Avoiding vendor red flags is easy if you follow these simple steps.

We believe that wedding planning should be as fun and stress-free as possible. The best way to begin that process is to only hire professionals you trust. We know that it sounds obvious. Some couples end up regretting their vendor choices before the big day. Or worse, they have unsatisfactory service on the big day or even after all is said and done. Always consult your wedding planner. They often have a lengthly list of vetted and trusted vendors. These vendors will make your day as beautiful as you imagine it to be. Don’t have a planner? Avoid one of these horror stories of your own. Keep an eye out for the following vendor red flags when hiring wedding vendors.

Here’s a quick roundup of vendor red flags to keep an eye out for:

• Poor Communication
• No Reviews
• An Outdated Website
• Pricing is Too Good To Be True
• No Full Galleries of Their Work
• Uneducated About the Industry
• No Licensing or Insurance
• They Don’t Listen
• Poor Reputation Within the Industry
• No Paper Trail
• Difficult to Understand Contract/No Contract At All
• The Feeling in Your Gut

Vendor Red Flag #1

Poor Communication

If your vendors don’t return calls, texts or emails promptly. Or they aren’t great communicators even before you sign a contract. The chances are that won’t change after you’ve signed on the dotted line and given them your deposit. If a vendor doesn’t get back to you within 48 hours max, cross them off the list.

Vendor Red Flag #2

No Reviews

If you can’t find much about them online this is a big vendor red flag. If the only thing you can find are negative reviews walk away. Most wedding vendors have some sort of online presence these days. Even an amateur DJ should have a Facebook business page where people can leave reviews. If they don’t have a website. Or the website looks old and outdated. You may want to consider how committed they are to their business. If there aren’t any reviews of their services online, you will want to ask them why. And if all you can find are negative reviews, you should question this as well.

Vendor Red Flag #3

Outdated Website

Professionals should be keeping their website up-to-date for many reasons. First, a seriously out-of-date website can be a sign that a vendor is no longer providing services. This isn’t great news for you. Second, it’s important that you are seeing the latest work from that professional. Their style may have slightly changed since they last updated their site. A professional’s website helps you set a certain level of expectations about them and their work. The hope is that these expectations are based on what is current and not what used to be.

Vendor Red Flag #4

Prices that are too good to be true

If prices are much lower than their competitors’ it may be a tempting offer. It should be a vendor red flag. Maybe they use subpar products or questionable staff. Whatever the case, anything outside of the industry standard in your area should be questioned.

Vendor Red Flag #5

No Full Galleries of Their Work

When it comes to hiring your wedding photographer, be sure to request full galleries of their work. You want to truly get a sense of how they capture an entire wedding day. You nee a variety of settings from the ceremony through the reception. Just because a professional produces beautiful work on Instagram doesn’t mean that they will have consistent coverage throughout a wedding.

You should feel confident that that you are hiring someone who will provide the same attention to detail to their photos as they would on candid photos. You want just as high quality of Grandma enjoying your reception as the images they post on Instagram. Non-photographers may not have full galleries of their work to show. It’s still important to have access to a more in-depth look at their work than what social posts can provide. For instance, the florist. What does their full wedding design look like versus weddings where they only designed the bridal bouquet? Remember, you aren’t asking too much of vendors to see more of their work before making your decision!

Vendor Red Flag #6

Uneducated About the Industry

If they can’t answer questions about the wedding industry. Or if they are unsure about what permits need to be obtained or filed. This is a sign of inexperience and definitely a vendor red flag. You want someone who can tell you what others have done. And then walk you through exactly what you — and the vendor — will need to do to. You want to make sure they can ensure that everything goes smoothly. That it is up to industry standards and codes so there aren’t any costly surprises that come up later.

Vendor Red Flag #7

No Licensing or Insurance

If they can’t provide required documents upon request such as their business license. Or other things like insurance or a liquor license which are required for certain vendors. Or if they don’t want to show you proof of these documents, don’t risk it.

Vendor Red Flag #8

They Don’t Listen to You

If they aren’t interested in hearing your preferences and working with you. Ask yourself. Is this really someone you want to be in charge of a significant part of your wedding day?

Vendor Red Flag #9

Poor Reputation Within the Industry

If other vendors, or previous clients, speak negatively of them, listen. Let’s say you’ve decided on your reception venue and you’re talking to your coordinator about caterers. If he or she tells you to steer clear of a certain vendor, take this into consideration! If you hear stories around town about “so-and-so worked with that photographer. They had to wait eight months to get photos back…”. Think carefully before moving forward.

Vendor Red Flag #10

No Paper Trail

You can only pay in cash. A discount for paying in cash is one thing. But if the ONLY way a vendor lets you pay is in cash (e.g., they don’t want the paper trail). This should be a huge red flag to you. If they aren’t filing taxes, they aren’t a legitimate business.

Vendor Red Flag #11

Difficult to Understand Contract/No Contract At All

If their contract is hard to understand. Or if it’s so vague that you can barely tell what day or time they are agreeing to provide their services. Or it has so much fine print about additional (hidden) costs that your head is spinning you should definitely reconsider. Either way, if you can’t have it explained to you in plain English, ask an attorney to review the contract before signing anything.

Vendor Red Flag #12

The Feeling in Your Gut

Something just doesn’t feel right. When you finally meet this person (and make sure you do meet face-to-face with all vendors) and you just get a strange vibe from him or her, pay attention to it. We know it might sound a little silly, but you should always trust your gut. If you’re questioning whether this person is going to be reliable or trustworthy …. don’t settle!

Some of our favorite vendors to work with are….

Ivory Door Studio, Larson Floral Co., Choice DJs, Katelin Hayes Desserts and Chef Penelope’s Catering.