It’s 2020 and gone are the days when you couldn’t have a wedding without worrying yourself sick about the many moving parts that come together to make the day special. You can simply curate mood boards on Pinterest and share with your planner or simply go on Instagram to source for vendors to make your day as perfect as you want! We spoke to a bride – Sade (not her real name) who planned her entire wedding through Instagram and she gave us some insights.
Let’s break it down:
Budget
According to Sade, this is where to start. “You don’t want to go into this thing without having a maximum amount you’re willing to spend. That is what will guide all your interactions with vendors. Make sure you have a rigid budget and stick to it. Of course make sure it’s a realistic budget too,” she said.
Have an idea of what you want
Either by going through wedding pages on Instagram or relying a bit more on Pinterest, you have to have an idea of what you want your big day to look like before you start looking for vendors. Our bride says, “Make sure you’ve decided on an aesthetic or design that you like (you can have a backup option too) before seeking out vendors. This will save both you and the vendor a lot of stress.”
Discovery
There are three ways to discover the vendors you’ll need.
- Wedding pages: Most of the pages dedicated to weddings on Instagram typically include the handles of various vendors from makeup artists to bouquet makers and photographers. You can easily make a list and start to reach out to them from the comfort of your bed. “Just know that the people you find on wedding pages may be more expensive than your budget,” Sade said.
- Asking your followers: “When I wanted to get my bouquet of flowers, I just asked people to recommend vendors to me on my IG stories and I got a lot of responses. From those responses, I was able to pick the vendor that I liked and matched my budget,” Sade tells us.
- Ask people who have done weddings recently: In Sade’s words, “If you’re lucky enough to know someone that has gotten married recently, then make sure you get any and every information you can get from them. They will know what vendors to recommend and point you in the right direction. They will also give you an idea of prices so you have better negotiating power.”
What you won’t find on Instagram
While some event centers do have Instagram handles, chance are the one you want doesn’t have an instagram handle says Sade. For that, she had to go offline and into the real world. There may be other elements too like security and car rentals that you may not be able to find on Instagram so be sure to leave options open for those.
So, there you have it. With a little digging and a keen eye, you can find at least 80% of what you need for your wedding on Instagram. A new age of commerce is dawning on us and you can take advantage. Just keep the things we’ve talked about in mind and you should be ready for your big day in no time and with minimal stress! Have a happy married life!
