HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WEDDING SUPPLIERS

There are lots of different suppliers out there so it can be tricky to know where to start when looking for suppliers for your wedding. Here are our expert tips on how to choose your wedding suppliers.

CATERER

Food and drink is an important part of your wedding day so you want to get it right! Here at The Kingscote Barn, we work with three fantastic catering companies who look after the food and drink for our weddings. We’d always recommend getting in touch with all three of our catering partners to chat to them about your ideas and see what they can offer. Before doing so, it might be good to sit down and think about what food you’d like to have at your wedding – do you want a formal 3 course plated meal or would you prefer something more relaxed and informal such as an afternoon tea, buffet or BBQ? Do you want a hog roast in the evening or something more snacky such as wood fired pizzas or cheese? Look at the caterers menus and see whether they reflect the style of food that you want. The caterers can also work on a bespoke basis too so if there’s something specific that you want – such as a favourite food – then don’t be afraid to ask. Once you’ve narrowed it down to your favourite caterer, arrange a menu tasting so that you can taste the food.

PHOTOGRAPHER

A photographer is probably one of the most important suppliers you’ll book as they will capture your wedding day and provide photos for you to look back on for years to come! There are lots of incredible wedding photographers out there but they often have different styles of photography. Some will take formal posed photos with groups of your family and friends while others prefer to take a documentary style approach to photography where they will capture the natural special moments as they happen (with a few group photos and couple photos too, of course!). We’d recommend looking at a photographer’s portfolio to get an idea of the style of photos they usually take – if you’re wow-ed by their photos of other weddings then that’s a good sign! It’s also a bonus if the photographer has been to your venue before as they’ll already know the best photo spots. If they haven’t, then arrange a visit beforehand to make sure they suss it all out before the big day. Another tip from us to try not to worry about the weather – a good photographer will be able to make the most of all weather conditions. So if it’s raining, they’ll get you a brolly and go out and embrace it to get the perfect rainfall photo!

FLORIST

For most couples, flowers are key part of their wedding decorations – from the beautiful bouquet that a bride will carry down the aisle, to flowers on the tables and around the venue. Flowers will set the theme of your wedding and add visual beauty to the day. Wedding flowers can often seem like an expensive purchase which makes many couples want to go DIY. However, it doesn’t always work out more cost-effective to do them yourself. We highly recommend getting a professional florist to look after your wedding flowers – it’s definitely worth paying for their skill, experience and creativity. You’ll have enough to do in the run up to your wedding without adding the stress of locating, storing, transporting and, of course, setting up fresh flowers. Most people don’t appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into creating wedding flowers – there are plenty of early starts to get to the flower market and last minute changes when a flower head hasn’t opened in time! When it comes to choosing a florist, look at photos of your venue and get ideas of what style of flowers you like. Are you wanting soft romantic colours or bold and bright statement blooms? Do you want a classic look with tight compact flowers or a more rustic feel with lots of different textures of foliage and flowers? Each florist has a different style so take a look at their previous work and choose one that suits you.

VENUE STYLIST

A venue stylist will take the ideas and inspiration you have for your wedding and will create a stunning theme for your wedding decoration. You may have spent hours searching through Pinterest and gathering ideas for the design of your wedding but often couples don’t know where to start with turning their ideas into reality and visualising how it will look in the venue. A venue stylist will get to know you as a couple and incorporate your personal style and love story into your wedding decorations. We have seen stylists use vintage medicine bottles to display flowers for a couple who were both doctors, and table plans written on car bonnets for a groom that was car mad! Personal touches like this will make your wedding decorations so much more unique and will impress your guests too. Venue stylists can often be thought of as an additional expense but that is definitely not the case. In the long run, a stylist will save you time and money! One of the main reasons that couples book a venue stylist is because they take a lot of the stress away – you don’t need to worry about allocating family or friends to decorate the venue on your wedding day as the stylist will do all of this for you. You can relax and enjoy the lead up to your wedding, knowing that your stylist will look after all of the details so that you and your guests arrive to a beautifully decorated venue. Venue stylists also have their own range of props that you are welcome to use which saves you buying your own decorations. When looking for a venue stylist, we highly recommend choosing one that has been to your venue before – they will instantly know how the venue can be transformed and what decorations work well.

