Wedding supplies - how to find the best suppliers

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Most couples are very concerned about wedding supplies. After all, you will need between eight and twenty individual suppliers to contribute to producing your wedding. These range from the basic and essential suppliers such as the reception venue, right down to the party favours!

The most obvious but overlooked place to begin searching for wedding supplies is within your own close circle. Have you been to a wedding recently and were impressed by any aspect of it? Look around at your friends and family who were married within the last few years and ask them to recommend their best suppliers. Word-of-mouth is the most successful means of referral for the best companies, but be warned that this usually means that they are inundated with business — contact them as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Use any wedding supply contacts you have already made to help you with your next task. If you are already working with a caterer who is doing a great job, why not ask them if they know any good photographers? The wedding industry is often tightly knit, so there is a high chance that they will be able to point you in the right direction. However, don’t consider this form of recommendation to be totally trustworthy — still ask for references and get a couple of other quotes before you commit.

If getting personal recommendations is not possible for any reason, wedding websites are full of suppliers for every area. Consider honing your search by finding region-specific wedding websites, for example ‘Las Vegas Wedding’. The Yellow Pages also contains contact numbers for wedding supply companies, and will help you narrow your search. This method of finding wedding supply companies can be risky, as you do not know how trustworthy the vendor is. Use your common sense, and obtain references. Be suspicious if a supplier is reluctant to put you in contact with past clients, and still ensure that you have been given a reasonable quote by considering more than one vendor.

Finally, most towns hold wedding fairs at some point in the year. This is an opportunity for you to get ideas for your wedding, as well as to meet suppliers to discuss possibilities. There is no obligation, and most suppliers are only too happy to spend a little time with you chatting about your plans and showing you their wares. Most suppliers will have a stand with examples of their products, so don’t be too shy to sit and flick through the photographers’ albums or invitation samples. Most firms at these fairs have a good local reputation, but you can also chat to other prospective brides and grooms attending the fayre to get their take on these suppliers.

© The Pink Fridge Online Magazine 2008 - Wedding Supplies