Vendor reviews - anyone have trouble writing these?

I can't relate as I haven't had my wedding yet, but I will say I took other people's reviews into consideration when picking my vendors. Some terrible reviews came out about my venue after I had already paid half down. I would just be honest even if it sounds harsh. Vendors may be awesome 95% of the time but may have had some weird circumstances surrounding your day that made you have a not so great experience. The reviews written about my venue that were bad seemed to be coming from complete rage. Maybe they butt heads with the venue coordinator. So I took them with a grain of salt.

I would rather read an honest review, even if it's harsh, than read all reviews about them being perfect and have a terrible experience. Then, based on all the reviews I can make my decision.

If you're not sure where to land, you could split the difference between the stars and the words. So you could give a high rating but still say the issues that came up in the narrative piece.

Another option would be to say, this vendor would be a good fit for you if ________.

I looked at negative reviews when I was picking vendors, and in some cases, the vendor had adjusted from the time the review was written. (aka "I wish they had chair and tables" and now they have chairs and tables). Good luck!

Also, based on your BAM, I'm thinking you could share some of the gorgeous photos, and then mention the communication issues as well. Hopefully adding nuance will paint an accurate portrait that will help you feel better on all sides.

Honestly, 4 star reviews can be the most helpful sometimes! Because you know it is written by someone who is happy, but still has something to say

I relied heavily upon the reviews that were written by couples that had utilized their services. I took in to consideration the good, the bad and the ugly. I think you should write a honest and upfront review. If there is significant issues maybe see if the vendors could rectify the issue by some form of compensation. Good luck

Hah, my biggest problem was character limits. I gushed/rambled on and on and went to submit and discovered I had too many words! And then struggled to condense as I thought all the parts were important.

If your worried about the harshness scale, I’d really try to stick to facts. Honesty is so important. ... and I do feel like I’ve read reviews that lost credibility at a certain point as they got emotional and rant-y. So, my best advice would be to keep it as fact filled as possible, and then it’s less harsh, more reality. With facts, I can kind of come to my own conclusions as a bride reading reviews. But outrageously bad experiences do deserve recounting— the good bad and the ugly. I try to be thorough and include the positives too, even if I had an overall bad experience. A few review mediums do allow for vendor response to reviews, and as a reader, I will say sometimes HOW the vendor replies to bad/mediocre or mixed feedback goes a long way, potentially even more than the original review itself ! (I don’t judge things that aren’t responded too, but if they respond— I’ve read some kind reasonable responses with sincere apologies, and I’ve read some full of excuses or even blaming the couple, and that is the most telling!)

View Quoted Comment Thanks!
I was kind of between a three and a four with the photographer. The communication was pretty bad and I think any other bride would have been spazzing. My BIL is a photographer and even asked “how are you so calm?” And he even brought his wedding bag just in case. And yes, the photos we have are wonderful, but it took three emails/ edits to get there and I still edited some myself after. And to boot, I asked for seven must have shots, and only got two. So I just am not sure where to land. I like you’re idea though, maybe I explain this and give him a four.
Thanks!!

View Quoted Comment This is such a good point about the responses!!! thanks for the reminder!

View Quoted Comment Mm, I like the “good fit if____” something with a “but” or “be sure to...” I went back to OP’s beautiful BAM and read the seamstress bit, and I think this is a prime example, especially if you were otherwise happy like “I enjoyed the work that was completed, but one part was left unfinished, so would advise others to try on/check the completed project before taking it home” sort of like advice with a contingency. Then it puts all the responsibility and decision making on the the future brides.

This one just struck a chord with me as before I looked at the bam and was trying to answer this post , I had this feeling that there was one vendor I struggled to review and opted out as I couldn’t figure out what to say...nor even how I felt about them, haha— but I couldn’t pinpoint he vendor as looking back everyone involved in the actual day was amazing. Alas— it was my seamstress! Who did good work...I think ? But maybe not exactly what I was hoping for? And was way overpriced (or ...just did more than I felt necessary?) but managed to work with my insane timeline after some other issues. Mostly she didn’t give me the warm and fuzzies? But she was nice? But kind of abrasive? But sweet at the end? Haha basically I talked myself in a million circles and eventually gave up, because i didn’t think that I could honestly produce any actually useful commentary.

I agree that for the less than stellar reviews, try to be very specific and factual. For example, "It typically took several emails/messages from me before the vendor would respond," rather than, "terrible about communication." Be descriptive rather than evaluative. Daughter really wanted HONEST feedback, as I'm guessing every bride/groom does.

View Quoted Comment Not funny, but your seamstress recap made me giggle.
My problem isn’t SAYING what happened, but how many stars to give. Dumb, I know, but just a detail I think about. Thanks for the help and clarity!

View Quoted Comment Ahhh, I love this!! Thanks!!

Be honest! I picked my vendor based on reviews! I have not had my wedding yet, but I did leave a review already based on a terrible interaction we had with a venue we were considering. I wanted other brides to be aware of what they would be dealing with when considering them. You’ll not only be helping other brides, but hopefully the vendor will use the review as constructive criticism.