How do you coordinate with Vendors living in a different state // Destination Wedding Blog

Planning a destination wedding can be both thrilling and stressful. On the flip side, you still have to navigate out of state wedding vendors but with a little bit more planning and coordination, it can be done! So to make sure your wedding daydream doesn’t turn into a nightmare, we’ve cultivated the ultimate guide on how you can collaborate with your vendors from afar.

1. Start Early and Plan Ahead

The most important thing to keep in check when planning a destination wedding is time. Start looking for your vendors with at least 12 to 18 months in advance of the day you have chosen. This allows you to haggle your way around in terms of research, communication and making the right professionals comfortable.

Research Local Vendors

A hint to contracts and deposits – do your due diligence beforehand by researching potential wedding vendors in your destination! Find a vendor who is familiar with destination weddings and most likely out-of-state. Look for reviews, word-of-mouth recommendations and browse social media including Instagram or Pinterest to see real wedding photos and videos in your area.

Build a Vendor Priority List

Chances are you will have a florist, photographer, caterer, musician and others on your wedding day. Make a vendor hot sheet that has all the information you need on vendors such as their contact info, what services they offer and how much it’ll cost. Early organising of this information is crucial to furthering communications and making decisions.

2. Use technology for communication

Technology is your friend when it comes to dealing with out of state vendors. There are a lot of tools to keep in touch, exchange ideas and make sure everyone knows the deal (notice how smooth I am?)

Video calls and Over the Zoom meetings

You will not be able to meet all the vendors in person, but skype calls are always an alternative. Organise meetings over skype, facetime with your top favourite vendors and chat to them about your vision. Ask lots of questions but also try to get on well with the person too. With the help of tools like Zoom,Google Meet, Skype it is easy to stay updated with your network across any distance.

Use Collaborative Tools

If you are working with multiple vendors, tools like Google Drive Dropbox and Trello may be useful. These are all platforms where you can save documents, inspo boards and contracts etc. for your wedding day! For example, you can use Trello as a project management tool to create boards for each vendor that track tasks and deadlines.

Create a Wedding Website

A wedding website acts as not only an information centre for your guests, but serves as a valuable tool to help you keep in contact with vendors. Vendor contact info: This is also a great place to store an inventory of vendor phone numbers, share itineraries and even post logistical details for the big day. Services such as The Knot or Zola offer some really handy templates, which make it easier to communicate with vendors and guests.

3. Establish Clear Contracts

Just make sure when working with out of state vendors that you have contracts in place. It protects both the service provider and the client by defining what services will be provided, as well as expectations and deadlines. Review all contracts with care before you sign and ask questions if something is unsure

Key Contract Elements

Your agreement should be something of the following:

Scope of work: The specific services that the vendor will provide.

When final decisions must be madeDeadlines for vendors to arrive on location,..etc

Payment terms: Detail any money to be paid upfront, payment schedules and penalties for non-payment or cancellations.

We are based in Johannesburg, but travel all over Africa and abroad at the request of customers. We will need a minimum 12 weeks for weddings outside the South to secure flights & accommodation.

Writing everything down will avoid any misunderstandings or surprises at the last moment.

4. Book Site Visits or Outsource Great Local Help

Sure, it might not be an option every time but try to schedule a Site Visit before your wedding so that you can finalise the things with vendors and their logistics. If you are unable to check out the place, then think about hiring a local wedding planner or even have an individual (a friend/family) visit on your behalf.

Hire a Local Wedding Planner

A wedding planner — local to the region of your chosen destination is an absolute treasure. They know the land, have worked with local resources and can offer you some advice to steer clear of disappointment. They can also act as your agent to meet with the vendors in person when you cannot.

Rely on Friends or Family

If hiring a planner is out of the question, look to friends or family that live nearby and see if those you trust can take on some responsibility. They can go check out sites, do tasting and meet with the vendors etc. for you and give feedback

5. Use a Comprehensive Timeline to Keep Organized

Any bride will tell you that a wedding timeline is the most important part of planning her day, but when you’re working with vendors long-distance it is everything. Plan for the weeks (and wedding day) with your vendors.

Pre-Wedding Timeline

When planning your pre-wedding timeline, consider the following milestones:

When deposits are due.

This is when the major life affecting decisions need to be made regarding floral arrangements, catering menus and photography packages.

When do you need to share your final guest count/itinerary with vendors?

Wedding Day Timeline

Craft a full schedule for your wedding day, complete with info on when vendors will show up, how setup is timing out and the major moments (ceremony start time; reception lineups). Distribute this timeline to all your vendors so that everyone is aware of it.

6. Communication Is Key

It is important to communicate with your vendors regularly when working remotely. Be sure to keep in contact; as the wedding day gets closer you will want to meet up at least monthly.

Use Email for Documentation

Use phone calls or video meetings for having discussions but make sure that everything important will be written out in an email. Resulting the discussion in writing is important to prevent any misunderstanding from happening.

Follow Up Regularly

It is also a good practice to follow up with vendors periodically and stay apprised of progress. A monthly check-in along the way is just enough while with more in contact as we dance closer to their wedding day via email and even a phone call here or there.

7. AM: How to Go with the Flow and Expecting No Extra Print AM: Be Ready for an Unexpected Break See Essay »

Destination weddings bring their own unique set of unexpected challenges: like weather delays, travel issues and last-minute vendor substitutions. This will often be necessary when you’re out of state vendors are to deliver goods or provide services. Expect the unexpected and make sure that some elements of your big day have a discrete second-tier procedure in place.

Backup Plans for Vendors

Vendors such as photographers or florists inquire about their contingency plans if they are incapacitated (due to sickness/health emergencies) and cannot fulfil your commitments. There are even vendors that come equipped with associates/transcribers/web developers/etc. who can fill in!

Weather Contingencies

Outdoor weddings have a higher risk when it comes to weather impacting your big day. With your vendors, check that there will not be additional or exterior expenses for relocated florists to indoor spaces and also consider the new logistical challenges of moving everything from one vendor booth to another.

Conclusion

Planning a destination wedding and working with out-of-state vendors can be daunting, but by staying organised and communicative you can plan your big day to go off without a hitch. Get going early, leverage technology to support you and be prepared for obstacles along the way. With these steps, you will be well-prepared to say your i do’s at a stunning destination ceremony.

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