Help! Picking the final vendor

We picked our vendor based on the person we'd be working with. He was super communicative and felt like we could trust him right off the bat. We don't get married until next September, but so far working with him has been great.

Cake - are any of the bakeries you're considering doing wedding open houses? If they're local, can you stop in and buy some cupcakes or something similar? Also look at their wedding cake portfolio and reviews, but as PPs mentioned, you need to have some sort of edible sample. Ours applied the consultation/tasting cost to our final cake bill, and we only had 35 guests.

DJ - check reviews thoroughly, set up a zoom meeting if possible. DJ personality is pretty important imo because they have a big impact on the vibe of the event. We ended up canceling ours, but had met him in person when hiring him initially, and his personality sold us. He was also super prepared and had a thorough explanation of his services, did a great job of answering our questions, etc.

Officiant - also check reviews and set up a zoom meeting if possible. I'm not sure what kind of officiant you want, but there's a range from very straightforward/read from a script, to heavily customized ceremonies. I'd make sure that the officiant is super organized, experienced, and communicates well. This is the one person that absolutely needs to show up on your day!