Favorite Online Wedding Resources

Just dropping in again! I'm having major computer issues right now and with Christmas right around the corner (and lots of sales at Best Buy) I'm trying to control my urges to get a new blogging device..er, computer!

I was putzing about on The Knot message boards today and I saw an old old old post (ok like 3 months old) about favorite online forums and sites for wedding resources. One bride listed the DC Knottie Vendor reviews and another bride responded saying she had never seen the page! My response: Whhhaaaaa???

But I forget sometimes that I too was once a naive bride, unknowing in the ways of DC vendor reviews, Knottie bios and boards, etc. So I wanted to share a few of my favorites and ask you to share yours in the comments section!

• DC Knottie Vendor Reviews-One of my favorites! This one was particularly invaluable to me when we first started searching for venues because I could see venues that REAL local brides used, what brides thought of the venues, and what type of wedding they had there. Along with the information from the venues themselves, DCKVR really helped Mr. Fairfax and I narrow our list down to just a handful of places we knew it would be worth our time to visit. I have continued to use it as I've looked for other vendors. I'm not sure how often it's updated or how frequently brides add their bios, but most of the reviews are less than 2 years old.
  
• Wedding Wire-One of my married friends tipped me off about Wedding Wire. Personally, I prefer this site to others for searching for any and all vendors available for a particular service. It's a search-able database where you can look up vendors by type (florist, baker, etc) or name. You also type in your zip code so the search returns vendors near your location. Brides are also able to review vendors, but only AFTER using them, so the reviews are from actual customers, not people who "heard" this vendor was "great." The listings are simple, straight-forward and provide information without confusing fluff! I found my photographer and my florist using Wedding Wire.
  
• Indie Bride Kvetch Boards- Love this! Mostly because it's very very VERY easy to search. These are real brides sharing information about all things wedding-related (and some things non-wedding related) with each other. If you're a do-it-yourself-er, definitely check this out as there are lots of crafty chicks on these boards. When we briefly considered getting married in the Outer Banks, this was my #1 source for info because it was one of the only sites I found where I could do a search for "outer banks" and return usable information and real advice from other brides. One of my favorite features are the "Repository" posts where brides share all information on a particular topic. Right now, since I've got invitations on the brain, I'm really into the Invitation Repository where people have shared photos of their invites. There's also a wording repository if you're looking for unique ideas for invitation wording. This board also has a community-oriented, happy-go-lucky vibe, and did I mention it's REALLY easy to search?

What are you favorite wedding resources online? Uh, and if anyone has an advice for how to search for Knottie Bios on The Knot, I'd love to hear it...I still can't figure that out!

6 Months from Saturday?!

Hello, All. After fulfilling my BM duties at a friend's wedding last weekend, I've now been able to focus on my own upcoming nuptials. FI and I realized that our wedding is only 6 months from Saturday! OMG! During the course of our engagement, we've made a good amount of progress, but there is still much to be done. So far we've contracted with just about all of our wedding vendors.

Flowers - Strange's Florist

Bridal Gown - Bella Rosa Bridal

Bridesmaids Attire - RK Bridal and The Columbia Bridal Boutique, design by Alfred Angelo

Bridal Party Makeup - MAC

Attendants' Tuxes - MW Tux

Cake - Cakes by Graham

Wedding Planning - Holy Matrimony, Inc.

Venue - Virginia Crossings Resort

Photography, DJ, Videography - The Pros

Groom's Tux - TBD, but likely to be Sarno & Sons. (Thanks Terry!)

Invitations - TBD

We still have lots of odds and ends to take care of, but I'm certain that we can get it all done. I'm trying to be as strategic as possible, and we plan to purchase all attendants' and family gifts during the upcoming holiday sales. We're taking engagement pics next month (more about that soon). My other upcoming tasks involve purchasing my accessories, program supplies, making honeymoon reservations, sending save-the-dates and deciding on invitations. I'm excited to get it all done. The pressure is definitely on. Out of all my friends, linesisters, family members, and co-workers, I am the next to get married, and everyone keeps reminding me!

Checking Vendor References

Dilbert by Scott Adams via www.stangbangers.com

When I read Miss Cream Puff's post over on Weddingbee the other day about having to break-up with her photographer, I let out a little sigh of relief that I've been checking vendor references all along.

There are scads of articles, threads, posts, etc. out there in wedding-planning-land with great suggestions on what to ask when interviewing potential vendors. I've been using the "What to Ask" Printable Checklists on Real Simple Weddings and they're an excellent guide. However, I haven't seem many resources for collecting references for vendors.

My thought is, in the regular working world you wouldn't hire someone to work for you without checking their references first, so why hire a vendor without checking references?

Thus far, Mr. Fairfax and I have our venue, caterer and photographer contracted and I've checked (or attempted to check) references for each one. Most wedding professionals should be able to provide you with a list of 2-3 couples they have worked with who are willing to act as references. One caveat, the Mr. and I did find in our brief experience that if a venue "moonlights" as a wedding reception hall (i.e. if your venue is really a historic home, that does weddings versus a wedding venue that happens to be a historic home), they are less likely to have references available. But hey, you've always got the The Knot and Wedding Wire to do a very informal check.

I've listed a couple of my standard reference questions below that are generic enough to apply to most vendors.

• How many people did you have at your wedding and what type (indoor, outdoor, formal, casual, etc) of ceremony and reception did you have?

• Who else did you consider and what made you choose [vendor]?

• How was communicating with [vendor]? Did you feel that they were responsive to your e-mails/calls? Was the level of responsiveness consistent throughout the time leading up to your wedding? What about after the wedding?
  

• How flexible/open was [vendor] to changes in your contract once the contract was signed?

• Were there any charges on your bill that came as a surprise or were added at the last minute?

• How would you rate the [vendor's] professionalism, level of service, etc.?

• How would you rate [vendor's] cooperation with your other vendors? Did they facilitate coordination and help everything run smoothly? Were they problematic for your other vendors?

• What do you wish you had discussed with [vendor] prior to the wedding that you did not?

• In hindsight is there anything you would have done differently? Picked another [vendor]? Stipulated a few specific items in the contract, etc?

AND THE MILLION DOLLAR REFERENCE QUESTION:

• If your best friend were getting married, would you recommend [vendor] to her? Would you have any hesitation or reservations about recommending [vendor]?

For us, these questions accomplished a two big things: 1) We knew we would feel more confident about our vendor choices if we got solid references. A reference check can help avoid situations like poor Miss Cream Puff's. 2) We would know our vendors better. Generic example of #2: one reference I got for a vendor mentioned the vendor is MUCH more responsive to phone calls than e-mail. Had I decided to use that vendor I would have been a savvy consumer armed with information about my vendor, rather than a frazzled bride who can't figure out why my vendor won't respond quickly to my e-mails!

I have other caterer/photographer/venue specific questions I'm happy to share if you shoot me an e-mail at fairfaxmiss@gmail.com.

Did you do a reference check on your vendors? What questions did you ask?