// NO WEDDING REGRETS // Supplier Relationships

Supplier Relationships 

You may be wondering why I would cover ‘supplier relationships’ as my 7th blog, it sounds like too broad a subject to cover! The thing is, sourcing (and securing) suppliers is all well and good; getting what you want from them is another thing entirely!



But surely I get what I pay for?

In reality, your relationship with your suppliers has got to be strong, honest and friendly. You want these people to look after you, fuss you, worry for you and ensure that they do everything in their power to make your day smooth-sailing. Put yourself in their place: do you think that bride A (the bride that simply books, ticks boxes and turns up on the day), bride B (Bridezilla that DEMANDS things and strops at them) and bride C (that they feel they have a relationship with and have almost become friends with) will receive identical treatment? That’s my point!

Naively, most people assume that suppliers offer a straightforward service with a standard price list and that you can’t go far wrong with your choices. Let’s face it, if it were that simple this would be a very short blog!

Whatever line of work you’re in, you know that when dealing with clients/customers you have a little leeway on certain things: it’s down to your discretion to refuse or accept a return or to hurry an order through when it has missed its deadline. Your suppliers are no different: treat them with respect and establish a relationship with them and it will be like having an old friend looking out for you on your big day... who wouldn’t prefer that?



When you say leeway, ...?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking about hidden discounts that only go to ‘nice brides’ or free champagne for the sweetest couple, it’s about showing them your true personality so that they see you as someone that they couldn’t let down: your name on a message should make them smile not sigh or cringe!



But what if I’m not happy with them?

There is a fine line between being friendly and seeming like a pushover: I’m not suggesting the latter at all! As you’ll know from my other blogs, I’m all about getting what you want and deserve! If your supplier isn’t pulling their weight then address it by all means, just make sure that, once resolved, this person is still going to care about the service that they provide for you. On your big day, when you look around at all the people that you love (and the others!!!), wouldn’t it be nice to feel that the room is full of people that have your best interests at heart?

// NO WEDDING REGRETS // Photo Copyright

Photo Copyright

OK, so for many of you, you have already agreed on a package with your photographer and paid your deposit. Luckily, this doesn’t mean that you can’t renegotiate a few of the terms! GOOD photographers (or good suppliers of any kind) are willing to go the extra mile to make you happy and give you, their customer, exactly what you want for your big day. Picture copyright can cost you more initially but will definitely save you a fortune in the long run...

“We have an album included anyway so why do we need the copyright?”

First of all, copyright is always ‘owned’ by the photographer. What I’m talking about here is permission to print and use these pictures (for personal use) without paying the photographer again and again. If you think of all of the prints that your family will end up paying for and, more importantly, all of the pictures you’ll never see again once you’ve chosen your album shots, it’s simply heartbreaking!

“Why do you think it’s so important?”

As well as the fact that I wanted to have ALL of the good pictures that were taken on my day (not just a set amount,) another important factor for me was the internet. Whether you have a wedding website or just use Facebook regularly, it is fantastic to be able to share your pictures with your friends and family after the wedding has come and gone. If all you have included in your package is your album then the only thing you can do is show your house guests (and even then you’ll be asking them to be careful where they touch it as it’s your only copy!)

If you have the copyright then you can burn a few CDs of the best 100 or so images and give them to each side of the family: it is then THEIR choice which pictures they have (and in which sizes), whether they’re black and white or colour, what kind of album they go for, etc. They simply have to take a letter of permission from your photographer to Jessops or Asda (or wherever) and pay for what they print. Imagine the savings!

“Will my photographer really allow this though?”

As I mentioned before, a good photographer will add a surcharge on top as they will, of course, be missing out on money that they would have earned from your reprints. This amount should not be extortionate and, in my case, was only around £150. For this I had high resolution pictures to keep forever and ever and everyone around the world could see my pictures. I have even made thank you cards and a special, personalised anniversary card using the pictures since then too.

As someone that likes to be in control, I simply don’t want to be told that I have to wave goodbye to the majority of my pictures after 1 viewing and that I can’t show everyone in the world what happened on my day! If your photographer refuses point blank (regardless of you offering a fee for the service) then my advice is to look for someone else! If you haven’t booked your photographer yet, make sure that this is one of the first questions that you ask!

// NO WEDDING REGRETS // No Video!

Video is key!

This may seem like a strange place to start for a blog on wedding advice: what about the planner, the venue and the other things that should come first!!? The thing is, a lot of you are getting married in the next few months so I felt it was important to get this off my chest early on: I don’t want you to miss out on this invaluable advice!

“But my budget won’t allow it and I AM having photos”

With all of the other “necessary” items on your checklist, a wedding video often gets disregarded or, at best, seen as a luxury that you just can’t afford. Let’s face it, you NEED photos, a car, a venue, a dress and so on, but a video can seem like just another expense. Photos are important – they really are – but they become one dimensional after so many views: they are just a flat, snapshot of a second in time. They don’t show body language, emotions or the atmosphere of your day. Let’s face it, you’ve spent enough money on it – why only enjoy it once?!

“Why do you think it’s so important?”

One thing I should clear up before I go any further is that I’m not promoting any video companies here! (In fact, I couldn’t even push the fantastic company that I used myself as they are based in London!) This advice is totally unbiased and coming straight from my heart: I attend so many weddings every year (have you SEEN Adam’s calendar!) and I really hate to see such special moments go by that aren’t captured for the couple to see again and again. The first dance, the speeches, the little looks that they give one another, the mother of the bride cuddling the groom, the little bridesmaid wandering around the gardens...these are all things that will have faded from memory within months without a video.

From my experience, I have watched my DVD hundreds of times (and I usually detest seeing myself on screen) and all of my friends and family have laughed and cried at it too. The Mum’s have even got copies to show off to their friends! In contrast, my Mum called the other day to say that she had found my wedding photo album in a box in her spare room. It had been there since the month we got married and none of us had noted its absence! That’s how unimportant that had become after the initial ‘wow’ of receiving it!

“Don’t friends and family always fear having to watch a wedding video?!”

It doesn’t have to be a boring 3 hour video of your entire day anymore: they can even put the best bits of the whole day in a montage to your first dance song so that your distant friends and relatives only have to sit through 4 minutes! Hardcore viewers can then opt to watch the whole thing as and when they want to!

When my Mum got her short cine film of her own wedding transferred to DVD a few years ago it was so emotional to watch: I had seen her wedding photos a million times and love them very much but it just seemed like a man and woman that I didn’t know in them. Watching her video, seeing that their mannerisms are the same now, seeing my Grandma as a young mother of the groom, seeing the way they looked at one another was just so surreal. I realised that I wanted my children to see my Dad look at me the way my Granddad looked at my Mum as he walked her down the aisle: that’s something that a photo would never give them.