You’ve said yes, now comes the hard part. Here’s how to find vendors for your wedding.
After all the buzz and the excitement from your engagement dies down, you’ll start getting down to the business of planning your wedding. Whether you’re going for a huge event with hundreds of people or something smaller and more intimate, chances are you’ll need to hire at least a few wedding pros to pull everything off.
But how do you go about finding those wedding pros? You may have a venue you love, and you may have stalked a few makeup artists on social media, but what about everyone else?
Don’t worry, beautiful bride — BOLI has your back! These are the best ways to find vendors for your wedding, no matter what kind of vibe you have in mind.
Image courtesy of Tino Photography
Peruse Brides of Long Island’s Preferred Vendors
Brides of Long Island was started by founder Heather Cunningham as she planned her own big day. Since 2017, our mission has been to help every member of our community bring their dream wedding days to life. We’re staffed entirely by former brides who’ve all been on this journey before, and who all faced a lot of the same questions and struggles that you may be facing right now.
That’s why we compiled a list of our own Preferred Vendors. These are the pros that we’ve worked with before, that we know are passionate, knowledgeable, and reliable. We vet each and every vendor to be sure they’re up to our standards, and we do so by researching what YOU have to say about your experiences working with them.
Brides of Long Island has 26 different categories of vendors, from venues to wedding planners and everything in between. Any vendor you could possibly need can be found on our website! Once you choose a category, you can click on the profiles of every vendor to get an idea of their specialities, their background, and what they love about working with our brides. When you find one that you love, click on their contact information to set up a meeting or see more of their work. Yes, it’s THAT easy!
Join the brides-only BOLI Facebook Group
Do you have questions that no one can really answer? Are you obsessing over colors or themes while everyone is telling you to relax? Do you want to find friendship, camaraderie, and support from other brides planning their weddings on Long Island? Then you need to join BOLI’s brides-only Facebook group!
This is where all your questions, like “should I pick chiffon or satin for the bridesmaids dresses,” get answered. This is where you can vent about your future mother-in-law without hurting anyone’s feelings. And this is where brides can give their honest feedback about their vendor teams. Simply search the group for “makeup artist” or “DJ” and hundreds of reviews will come up! Since we don’t allow vendors inside the group, brides can be entirely open about their experiences.
Just search for “Brides of Long Island” on Facebook, answer the questions, and your application to join will be submitted. Approval can take a while, so be patient. And be sure to check your DM’s if our moderators need to contact you for more information.
Image courtesy of Janelle Brooke Photography
Ask friends who’ve tied the knot
There’s nothing better than a personal recommendation from a friend. If you remember dancing the night away at your sorority sister’s reception, bug her for her DJ info. If you noticed the flowers at your sister-in-law’s bridal shower, don’t be afraid to ask for her florist. Mine your friends and family members for information, especially if you’ve already seen their vendors’ work in action.
Search social media
Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms are great means for researching vendors. You can search using phrases like “Long Island wedding hair” or follow hashtags like #longislandwedding or #bridesoflongisland! Most reputable vendors have social media accounts showcasing their actual work, but keep in mind — AI allows people to manipulate or fully create content that never existed, so you’ll want to have a keen eye when looking at photos and video.
And if you aren’t already, give us a follow @thebridesoflongisland! We showcase local vendors all the time, and you’ll definitely catch a lot of their stunning work.
Image courtesy of Captured by Christina Anne Photography
Attend bridal expos and events
Wedding and bridal expos happen quite frequently on the Island. You may even be able to catch one at a venue you’ve been eyeing! Expos are a great opportunity to meet a lot of different vendors at once — photographers, bridal salons, DJs, hair stylists, you name it. You can see examples of their work, chat with them to see if your vibes match, and even ask for their availability.
Here’s a Brides of Long Island pro tip: before attending an expo, create a special email address just for wedding communication. Most of the vendors will ask for your contact info, and having a specific email just for your wedding planning can help you keep everything organized and in one place.
Use search engines
We’ll be honest — search engines aren’t our favorite way to find vendors, for a few reasons. Reviews can be faked, Google rankings can be manipulated, and anyone can buy an ad.
The plus side is that search engines are easily accessible and quick. So if you’re in a rush and just need some names fast, a search engine can pull up several options for you. But be sure to do your own vetting and research before signing a contract or making a deposit.