So, you’re finally planning your wedding. How exciting!

You research a few wedding vendors…a few more. And eventually, you find the wedding vendors who are the perfect fit for your budget and your personality, and book them. YES! Signed & sealed.

But there is one thing you’re forgetting to do – getting in touch with all the other vendors who took time out to speak to you, meet with you, offer you recommendations, advice – maybe, even paid for the drinks you ordered during the complimentary wedding consultations? Can we talk about it?

1. It is okay to tell us.

Please understand that declining a vendor does not make you a bad person. Neither does it make us resentful. However, choosing to “ghost” a wedding professional who has put in the effort to meet with you [and prepare an invoice or proposal for you] is not a very nice thing to do. I say this from a kind place. Instead, please get in touch and let them know you’ve chosen someone else.

2. Do tell us why.

Letting a vendor know why you chose to go with someone else makes you a STAR!

You see, many small business owners struggle to conduct proper market research to help run their businesses more effectively. So your feedback is literally gold dust for many of us.

3. Please be specific.

If it’s not too much to ask, please tell the vendor what the deciding factor was for you. If they took too long to send you a quote, tell them so they can do better. If the quote was above your budget, tell them. Perhaps, they may be able to put together other lower priced options to better their chances in future.

Whatever you do, take a moment to write back. And if you’re unsure what to say, here’s an example:

Dear [vendor name], thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us last week. I wanted to write back and let you know we have chosen to go with a different vendor who is a better fit for our budget. We sincerely appreciate your time and willingness to work with us. Here’s wishing you and xyz photography the very best.

REGARDS, GLORIA BUCKMAN YANKSON

I hope you found this helpful. If you have other topics you would like us to cover, please let me know. 

Have a brilliant week ahead and stay topped up!

Your Event Planning BFF,

Gloria.