When you’re at the beginning of your wedding planning journey, and have followed our steps for how to get started, the next thing you’ll need to do is start building your dream wedding team to make your day come to life!

But, where do you start? Who do you book first? And, why? There’s a variety of vendors and service providers that all work together to make a wedding happen and yes it does make a difference when you kick off your planning by booking the following vendors first.

YOUR WEDDING PLANNER
I know, I know! But we promise we aren’t biased here! Your wedding planner will know when what tasks should be done so you can have the wedding of your dreams. Sometimes, we’re hired just after the venue is booked, but to get full value from your planner (especially if you’re interested in a full service package), it’s best if you have us on your team from the very beginning!

YOUR VENUE
The venue is the most important vendor you’ll book for your day, as it dictates your wedding date, and therefore so many other variables and decisions for the rest of your wedding. Depending on the venue you pick, they may or may not have food and beverage service included. They may have an exclusive vendor list that you’re required to work within. They may have certain time constraints around space rental. All of these things impact how your day will flow and what decisions you can make. Securing your venue ASAP ensures that you can pick a date, and continue building the rest of your wedding dream team.

YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER AND VIDEOGRAPHER
Photography and videography is one of few things (aside from your dress and new spouse) that you can keep forever to remember your day by. Because you’ll spend a large portion of time on your actual wedding day with your photo and video team, it’s important to secure them next to make sure your day if remembered the way you want it to be. There is often a personal connection to photography, so if you’re interested in working with a specific individual or style of videographer, securing that early on gives you a better shot at working with them.

Overall, the vendors you need to secure first are the ones that play the biggest role in your wedding and can’t be as easily replaced. For example – you can rent table linens from a variety of places, but finding that wedding planner or photographer that you really connect with can be harder to come across.

If you’re planning the wedding of your dreams, and need assistance booking any of the vendors above, or are well on your way but need some help, reach out! We can’t wait to hear about your love story and your wedding plans!