Protocol Perfection:

The average couple hires 14 vendors to help them with their wedding day. This creates a lot of people who need to coordinate to ensure the day goes off without a hitch. Having open and clear communication, in addition to staying organized, is crucial for having a successful wedding day. Knowing the standard protocol used at New Ulm wedding venues will help you understand what to expect from your vendors. 

Communication Protocol

Before searching for vendors, decide who will be the main point of contact. This will be the person with whom all vendors will communicate. Having one person as the point of contact will ensure that communication remains open and transparent. You don’t want the vendor to receive conflicting information from multiple people. When possible, try to communicate all the information in writing. This gives everyone a point of reference that they can refer to. 

If you hire a wedding planner, let them do their job. Trust your wedding planner to communicate with and coordinate all of your vendors. On the wedding day, your planner will take the reins, letting you focus on enjoying your big moment. 

For couples that do not hire a wedding planner, they should dedicate one person to be the coordinator for the day. It should be someone other than the bride and groom or anyone in the wedding party. This person will be the point of contact for all of the vendors. 

Roles and Responsibilities

When hiring vendors, carefully review each contract. While vendors can agree to a variety of services when contacted, the contract rules. Make sure the contract includes everything you want from the vendor. 

Meals for Vendors 

Some vendors may have a contract that requires you to provide them with a meal. This is because they will be working for many hours and are unable to leave the venue to eat. Many catering vendors have a vendor menu that you can choose from. When you give your caterer the final guest headcount, provide them with a vendor headcount for these meals. Generally, you must provide meals for the videographer, photographer, wedding planner, band, DJ, and any assistance these vendors have with them. 

Time Management

Once you have chosen a vendor, sign their contract and pay the required deposit. The sooner you do this, the sooner you lock in your preferred vendor. That way, you don’t risk another engaged couple hiring your first-choice vendor before you. 

Check-in with your hired vendors in the weeks and days leading up to your wedding date. Confirm the key information with them, such as time, location, and service. The day before or morning of the event, provide all vendors with a timeline of the day's events and the point person’s contact information. 

Remember that some vendors will show up before the event to set up, others will show up at the start of or during the event, and finally, some vendors will stay after the event to clean up and take down decorations. For the vendors working for the entire or majority of the event, you will need to provide meals and breaks. Ensure these are included in your wedding timeline. 

Vendor Tipping Protocol

If your vendors do a great job, show them some love by giving them a tip. Check your contract first, as some vendors build gratuity into their contracts. These are some general guidelines for tipping protocols for different vendors. 

• Wedding Planner- 15-20%
• Photographer/videographer- $50-$250 
• Band- $25-$50 per member 
• Hairstylist/makeup artist- 15-20% 
• DJ- $5-$150 
• Delivery and setup staff- 10-50% per person 
• Waitstaff and bartenders- 15-20% of food and drink fee 
• Transportation company- 15-20% 
• Officiant- $100-$500 
• Parking attendants- $1-$5 per car 
• Cake BAker-$50-$100 
• Ceremony musicians- $15-$50 per musician 
• Florist- $50-$200

Treat Your Wedding Vendors Right 

When you work with New Ulm wedding venues, many will give you a list of vendors they regularly work with. These vendors are a great place to start because they already have a strong working relationship with the venue. This makes the planning process and wedding day coordination much simpler. At The Vine, we help couples create their fantasy wedding by working with the top wedding vendors in the area. 

Take a tour of The Vine today and start planning your dream wedding.