SECURING VENDORS AND CONTRACTS

Weddings are big business. They account for a large percentage of some vendors' businesses over the year. Sometimes the promises a vendor makes just to secure your business for a wedding turn out to be just that. You need to be fully protected when you go to interview your vendors. Sometimes it is best to bring an objective third party - most times your planner or a friend whom you know will not be drawn into the emotions of it. Before you sign with one, ask questions, get costs, be totally frank and upfront and do not lose your perspective. If you have a list of questions and then log the answers, you will have a much better base to make a decision, compare and contrast your vendors. Once you make a decision, get everything in writing. You do not know this vendor, they do not know you. They will do everything to get you to sign a contract to secure that deposit. You need to protect your investment. That is just good business. You would not purchase a car, house or make any other large investment in the same way we go wedding vendor and venue shopping. This is a big investment. A great resource for costs in your local area is www.wedding.com for information. Just input your zip code and you will be able to pull up an estimate that is based on actual costs. It just may surprise you. So, before you get so emotionally invested in the vision, stop, step back, take a breath and think about what you are signing and make sure you and your investment is protected. Once you sign that contract, you are committed.

COLORS

I know that choosing colors for your wedding can be exhausting and take a long time, especially when you have multitudes of colors and many people giving their opinions. There are a few things that you can throw into the mix, however, to help with your choices.

First of all, does your theme (if you have one) dictate any special colors? For example, a Mardi Gras theme pretty much tells you what colors you will be using. Think location. You will not want to choose colors that will cause you to blend right into the background in your pictures or for the decor to not even be noticed because of the same reason. How about flowers? What is in season and what options do you have? Keep in mind that blue flowers are the most difficult to find and typically unless you use the ones in seasion, you will use your entire floral budget just to acquire those.

So, be flexible in choosing your colors. Consider a lot of options and remember that white bouquets with splashes of colors in the way of gems or ribbons are always a safe choice. Consult your planner or florist. They are the professionals and they can guide you. They want you to have a fabulous wedding at the price you can feel good about.