Trust Your Gut

As I'm nearing my one-year engage-aversary, it's fun to look back at my own planning evolution.  When I started planning this shindig, I had no effin' clue about well, anything.  I remember browsing through The Knot feeling totally lost and wondering how on earth I was ever going to be able to come to a decision about anything,especially vendors.

I think I've learned a lot over the past year and I'd like to offer up my best piece of advice for those bride-to-be's who are just starting out on their fun-filled (and I use that term very, very loosely) planning adventure:  Trust your gut.

Trust your yourself to make the right decisions and don't decide anything based on other people's opinions unless you agree with them.  Only you know what works for you and your fiance

It's hard to figure out who is the right vendor for you.  It's easy to constantly worry over every little decision.Will this photographer capture the essence of my wedding better than this one? Will this caterer come through with food that people will actually want to eat? Will these pomanders make my butt look big?

Ok, fine, I was kidding (sort of) about the last one but you get what I mean.  I know that when I started researching vendors, I was totally overwhelmed and unsure of how to go about picking one.  I was anxious because I kept worrying that I would pick the wrong one, someone who would leave me with a disaster story that would be funny in about 20 years but that would be pretty upsetting on the day of the wedding.

Which is why, again, I say to you all: Trust your gut.  If a vendor isn't making you feel 100% comfortable with your choice, then don't book him or her.  Listen to those nagging voices in your head and figure out what exactly isn't sitting right with you.

I believe I can honestly say that all of my "major player" vendors left me  confident in their abilities and have left zero doubt in my mind as to whether they were right for the job.  It took a long time to finally have everyone booked and I even came dangerously close to signing contracts with a few that I wasn't fully comfortable with just because I wanted to have one more thing checked off my to-do list.

When booking vendors and making major decisions regarding your wedding, your instincts will be your best guide.  You can read reviews up the wazooo, see brilliant examples of their work online but if you meet with a vendor and the alarm bells go off, keep looking 'cuz they are not right for you.

I hope this helps some of you out there who are in the process of booking your vendors.  Be patient and wait for the one that you know is right for you and your wedding and good luck!

What's your best piece of advice for booking vendors?