouTube. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and we look forward to seeing you on next week's episode. Bye, Bye.