Why You Should Hire Real Wedding Professionals vs. Your Friends

Photo by Ill Productions Photography

One of the best parts of my job is that I get to work with some really amazing vendors! You know that expression, "Team work makes the dream work"? Well, that is definitely true when it comes to weddings. Your wedding vendors are really like your dedicated wedding team. A hand selected group of people who are all working toward the same goal-making your wedding day special. Trust me when I say, that hiring professionals will make all the difference on your wedding day. 

Planning a wedding is a very big job with countless moving parts, so making sure you have the best people on the job is of utmost importance. You want to make sure that the people you select to build your wedding team have the right tools, experience and know how to make your wedding day perfect. 

Let's take a photographer for example. Photographers should be skilled and experienced in understanding lighting, angles, proper lenses, distance, and have an eye for capturing the perfect image amid the coordinated chaos of a wedding day. They know how to position you and your fiancé to get that romantic kiss photo or line up your bridal party to create that fun and goofy group shot. Your wedding photos are something you will cherish for years to come so you want to make sure you are putting this task in the hands of the right photographer-you don't want to look back at your photos and regret your choice.

Photo by Jess Palatucci Photography

Another example is your caterer. Because food and beverage is typically your biggest expense, couples sometimes try to take on this task themselves or delegate it to certain family members. I would, typically, never recommend going in that direction. Catering is a huge undertaking and there are so many things to consider when it comes to catering services. Your caterer not only cooks, preps and plates all of the food for your guests (and lots of it) but also provides the staff who handle the setup, serving and cleanup of the tables; safe food prep and handling practices; and the breakdown of all the food services at the end of the night. This is a huge responsibility that typically requires its own team.  Putting such a huge burden on yourself or a family member intensifies stress and could make the wedding day more of a hosting gig than an enjoyable celebration.

Photo by Brian and Jessica Photography

Each one of your hired wedding professionals brings their own set of special skills that play important roles on your wedding day. Your buddy Joe might know how to spin a few tables. Or your cousin Shelly might have a talent for getting the perfect angle in her Instagram selfies. But the honest truth is that those amateur skills don't qualify them to provide services for your wedding. Professional wedding vendors have tons of experience with wedding timelines and know when and where they need to be at the right times to make sure nothing gets missed, whereas cousin Johnny may be enjoying the open bar or flirting with your bridesmaids... 

In all seriousness, you have to consider how much of an ask providing wedding services for you is on a loved one. As much as you might love Aunt Linda's cakes, do you really want to put her through the trouble of baking for your 250 guest count wedding? That can be a lot of work, and a lot of pressure to put on a loved one, which may even cause riffs in your relationships, especially if you disagree on certain aspects of the product/service they will be providing. Although, they may be willing to provide these services for you for free or seriously discounted, sometimes it is better to let your family members enjoy your wedding as a guest and leave the hard work to the professionals. 

With that said, sometimes the right move is asking a family member for help-maybe they are a professional photographer and will deep discount their services for your big day. Or there's a professional caterer in the family who could offer you top-notch services for pennies. Selecting that team of professional wedding vendors who know what they're doing can really save you a lot of frustration, disappointment and family tension in the end. Hiring the right people will be worth every cent spent when you don't have to worry or stress about their capabilities and the quality of their work on your wedding day.  

Of course, filtering through the hundreds of vendors is a huge task in and of itself and can take countless hours of your time. But don't let this task overwhelm you. Talk to your Wedding Planner about the types of vendors you are looking for and the wedding style you are trying to create. Your Wedding Planner can provide you with a narrowed down list of vendors, who they know and trust, in each service category that meet your needs, budget and style. 

Now you're ready to get out there and start building your wedding dream team. Good luck! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Love, 

Naticia