CAKE

Cutting of the cake is a famous wedding tradition that most guests look forward to. However, traditional fruit wedding cakes aren’t that common anymore with couples opting for more exciting flavours such as salted caramel, red velvet and even prosecco! It’s not just about how the cake tastes either – how it looks, is just as important as your wedding cake will be displayed throughout the day. There are plenty of amazing cake designers out there who offer great tasting cakes that look incredible too. When searching for a supplier, think about how you want the cake to look. Do you want a fondant wedding cake, buttercream or a naked cake? Some cake designers specialise in naked cakes and don’t ever deal with fondant icing (or vice versa) so make sure that the cake designers you are looking at, can actually do the cake that you want. Once you’ve found a designer that you like the look of, enquire as to what flavours they offer. Again, some more traditional cake designers may only offer sponge cake or a couple of flavours, whereas more adventurous ones may have a selection of tasty flavours to choose from. The most important (and best!) part of choosing your cake designer is to make sure you taste the cake!! You want your guests to enjoy eating the cake as well as looking at it, so make sure that it passes the taste test!

VIDEOGRAPHER

Your wedding day will be one of the happiest days of your life and you will have so many memories to take away from it. Quite often, couples say that the day goes so quickly that they wish they could do it all again. A wedding videographer will capture every detail of your wedding day so you can remember each moment for years to come! From the moment the bride walks down the aisle, to the laughter and tears in the speeches, the romance of your first dance and not forgetting, the ridiculous dad dancing – your wedding video will include it all so that you can relive the day over and over again. When choosing a videographer, it’s best to get recommendations from others, whether this is from your venue or friends/family. Look through the videographers past wedding videos to get an idea of the style of filming they do and see how the videos make you feel. If a video takes you through each type of emotion, then the videographer has really captivated you and made a connection between you and the video. If you can feel emotional watching a video of a stranger’s wedding then you’ll definitely feel excited, nervous and emotional watching your own wedding video.

BAND VS DJ

The big debate for a lot of couples is whether to have a band or DJ for their evening entertainment. Music creates the atmosphere at a wedding and it really can make or break the celebrations! Bands are fantastic for providing live music and getting guests up on the dance floor. However, a good DJ will do the same. DJ’s have a wider range of songs available to play and can tailor the music to you – with your guests also being able to request songs on the night. They are very good at reading a crowd and can change the music to complement the atmosphere (and the guests) which is important if you don’t want the dance floor to be empty! Bands will usually have fewer songs to choose from and may put together a set playlist for your wedding. But nothing beats live music and your guests will get to experience a live performance. If you opt for a band, make sure that they play the style of music that your guests will enjoy dancing to. A cover band is usually a good option as they will play covers of popular songs that your guests will hopefully be familiar with! Another top tip from us is to make sure that your band offer a DJ service while they are having their break and after they have finished playing so that the music never stops. Once you’ve decided between a band or DJ, do some research online to find the perfect supplier. Watch videos to see what they are like in action and look at reviews to see what their customers think. Cost often comes into the equation when deciding between a band or DJ – bands tend to be more expensive but most people would argue that they are worth every penny.

“The Kingscote Barn is a beautiful venue and incredibly well priced! Everyone we talked to was constantly on the ball, ridiculously organised and could not do enough for us. Weather it be calling up suppliers, answering our 100s of emails. I had absoultey no doubts that i would not have to stress on the day which is a luxury i think a lot of people underestimate. Thank you so much as well for letting Marley (our dog) run around the whole day! He was absoultey loving life! Honestly cannot think of anything.”

Mr & Mrs T