Monday, September 15, 2008

Getting Married this Fall? Don't Forget to Confirm Your Vendors

So you are getting married this fall. Congratulations! You have planned down to the detail, booked all your vendors, and are just waiting for the day to come. Have you confirmed your vendors...basically, making sure that they do everything that their contract says that they will? Why is that necessary you may be thinking? They have your money and have signed the contract, isn't that enough? Sadly, no! Imagine that many vendors have dozens and dozens of clients and are focused on the weddings that are occuring right now. It would be nice if they were sitting around waiting for your wedding to occur, but most are not.

So what happens if you do not confirm your vendors? You may have late arriving vendors, vendors going to the incorrect location, vendors who confuse your Sunday wedding for a Saturday one, or another scenario I have not listed may occur. Avoid being upset or confused on your wedding day by preparing now to confirm your vendors. If you have a wedding planner or day-of-coordinator, they should be providing this service for you. If you are planning solo, read on to find out how to confirm the details of the services that you have contracted a vendor for on your wedding day.

Confirmations should take place via phone or in person with the vendor ALONG WITH a follow-up email or letter/fax. ALL VENDORS SHOULD BE CONFIRMED! You will want to confirm details 3-4 weeks before your wedding. If you start before this time, some information may change and you may have to follow-up with the vendor again and if you start to close to the wedding, you may not have time to address any issues that arise. Below is information for how to confirm a vendor:

Prepare for the phone call (3-4 weeks before your wedding day):

Pull out your contract and review it paying particular attention to any items that are missing (wedding date, location, delivery times, set up times, and other important information). A lot of times information is left TBD (to be determined) on a contract because the couple may not know the information when the contract is drawn up.

Also compile emails or other correspondence that may contain important agreements not listed in the contract.

Have before you any payment details (cancelled checks, last credit card payments for example) and determine your balance due before/on the wedding day.

Find out from your wedding site coordinator any important information that you should know for vendors. For example, when deliveries may be made (time range), where (at the loading dock or through the front entrance), and any other details that pertain to the specific vendor.

Call the vendor (have documents listed below in front of you):


Introduce yourself (vendors often have dozens of clients) and give your wedding date: For example, "Hi, My name is Sarah, my fiancee and I contracted with you/your company for DJ services on October 15, 2008."

Indicate the purpose of your call; that you are calling to confirm services. Sometimes businesses are set up to confirm details not with the DJ in the example above, but an assistant whose responsibility it is to obtain specific instructions, directions, and other details.

Confirm the details: For example, "According to my agreement, the cake will be delivered at 4 p.m. Our reception begins at 6:00 p.m. Can you anticipate any problems with this?" If there are potential issues anticipated, work to solve them on the phone or put the vendor in contact with your site coordinator, or do research yourself to obtain the information. Do not delay in doing this as it may take a week or so to obtain information. Indicate to the vendor that you will follow-up to find out how things were settled. Confirm your balance (money owed). If there is a dispute about the amount owed, indicate how you derived the amount in your records. If necessary, send copies of cancelled checks or other details.

Indicate that you will provide directions in your confirmation letter/email. Find out where the vendor is coming from so that you can be specific. Even if the vendor says they have been to the location before, still provide directions. Many a vendor has gotten lost on the wedding day!

For some vendors, you may be providing meals therefore you will need to ask how many persons will be on site at your wedding during the time that the meal is served. This applies to your DJ/band, wedding coordinator, photographer, videographer, other vendor who will be on site throughout the duration of your reception (e.g. photobooth attendant). This is a kind gesture...as a fed vendor makes a happy vendor!

Obtain the vendor's contact information: name if not known - and ask for their wedding day contact information (e.g. cell phone number and email address) so that you may speak to the person directly. This is extremely important to ensuring that their specific questions are addressed and your wedding information is confirmed with the person. Wedding day contact information is needed as the office or shop may be closed on your wedding day. Insist that this information is given to you.

For limo and rental companies, ask to have the driver's name and telephone number emailed to you when it becomes available. This is important in the event that the limo or delivery truck is late or does not show up. Also ask for after hours dispatch numbers.

Ask if there is any other information that is needed? Typically, the vendor will take the lead in asking questions to obtain needed information.

Tell the person that you will be sending a follow-up email or letter and ask to whom this should be addressed and for the person's email or fax number.

Follow-up the Phone Call with an E-mail/Letter/Fax (day of the call):

In the e-mail you will want to restate important details like...arrival/set-up times, where the vendor can load in, how long of an extension cord is needed for musicians, directions to the wedding site, description of the cake, layout of the ceremony/reception site to show where the musicians will set up or where the cake will be set out, the number of guest tables, are all important details.

Request that the vendor respond to the email indicating that they received it and ask them to confirm that all of the details have been stated correctly. This is important in the event of a future dispute; you will need a paper trail.

An example confirmation letter to a limo company is below:

Dear Limo Company:

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. I am writing you to confirm the arrangements for my wedding (Adams-Smith wedding), which is to take place on Saturday, September 20, 2008.


My understanding of the arrangements is as follows:
Ø A 10 passenger limo will pick up Lisa (bride) and family members at Lisa’s parents’ home, 123 Main Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202 at 1:15 p.m. and transport them directly to the wedding ceremony location, Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, 5200 N. Charles Street, Baltimore Maryland (410-464-4000). For your information, the wedding begins at 2:00 p.m. Michael Jackson will be the driver.
Ø After the ceremony, approximately 2:45 p.m., a 1938 Sedan will transport Lisa and Joe (bride and groom) to take photos at the top of Federal Hill. After photographs, the sedan will transport Lisa and Joe to the wedding reception location, The George Peabody Library, 17 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD 21202 (410-659-8197). Rick Jones will be the driver. For your information, the cocktail hour begins at 4:00 p.m.
Ø A 10 passenger limo will pick up Lisa’s family members at the wedding reception location, 17 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD 21202 (410-659-8197) at 9:15 p.m. and will transport them to Lisa’s parents’ home, 123 Main Street, Baltimore, MD, 21202. For your information, the wedding reception ends at 9:00 p.m.
Ø A 1938 sedan will pick up Lisa and Joe at the wedding reception location, 17 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD 21202 (410-659-8197) at 9:15 p.m. and will transport them to take additional photos in the Baltimore Harbor area. After photos, the sedan will drop them off at the Peabody Court Hotel, 612 Cathedral Street, Baltimore, MD, 410-727-7101. Rick Jones will be the driver.

Our balance is $500, to be charged the week of the wedding to the credit card on file ending in 1345.

Please confirm your receipt of this letter via email. Feel free to contact me if the need arises or if any part of this letter is not correct. You may contact me at (410) 404-1234 or by email at email@address.com. I have included directions to all pick-up and drop-off locations. I look forward to working with you and I know that we will be delighted with your transportation services.

Sincerely,

Lisa Adams


Enc.: Directions to 123 Main Street, Photo Location(s), Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, The George Peabody Library, and the Peabody Court Hotel.

If you need guidance for confirming a specific vendor that this blog post has not addressed, feel free to email me at info@weddingplanningboutique.com for more help! Best wishes on your wedding day.

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