So, the proposal is done. The date is set. The dream venue is now booked.
Now it's time to make your Wedding wants list, starting with
The Dress
The Suits
The Cars
The Photographer
The Videographer
The Favours
The Table and room décor
The DJ & entertainment
Now the real fun part begins – choosing your wedding suppliers!
When couples plan weddings up to 3 years in advance, how do you know who's good, who's bad?
You're putting down deposits - can you be confident that the supplier you choose will still be in business by the time your wedding day arrives?
How do you know the companies you choose will provide a great service?
You have searched through dozens of directories, blogs, Face Book pages and although you like the look of some services, how do you know they will live up to their promise?
Here's three pieces of great advice for you:
Recommendations are worth their weight in gold
Speak to family & friends who have recently got married. They have been there – bought the T Shirt and all.
Ask them who'd they'd recommend and why. Also find out whether they chose someone that they wouldn't have chosen in hindsight.
Don't put your faith in Facebook requests
There are now hundreds of Facebook groups dedicated to wedding planning.
Couple's ask for recommendations for certain goods and services and they are bombarded with adverts from businesses. These aren't true recommendations – these are mostly businesses trying to sell their services to you.
You will notice with Facebook that it is a real “race to the bottom” with suppliers all trying out do each other with fake special offers – Now ½ price, now £200 off!
Now we all like a bargain but the old adage, “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is” applies here in bucket loads.
Many companies that post in these groups have only recently started their business, they are often part time, uninsured and often unprofessional.
When starting to plan a wedding, couples can be bewildered by the choice and range of wedding businesses they come across.
You will also see featured and recommended suppliers listed in directories and magazines stating "we love, we recommend, our featured supplier is... etc" But what you may not know is that suppliers pay a premium to magazines and directories to get "Featured" "Approved" and "Recommended" in the majority of cases.
Check out My Wonderful Welsh Wedding – Home of The Wedding Guild of Wales
The Wedding Guild of Wales is now celebrating our 5th year.
We are wedding professionals ourselves, experienced and involved in the wedding industry in Wales for many years.
We wanted to create a place where brides can choose a supplier, safe in the knowledge that the main criteria for inclusion in the Guild is good old fashioned customer service backed up with a passion for providing quality products and services and conducting their business with integrity.
NONE of our members pay to join. It is totally free to those that qualify and we set that bar high:
Businesses must have been in business for THREE years
They must have a website
They must have insurance
They must be registered with HMRC
They must be recommended by THREE existing members who have worked with them a number of times
We genuinely have a passion for doing what is right by our customers - giving you wonderful suppliers that are GENUINELY recommended.
When you choose a supplier from the Guild, you know you will be choosing from some of the very best Wales has to offer. All businesses were hand picked from a group of suppliers that regularly work together at weddings and events.
Every member was selected for their experience, due care to customers, first class work ethic and just as important, business integrity.
They have indeed all EARNED recommendations, purely through building excellent reputations in their own right.
When booking any of the fabulous people from The Wedding Guild of Wales, you can trust your hard earned money is in safe, reliable, and professional hands.
We also work extremely well together because of the business relationships we have built over the years.
Our main objective is to help give you the wedding you want, no matter how intimate or grand the occasion.
We have a website that lists our members - browse through the categories and contact your supplier directly and discover the difference!
Have a look at our website and see for yourself.
The Wedding Guild of Wales operating under the banner My Wonderful Welsh Wedding also put on some wonderful wedding showcases working in partnership with some of the most prestigious venues in South Wales!
These include:
Hensol Castle, The Vale of Glamorgan
St David's Hotel, Cardiff Bay
Bryn Meadows Hotel, Golf & Spa, Ystrad Mynach
Llechwen Hall Hotel, Nelson
Glen yr Afon Hotel, Usk
The New House Country Hotel, Cardiff
The Coed Y Mwstwr Hotel, Bridgend
The Bear Hotel, Cowbridge
Come along and meet us and see for yourself the quality of our exhibitors – people to put your trust in.
Shop Carefully. Shop Wisely and have fun!
Www.mywonderfulwelshwedding.co.uk