Passing on vendors during interview process

When they didn't seem enthusiastic about working with us. I could tell when they were giving me the same bland speech they give other clients. We had a few specific asks or preferences and some of them just shut us down, "Sorry but we can't provide that." I went with vendors who were flexible and excited for OUR vision!

View Quoted Comment This but a step further: vendors who seemed almost cocky. The "we've been in this business for so long, I think we know what we're doing".


My husband and I went to a bridal expo to find most of our vendors and most were pleasant people, but there was a DJ service that was so off putting. They were pushy through most of our talk, and then I asked "is there anywhere we can come see/hear your work?" Which sure, was a pretty dumb question I admit, but I did't know if they DJ'd certain nights at a club/bar or did other community gigs. But he pulled the worst tone while saying "uhh.... no?! *gestures around* We do weddings, so unless you're invited to one?!"
I immediately thanked him, we walked away, and my husband and I said at the same time "not that one". If you pull an attitude with potential clients, I'd hate to see what kind of attitude they'd pull in the crunch time in the weeks/days before the wedding.

We toured a venue where the owner/coordinator didn't listen to a word I said on the tour - this is where you'll do the tosses (we didn't want them); your ushers will show people to their seats (we didn't want ushers); we'll do big white flower arrangements here (I wanted a lot of color). Plus it was in-house catering, but we couldn't taste anything ahead, she said her husband would be monitoring the bar to make sure no one was getting drunk (never mind we were hiring bartenders), and she said we couldn't have rap music *at all* because "it's vulgar" - let me just tell you that some of our non-rap music was a lot more vulgar than the rap we played. There were some other things, but at the end of the tour, even though I liked the facility, I didn't want to deal with her.

We turned down florists who took too long to provide us with quotes.

When they don’t make an effort and make you feel poor/insignificant. I went into a floral shop about getting pricing for 25 hydrangeas and 50 roses. Also about getting a specialized boutonniere for my fiancé. His grandma past away so we wanted statice as are main flower. Since her casket was cover with them.
They kept insisting it be a side flower. But had to be clear we really needed it to be the flower in the middle. After that they said we had to call them a couple months before the wedding and check then if they can get it. Even though online you can get statice shipped anytime between now and are wedding date.
Also they wouldn’t even price the hydrangeas and roses. Said it was to expensive for me over and over again. Till I stopped asking for the price. They thought with the boutonniere my fiancé would wear would only be worn on a shirt for the wedding. I had to explain he’d be wearing a suit, not just a shirt.

Once I had a tour appointment at this venue and when I met with the assistant that was suppose to give me a tour her manager pulled her to the side and asked me to wait in the seating area. I politely said okay and went to have a seat, I thought he wanted me to fill out more paperwork or to make sure she knew what to do. Shortly after entering the room he comes in and lets me know the ONE package they could offer me and started listing the things I would be paying for and then asks me if I still wanted to continue my appointment for the tour. To me that was so rude and inconsiderate, I almost felt discriminated against. After hearing that I was so turned off and told him that I would've love to continue the tour even with the price but I felt like the way he came off was very rude and most venues I had tour didn't discuss prices/packages until after the tour.

I made a post about this previously, but vendors that only answer me. If they can't be bothered to reply all (or in some cases, delete his address from the "to" line) and include both of us in the planning process, especially after we've asked them to do so, then I don't want to work with them.

When product fidelity is inconsistent. Any vendor will give you his/her/their best for a wedding, tasting, or band showcase. But, how about in the everyday? My partner and I would do reconnaissance date nights before booking formal appointments. We looked at venue guest flow, dessert and cocktail quality, staffing standards and overall contentment working there. We did cancel on a floral designer with a high-end flower shop (post initial mtg, pre-floral plan) after receiving a sub-par, overpriced Mother's Day corsage. My groom was insistent on being an anonymous buyer and we uncovered questionable business practices.

One venue we toured didn’t match their pictures at all. The pictures showed this elegant barn and reception space but that sort of look had obviously been achieved with a lot of decor and the expertise of a professional photographer. The barn was actually really run down, there was a playground in between the space between the barn and the reception area (never shown in any photos), and the venue was primarily used as a kids day camp so the reception building was just a big play room, which made it very hard to picture as a wedding reception space. The person giving us the tour kept talking about how much fun kids have on the playground while the adults are socializing even after we awkwardly told her we’re having a child free wedding. Just not a good fit for us in any way.

Anyone who took too long, who seemed arrogant, or who we just felt like our personalities wouldn’t match with. We never hired anyone without at least a phone call or a zoom call. You may think you like someone until you actually speak to them!

Vendors who immediately request a phone call without even giving a base quote. Like, I'm open to having a phone call after I get a quote or price range but there's a reason I emailed/ messaged them online instead of calling myself. Also pushy vendors who repeatedly call or email when they don't get a response within a day. There was one person who looked me up on FB and messaged me multiple times through messenger after 3 hours of me not responding to their quote. Made me uncomfortable honestly.

Communication is a big one for me.
I just reached out to a photographer. Their website provided package options and below each option was a form to fill out for additional information.

They were quick to reply via email but unbelievably short and dismissive. I received 2 emails from them, neither asked for specific information but both emails were telling me that I didn't provide enough information. I offered what I thought they could need and specified I wasn't sure what all was needed.
After the second vague, short reply I knew this vendor was not for me. These people are offering a service, they can't expect everyone to know what information is needed. If a vendor doesn't provide direction or at the simplest, understanding, I move on.

Definitely the biggest turn off is when vendors aren't responsive. We had multiple vendors that we wanted to use that either stopped responded to us or were very slow.

We definitely could tell which vendors understood our vision during initial conversations and that was our biggest factor in determining who we used.