You just booked your venue and secured your date. You are so excited you want to start planning other areas of the big day, but what comes next?

Securing your vendors is the next important thing besides you venue. Selecting the people that will be working alongside you during your celebration is so important, but can also be overwhelming. Do you choose a family member, a friend who has a business, or do you search the Internet, browsing millions of pages and looking for the right one? In the age of social media and time-consuming yelp reviews, it is hard to know which vendor is the right fit for you. Starting with your venue’s preferred vendor list is ideal, and here are a few reasons why:

They are the best representation of vendors in the local area

• To put a vendor on a preferred list means that particular vendor is not only great at what they do, but they are also licensed professionals who have the right insurances, and run their business with no nonsense. Venues are putting their seal of approval on these local professionals, so you can rest easy that they are the absolute BEST in their category.

They know the lay of the land

• Having a vendor that knows the ceremony site and ballroom inside- and-out is one of the most important aspects of your day. It means without a doubt that the vendor will bring the right equipment, have a great relationship with the staff, and know the setup and cleanup times. It also means less hassle, and fewer meetings, and fewer back-and-forth exchanges with vendors to go over things like timeline and the floor plan.

They know what is expected of them

• There is a special partnership between a venue and their preferred vendors, and it means that the preferred vendors will go above and beyond the call of duty because they don’t want to disappoint their venue by giving a bad customer experience. They know what is expected of them before, during, and after your big day, and they are going to ensure you have a wonderful experience with them.

They can sometimes give special pricing

• Preferred vendors love the venues they work with, and have a special relationship with them, so often times couples can receive complimentary items within that vendor’s package, or discounts off of their services.

Although most venues don’t require you to use their preferred vendors, it is highly recommended to at least start the process of selecting your vendors with your venue’s preferred list.

- Brooke Kelly is the Senior Private Event Sales Manager