As wedding planners, one of the most important parts of our job is to recommend vendors to meet the needs of our clients. It is a big reason event planners are hired in the first place, we have the connections and the knowledge of what vendors will fit best with our clients.

When referring wedding professionals to your clients, take time to determine if they are enhancing your brand or hurting it. The vendors you refer are a reflection of your business. If you hold all your client meetings in a beautiful office with refreshments and fresh cut flowers, but you send your clients to a makeup artist who holds consultations in her messy home with her children running around, that is not a good reflection of your business.

Not only should your recommendations fit within your client’s budgets, the vendors you refer should be an extension of the experience they are having with you as their event planner. They trust your expertise, taste and knowledge to guide them through the planning process. If you send them to vendors who do not align with the feel of your brand, it may make your clients question your expertise.

I personally think that as planners we are not only planning the wedding, we are providing an experience for the couples during the planning process. So, make sure that any vendors you bring into the process are enhancing the experience and reinforcing your credibility and expertise to your clients.

Today’s post is a guest post from Amber Peterson. Amber is the owner of Cheers Wedding & Event Planning in western Washington. She has a Masters Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and previously worked as a marketing consultant for wedding industry professionals. Amber is also the co-founder of the Skagit Wedding Society. 

photo credit: Jared Wilson Photography