The Ultimate Checklist of Must Have Wedding Vendors

When it comes to planning a wedding choosing all of your wedding vendors is one of the most important tasks. But, how many wedding vendors are really necessary? Which vendors are the most important and which ones can you skip if you’re trying to save money on your wedding? How do you go about booking vendors for your wedding? In this post I will share with you the ultimate wedding vendor checklist as well as some tips and tricks to make booking your wedding vendors go smoothly.

This post may contain affiliate links that I receive a commission from if you purchase and item through the link. This is at no expense to you. I only promote products and services that I have personally tried and truly enjoy. You can see my full disclosure here.

Where Do I Look For Wedding Vendors?

Of course finding wedding vendors is much easier now with the internet. Google is your best friend. One specific site that I really enjoyed using in planning my own wedding was The Knot. I have talked about this website before in my wedding registry guide post as well as my post on how to budget a wedding for $10,000 or less. Needless to say, I really love this wedding planning resource.

How can The Knot help you with choosing wedding vendors? Wedding planning is made simple within their site. It is basically a wedding planning binder inside your phone or computer, and they have a list of all the different types of wedding vendors that are in your area. You can communicate with a lot of the available vendors directly through the app or site, and see all their information, pricing range, and reviews.

Of course you can also just google wedding vendors in your area if you aren’t finding what you need! Facebook groups that pertain to your local area, or the area you are getting married, are also a really great resource when it comes to finding vendors. Wedding vendors that might not have their business listed on Google, but are still really good options, are often on social media and might even be suggested by someone who has had a positive experience with them!

What Wedding Vendors Do I Need to Consider?

Wedding Planner

If a wedding planner is a vendor you are interested in booking, than they should be at the top of your priority list. A wedding planner is going to help you with the rest of the planning, so it makes sense to get them on board as quickly as possible.

Wedding Venue

The next wedding vendor you will want to quickly get booked is the venue or venues you want. Venues get booked up incredibly quickly especially during wedding season, so if you have your heart set on one specific venue it would be good to be flexible with your wedding day date. If you find that your venue is booked all of the times you want, consider having your wedding midweek. They are likely to have more available times and possibly a discounted price.

Wedding Photographer

Another very important wedding vendor is your wedding photographer. They capture one of the most special moments of your life so you have those memories to look back on forever. Make sure to check out potential wedding photographers portfolios and make sure you like their photography and editing style.

Wedding Videographer

Some couples want their wedding documented as a video as well as have photographs. If this is something you want for your wedding day then one of the wedding vendors you will need is a videographer. Just like your photographer, make sure to do lots of research and look at possible videographers previous projects to make sure they are the right fit!

Caterer

If you’re planning on serving any type of food at your wedding you will most likely need a caterer. It can take time to find a caterer that’s available and also to finalize menu details so don’t put off finding this wedding vendor for long.

Wedding Cake Maker

Sticking along the lines of food, another wedding vendor you may need is your wedding cake baker and decorator. If your catering company is also providing you with a cake then you won’t have to worry about this. However, if you are searching for cake baker then make sure to consider several options and go cake taste testing so you know that you’ll love your wedding cake!

Florist

If you are having fresh flower bouquets and other floral decorations then you are going to need a florist. It is important to start thinking about flowers early on in the wedding planning so that you know which flowers are in season during the time of your wedding! This is also an important decision because it ties in to your decor and wedding colors.

Officiant

Whoever you are planning on having officiate your wedding should be given as much notice as possible so that they can also prepare, so make sure to line up your wedding officiant as soon as you can.

Hair Stylist and Makeup Arist

If you want your wedding day hair to be professionally done then you are going to need to book a hair stylist. If your usual stylist does wedding hair then I recommend considering them because you will already know them and their quality of work. You will also need to line up a makeup artist if you want your makeup done professionally .

Rental Companies

Depending on what your venue provides you with you may need to find a rental company for tables, chairs, decorations, sound equipment, and more. You may also need to rent dinnerware if your caterer doesn’t provide it.

Live Music or DJ

Another wedding vendor you will need to book is the entertainment and music, whether that be a DJ or a band playing live music.

Seamstress

It is likely that your wedding day outfits will need alterations, and these can take some time so you will want to get a seamstress lined up relatively soon. This will give you time to make any adjustments you need without being stressed about the time limit.

Jeweler

This is a wedding vendor that you will need to think about before the wedding day, that way the wedding bands will be correctly sized, polished, and perfect for the big day!

Hotel Contact

If a lot of guests will be traveling to attend your wedding then you may need to set up a hotel block for them. It is helpful to have a contact at the hotel that your guests can get in touch with if needed.

Transportation

If it is necessary to provide transportation to your wedding then that is something you will want to get lined up early on so that guests have time to prepare and there won’t be any confusion.

Wedding Favors

If you choose to provide guests with wedding favors then you will need to find a vendor to make the favors that you would like. This can take time and you want to order them a ways ahead of time in case of any issues that arise or adjustments that need to be made.

Rehearsal Dinner Location and Caterer

After the wedding rehearsal many couples have a dinner with their close family and wedding party. Often times this can be held at a restaurant that has a private room for events, but they will need some notice so make sure to not leave this until last minute.

I hope this list of wedding vendors helps make planning you wedding a little easier! Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed this post and want more wedding planning content then don’t forget to subscribe to be notified of new posts!