Couples going through the process of planning a wedding are often shocked at how many businesses they use to bring their wedding day to fruition and well beyond the wedding day. Wedding checklists often don't list everyone that will end up being hired in one form or another. There are so many varieties of just about every vendor category and every year we see different aspects added to weddings. Couples are definitely in to making their day unique.
Yes, the average wedding takes 16-20 vendors. Most people think of the venue, cake, photography, food, "the" dress or dresses, just off the top of their head. Soon they find out that there are a lot of smaller choices to be made. Often they are the things that take a lot of time leading up to a decision such as invitations. Who knew they could all be so different? I've never seen a couple not add on aspects to their wedding day beyond what they originally planned.
The people who don't think they need a DJ are often the most disappointed on their wedding day! I-Pod weddings shouldn't even be compared to the services of a DJ. They are the eyes and ears to your entire event. An I-Pod cannot read a crowd to keep the party going or announce that someone left their lights on or is parked in a fire lane.
Some of the more obscure vendor categories that people wouldn't have thought of several years ago are commonplace now. For example, photo booths! And a photo booth is not a photo booth! They vary quite a bit in the types of services they offer. It goes beyond props and pics.
There are some categories of vendors that people wouldn't have even thought about such as a Ben and Jerry's ice cream truck or cart. I can't even tell you what a hit this is on a hot summer day and it appeals to kids of all ages. At one of the weddings I was hired for, can you guess who made their way to the cart more than any one else? Guys over 50! Since when does this age and gender category have a good time at a wedding? I heard a lot of "I tried that flavor in a cup, now I'll try it in a cone!" There was a lot of foot traffic mostly from people saying, "I tried that flavor now I'm going to try this other flavor".
Weddings might begin with a ring purchase, but postage stamps, on site childcare, a dog-sitter can often be forgotten as services that are part of building a wedding.
As far as time involved on a wedding day, 16 hours is not uncommon. Depending up on how many attendants and couple have needing makeup and hair styling, you could very well start out at least by 8:00 AM and it's not long after that that the seating and tables are being put together and decorated. Photographers document the whole process and the only thing they don't photograph are the guests eating their meals. DJ's often are the last ones to leave a wedding....unless there's a wedding planner involved. We're almost always the last to leave as we drive home at night often smelling like we've have alcoholic beverages when we haven't. How does that happen? It's because we have the wine soaked linens in the back of the car around midnight or 1:00 AM.
I'm attaching my notorious vendor wheel in which I have purposely left out some crucial vendors that every wedding needs. Tell me if you can discover who is missing! OKAY, you don't need Santa Claus, event surveys or incentives. Hint: Suffice it to say that a wedding as represented by this wheel would not be happening, and some guys might be a little embarrassed. Rentals alone can sometimes be more than one vendor.
Wishing you the greatest of days!
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