Price vs. Quality

I recently asked my followers for suggestions of things they would like to hear about in my blogs and one of my followers asked me to please explain the importance of price vs. quality. So here goes… when looking for ANY wedding vendor, you should never go with the cheapest! I know budgets are tight and we are all looking for a bargain, but while you may find someone cheaper they are not always your best bargain. I have worked numerous weddings where the Bride and Groom hired a DJ and were so proud they only spent $250.00 or had a “friend” DJ for them. In the end, they only got about 1/3 of the DJ they would have had they hired a true Professional Wedding DJ. They were mortified when he did not have the music they asked for a month in advance, his system shorted out three times, not to mention he looked like he just came from a “gig” at a party club. One local photographer showed up to the wedding on so much medication or maybe alcohol he could barely stand. Once the wedding was over the Bride tried for 6 months to get her photographs. I finally had to get involved and all we were able to salvage at that point was 4 unedited cd’s of pictures. Not a very reliable vendor. These are just examples and the issue runs across the board for all vendors, including wedding planners.

When you are looking for your wedding vendors, do your homework! Do not hire them because their website is flashy and their prices are low! Ask questions such as are you licensed, are you insured, who is your back up in the event you become ill, how many wedding have you worked. These are all very important things you should know before hiring any professional. Ask for references, and call them! There is usually a reason someone’s prices are so cheap. They may be just starting out and do not have the experience, they may be working under the table which is highly illegal not to mention unethical or they just might be a scam artist.

Ask the vendor do they belong to any professional organizations. Southern Charm is an active and proud member of the Association of Bridal Consultants. The Association of Bridal Consultants has been the professional organization for the wedding industry since 1955 and has over 4,000 members in 26 countries on six continents. This association is a membership service organization, designed to increase awareness of the wedding business and improve the professionalism of members. We are held to a standard of conduct and expected to maintain our training each year. These are very important factors when hiring a professional vendor.

Every professional vendor should at the very least carry general liability insurance. This is a short cut many vendors try to cut and in the end can be very costly to both themselves as well as the client.

One way to make sure you are getting the most for your money is to ask a wedding planner. Many wedding planners include this service in their packages but they may also offer it as an a la carte item. It is well worth the cost of a consult to obtain a list of professionals that have proven they can provide the Bride and Groom excellent service on their special day.