12 Aug 2014 Admin
Planning a wedding can be a stressful time. There’s a lot to think about – items you need to buy, suppliers you need to book – and a fair bit of expense. The fear that you can’t repeat the day if something goes wrong amplifies this stress and you may feel under pressure to get things right and make your wedding day perfect in every way. There’s no need to panic. There’s a multitude of professionals waiting to make your day special, and by looking around for the best, and the best value, you can find good people able to make your day go perfectly.
- Ask around – ask family and friends for recommendations. Word of mouth is powerful and if someone can tell you about a professional they’ve used, or a product they’ve bought which they liked (or not) then it helps narrow down your options in a crowd of potential suppliers. If you liked someone else’s wedding photos, then don’t be afraid to ask for the photographer’s details.
- Shop around – don’t limit yourself to what’s available in your home town, or even the UK. Items like bridesmaids dresses can be made to order from Asia, and you can buy your rings from an online dealer such as Dubai Rocks or take a trip to Dubai and buy from famous the Gold Souk itself. If you feel the need to get away for a stress-busting weekend, then saving money on wedding supplies is a great excuse!
- Try before you buy – Good suppliers don’t expect you just to book them without knowing much about their products or services first. Do some taste-testing on the wedding cake, the wine, the canapés, and whatever else you’ll be serving on the day. When you’re booking s band for your party, ask to go and see them perform at someone else’s wedding or other event. Some wedding music websites let you listen to samples of the band. A good music professional will let you come and watch before you book. Don’t leave things to chance.
- Use the free consultation – Many suppliers such as photographers, florists, and dress suppliers give advice for free, so use it! There’s no charge for asking them what they can do for you, to show you samples of their work, and give you quotes. Make sure you get prices from each potential supplier so you can go away and compare in your own time. While you should avoid suppliers which seem suspiciously cheap, there’s usually more value to be found in those who trade off the beaten track. Suppliers who are cagey about their prices initially tend to be those which are at the more expensive end of the scale. Choose a supplier who is friendly, open with their pricing structure, and is willing and able to provide good quality samples.
- Use a specialist – if all of this sounds too much like hard work, then hire a wedding planner. They will do the leg-work for you, and have access to a huge range of tried-and-tested suppliers. They may even save you more than their fee by knowing where to go for the best deals. Choose your wedding planner using the methods above, and leave them to do as much as possible. Then you can just relax and enjoy your day knowing someone is there to deal calmly with any last-minute hitches.
We wish you all the best for your special day!