How to hire Vendors for your Hawaii Destination Wedding - Oahu Hawaii Wedding Photographer
So you want to get married in Hawaii - YAY! A marvelous choice! Paradise is always a good option. However, Destination weddings come with their own set of difficulties like picking your vendors online or over the phone.
Thanks to social media and the internet though, it has become SO MUCH more comfortable to book great vendors without having to meet them face to face. To help you make your Hawaiian Dream Wedding a bit easier, here are five tips to help you book amazing vendors from far away!
1. Check their "About me" and how they show up online. Do you vibe with their personality? Can you connect with their likes and dislikes? Creating a personal connection with your wedding vendors is crucial, as you will be spending a lot of time communicating with them, and they will be with you all day - make sure you find people you want to be around!
2. What are the Reviews? There are a lot of scammers or black sheep out there, but there are ways to check how great people actually are. Check out their reviews on multiple sites like the Knot and Facebook. What are former brides saying about them? What are they high lighting? Are they just doing decent work or are the brides also high lighting their character, that they went above and beyond or other unique factors that made them stand out?
Some other things to consider on how established a vendor is are factors like Awards, Publications or their Social Media following! All this can not only help you with the legitimacy of the Vendor but also help you determine what kind of person you are dealing with and if they are established in their industry!
3. Communication is key - especially when you are looking at planning something from far away! Are vendors communicating well? Do they take the time to actually respond to you or are you getting prewritten template emails? Do you have to wait for days for a vague answer or are they responsive and helpful? Remember - if the communication is lacking at the very beginning, it will most likely not get better!
4. Do they provide value beyond their profession?
Is their web presence, social media, and blog up to date? In a culture where we are always connected, the easiest way to see if a business is being neglected or not taken seriously is by how they show up online, especially for a market that thrives on destination weddings. Does their presence help you beyond their profession? Do they educate you about Hawaii, Weddings, how to get the most of your wedding and more? Do they help you get the most of your Island Adventure?
5. Are they interested in your story? Your Wedding is about you and the one you love - there really isn't a much more personal event than celebrating a love story. When contacting vendors, do they care about your love story? Do they ask questions beyond money and business? Find professionals that want to get to know you beyond the business aspect - the ones you vibe with. Since you are planning a wedding from afar, you want to find people you can trust, care about you and that will go the extra mile with you!
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Aloha, I’m Johanna!
I’m a Wedding and Portrait Photographer based in Oahu, Hawaii, dedicated to giving couples in love just like you the Paradise Wedding of their Dreams!