One of the most amazing things we have encountered while planning our wedding is the way perspective brides and grooms are treated. When I began my reading, some the books mentioned that some vendors maybe less than pleasant, and I was very skeptical. But in our quest for our wedding, we have actually spoken to vendors who have acted like they are doing you a favor talking to you.

I called a reception place–and it’s a place that has been in business for many years and is known for weddings. So it’s not like it was “Joe’s wedding and hoagie shop”. The 1st time I called, a maintenance man answered, but I did not know this until about 5 minutes into the conversation, after I has asked him about 6 questions, and he has given me these strange and vague answers. Finally he tells me the man I need to speak with the wedding manager, who will be in after 11 and HANGS UP ON ME… I probably should have quit while I was ahead, but I made the mistake of calling again. This time I got the right guy–who proceeds to answer everyone of my questions with ” That shouldn’t be a problem” What the heck kind of answer is that??? I was so tempted to say to him “Don’t you WANT my business?” But I held off. Needless to say our wedding will not be at that location.

Another experience was with a photographer. I found a woman online who was in our price range, and I liked the preliminary photos I saw on her website. So my fiance’ and I made an appt to get our engagement photos done. When I was confirming out appointment, I sent her an e-mail, asking for at least 3 references, so we could have all of that out of the way, and if we liked the shots she did, we could sign the contract soon after. And a couple of days go by, and I wait, and a couple more, and I wait. Finally, about 10 days after, I send another e-mail, asking if there was a problem. I get a terse reply of “Didn’t you see the Testimonials on our website?” actually, I did–they were all “thank you so much for the pictures, I love you” signed “Tiffany and Bob” or “Joe and Jane”…what kind of references is that??? I indicated that yes I did look at all the Testimonials, but that I also needed at least 3 people I could contact directly for references–and I started looking elsewhere for a photographer. In about a week I found one in our budget, who was pleasant and responsive, and had instantly provided us with 3 people and their contact info, with the offer of more references if we wanted them–and their references were in-depth, lengthy, and GLOWING…I then contacted the original photographer and thanked her for her time, but since she was unwilling to provide references, we found another photographer–Never heard from her again…

Bottom line: There are alot of crappy vendors out there–but there are also alot of great ones, so take the time to find one who will treat you respectfully, and not like a mindless twit–YOU are the customer–YOU are paying THEM for their services–no matter how much they would like to convince you that you need them–THEY need YOU!

Have any scary stories? Please fee free to pass them along!

Good luck!