Vendor Overwhelmis.  Okay, so I made that word up…but I think it accurately portrays how many couples feel when first trying to plan their wedding.  So how do you choose a wedding vendor?  It is important to pick vendors based on face-to-face meetings (or lengthy phone calls if planning a wedding from a distance) and/or recommendations from friends.  If you are getting married in an unfamiliar place, as was the case in my own wedding, you probably won’t have many friend recommendations to rely on.  In those situations, try going to one large wedding show (in Connecticut I recommend the Osborne Jenks Connecticut Bridal Show). 

I know, I know…wedding shows sound silly, but where else can you meet hundreds of wedding vendors in such a short period of time?  When you go to the show, talk to as many vendors as possible and gather brochures/price sheets from those vendors who are too busy to talk.  At the end of the show, be sure to mark up all of your gathered brochures with comments you may have (for example: “really nice guy” or “great photographs”).  Then, when it comes time to actually book these vendors, you can remember who your favorites were.  Visit with one or two of your favorite vendors from the show in each category and receive customized estimates.  Use these final personal meetings and estimates to choose your vendors.  When meeting with vendors, throw those stupid “wedding vendor questionnaires” out the window.  Just tell each vendor what you are looking for in your wedding and ask them for their ideas and suggestions.  More important than getting answers to some cookie-cutter questions is getting a feel for the vendor.  Do you trust this person (i.e. do you know that they will show up on your wedding day with their goods in hand)?  Do you like this person’s style?  Can you actually afford their services?  And don’t forget to thoroughly read all vendor contracts before signing them and sending a check.