How Much Input Can We Have with Our Wedding Vendors?

Photo: Peter Van Beever 
 

Building a team of vendors can make or break your wedding experience. An awesome team will take care of any problem before it even arises, and will help you take your vision to the next level. But, of course, you're the client, so you're entitled to some input, right? Here's where to find the line between enough input and too much, according to our experts.

Of course your wedding vendors want to hear . Whether it's the florist, the caterer, or your wedding band, getting input from you is what turns an event into your wedding! But as professionals, you do also have to recognize when to step back and let the experts do their jobs.

When it comes to the florist, working out a style and color scheme is great, as is some guidance as to flowers you love (or hate). Less helpful? Trying to pick the exact blooms that will be in each and every arrangement. There's no way to know what your florist will find at the flower market until he or she gets there, so trust that they'll do their best to get you what you want, and will find you the next best thing if those peach roses came in a little too orange.

Working on the menu with your caterer? They wouldn't have tastings if they didn't want you to sample their food and talk to them about your likes and dislikes. And many caterers are even happy to work with you to include family recipes that aren't part of their usual repertoire. But again, draw the line before you start tweaking things that they've perfected over the years or offerings that are dependent on what's freshest. Tomato salad is great at the height of summer, but in the dead of winter, there's a reason your caprese now has roasted tomatoes instead of fresh ones.

When you're working with a wedding planner, acknowledge where their expertise trumps your opinions. They've built a career organizing, negotiating, timing, and arranging, and they've learned a lot of their tricks the hard way. If your planner insists that something just can't be done a certain way — and has a horror story to back it up — that's the time to give in. The same goes for creative license. Your planner will work closely with you to suss out all of your likes, dislikes, and expectations, but once it comes to actual event execution and nitty-gritty details, let the experts take over.