Whatever you pictured or didn’t picture for your wedding, probably didn’t include the logistics of how to make that happen. You’ll need to put together a reliable crew if you’re not a professional event planner. It takes a village, as they say, which is why planning your wedding with local vendors is beneficial.
Just as buying locally is important, sourcing locally is high on the “to-do” list. Why? Because it promotes smaller towns and regions where weddings are held by keeping money in the local economy. Plus, with talented local vendors just a click away online in wedding planning tools and available nationwide, there’s no reason to skip local services. Read on to find out our reasons why you need to choose local wedding providers.
1. They save money and time for you
It goes without saying that by hiring local workers, you will likely save on costs. Choosing vendors who don’t have to travel means that you don’t have to pay travel fees, you don’t have to pay for accommodation and car hire. The last thing you want to do is lug around truckloads of furniture or rearrange things throughout the week before your wedding – it’s a lot of work.
Not only do you benefit from their location, but local vendors can help you get the best price from local suppliers. Because your vendor works with other suppliers in the same area, they can tell you what might be available and how to get little-known discounts along the way. For example, you think a bouquet of peonies is out of your price range, but your florist knows where to find farm-grown varieties that are not publicly available, and since he is a regular customer, he can get you the bouquet at a reasonable price.
And you don’t have to worry about vendors getting to your big day in time – local vendors can rock up to your wedding day, after a good night’s sleep and you know they’ll be ready to go!
2. They know the best suppliers
Stuck on a floral designer who can make your dream bouquet? Want to book a cake designer but aren’t sure where to look? Local wedding pros know the best local suppliers. They’ll be able to recommend vendors who can match exactly what you’re looking for. Not only that? They’ll be local themselves, so the decor, the styling, etc. will make the most of the local area. Plus, you’ll know they are good because they’ll have the extra tick of being recommended!
Say, a photographer who knows where to find the best offers on vintage furniture rentals, or an event organizer who knows which location will allow you to host an event 24 hours early, can all help you get things done more quickly than if you handled them on your own.
3. They know their areas
Local vendors live and breathe their local areas. They know the best spots for amazing photographs, and they know the place to get that beautiful edible bloom you so dream of for your wedding cake. They know that you have to leave ten minutes early on Saturdays to get to your venue because a cow-carrying truck always passes by. They know the best spot for sunset portraits. Local vendors know the ins and outs of the local area and that’s something you can only benefit from.
4. They know their venues
It can be honestly so tricky if a wedding pro has never worked at a venue before. There are always pitfalls and quirks that any venue has. By choosing a local wedding vendor, you’ll be working with someone who has probably worked at that venue hundreds of times before. They’ll know you need to bring in extra heating because it gets cold at night, that you can do stunning hanging installations, and that a sweetheart table works better than a full-length table.
How to make a convenient wedding seating chart (check https://planning.wedding) for guests, what furniture do you need to bring in, where you can host cocktail hour and place the chairs? This is where a local wedding pro’s expertise becomes your golden ticket to making the most of the space.
5. They know each other
Not only do local wedding vendors know the best suppliers, but they know each other. They toast champagne together at industry functions, they share lunches and dinners together – perhaps they’re even best buddies. When wedding vendors know each other, teamwork? It’s so. much. easier.
They’ll be familiar with each other’s working styles, their strengths, and their talents, and most of all they trust each other. That energy bounces around and makes for a fantastic end result.
6. They support the local community and environment
If you have ever lived in a small town, you’ll know the importance of driving the local economy. Supporting local vendors means that that money, that effort gets pushed back into the local economy. Local venues or ceremony locations, shops, produce, wedding flowers, wineries & distilleries, musicians, and trinkets for wedding favors – all that can help small towns survive, especially in a post-drought, bushfire, and post-COVID-19 world.
With less travel and having your wedding on-site and within close proximity to you, you’ll also have a clear benefit for the environment.
7. They help you to relax
You don’t have to stress over all the little things. With a qualified local vendor, you may unwind and take pleasure in the journey. According to an industry study, 96% of newlyweds going to plan weddings think the process is stressful, and most say they experience three or even more stress-related side effects.
In addition, your vendor is your advocate in organizing your wedding. As fun as it can be to discuss wedding preparations with loved ones, they will all have specific ideas about what you should do, and very strong ones. Your wedding providers will appreciate your vision and be happy to help you realize it, they never tire of talking about weddings.
Conclusion
There are no rules about how many or what type of vendors you need to make your wedding a success. It depends on your preference. The challenge is to find those you will work well with. There are wonderful resources that provide local vendors with the opportunity to showcase their work and make the search easier for local brides. Find what’s right for you.
No matter what style or size of wedding you have in mind, there are local vendors who will be happy to bring your vision to life!
