Shot while second shooting for Savannah Smith Photography | savannahsmithphotography.com
Happy Wednesday, friends! I chatted about this a bit on stories, but part of my goals for 2019, I will be sharing more tips, tricks & helpful posts on the blog. My hope is that these posts will be a source of encouragement for you as you walk through such an exciting season! But even more than that, I hope they answer your questions, ease your anxiety and help you to get MORE from your wedding experience.
Today’s post was actually born from a question that I got in my Bride’s group! For those of you that didn’t know, I have an exclusive Facebook Community for my CKP Brides. In the group, everyone is able to connect with me and with other brides that have already or are currently walking through the wedding planning process.
I always brag about how amazing my clients are, but it is true! My clients really are some of the kindest humans that think of EVERYTHING! One of my brides recently asked how they can best help me prepare for their wedding date. Ok guys, can we talk about sweet?! I love this question not only because it gives me a chance to chat about something that I believe is so important but because it means that they are thinking deep into their wedding planning process! I decided to do a FULL blog post on the question because it can be so beneficial to more people than just my brides! Are you ready to dive in?
The best way that you can help any wedding vendor is by communicating!
Yes… that is it! It really is that simple. There is no magic here y’all. The BEST possible way that you can help out any of your vendors is by communicating with them throughout your planning process. Have a question, something you are excited about? Maybe you’ve gotten stuck somewhere in your planning? Hop on email and contact the appropriate vendor or vendors! Feeling unsure about your timeline or how to prepare your family for your family portrait time? Ask for help. You are not meant to take on wedding planning alone. Receive an email from a vendor about timeline prep or family lists or a simple question? Fire off a response as soon as you can! Please know that your vendor team is there to help YOU plan a day that you love.
My brides are so amazing at communicating details to me, and I am always so grateful for that! It makes such a difference when I arrive to a wedding, knowing just what to expect! As a bonus, it allows me to get to know my couples and their vision even better BEFORE their wedding.
Each vendor has their own way of communicating with their clients, but my favorite means of communication is email. I have a specific way of handling my inbox that ensures everything is cataloged and replied to! When things are sent to me via text and Instagram DMs, there is a higher chance that our conversation could get lost or that I could read something when I won’t be able to devote my full attention to its reply. Sometimes there are exceptions to this rule (usually these involve personal questions or conversations!), but for the most part, I prefer email for official business!
Now… with that being said, do keep in mind that your vendors have a life outside of their business! (just like you have a life outside of wedding planning!) If you send an email and do not receive a reply right away, don’t be discouraged! Know that your email IS important to your team, and they will get back to you when they can!
One last thing:
I can’t emphasize how important it is that you send ALL of your vendors a copy of the timeline before your wedding if you do not have a planner or coordinator taking care of this. Once you have things locked down, don’t be shy about sending your vendors an email a few weeks ahead of your date with your timeline details! As a wedding vendor, I always appreciate when everyone is running on the same timeline. Sending everyone the same day of timeline ensures that there is no confusion with when certain events are happening. Believe it or not, I have been to weddings where there were close to 4 different vendor timelines in use! Don’t let that be your day… send out the official timeline to your vendors before your wedding date.
Everywhere you can find me online:
Finally… just in case you wanted to get in touch with me, here are all of the places that you can connect with me online!
Email: caity@caitkramer.com
Instagram: @caitkramer
Facebook: Cait Kramer Photography
Pinterest: Cait Kramer
Google: Cait Kramer Photography
Have a question about today’s post or something else that you would like to see on the blog? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
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