How to Manage Wedding Vendors: A Step-by-Step Guide

DEFINITION

Vendor Contact Sheet

A single document listing every vendor's name, company, cell phone, email, arrival time, and what they're delivering or setting up. Distributed to all vendors and your day-of coordinator the week before the wedding.

DEFINITION

Payment Schedule

The agreed timeline for when deposits and balance payments are due. Most vendors take a deposit at booking (25-50%) and the balance 1-4 weeks before the wedding. Missing a payment deadline can void your contract.

DEFINITION

Vendor Confirmation

A written check-in sent to all vendors 1-2 weeks before the wedding confirming: the venue address, date, start time, and their specific arrival time and responsibilities. This prevents the 'I didn't know I was supposed to arrive at 3pm' conversation.

DEFINITION

Day-of Point Person

The person designated to field vendor calls, questions, and logistics issues on the wedding day. This should not be one of the people getting married. Typically a day-of coordinator, a trusted family member, or a wedding party member without other responsibilities.

Why Vendor Management Breaks Down

Most couples don’t have a vendor management problem at the start of planning — they have it six months in, when they’ve booked 8 vendors across different websites and their contracts live in different email accounts, payment receipts are in text messages, and the florist’s cell phone is written on a piece of paper somewhere.

The problem isn’t disorganization. It’s that vendor management grows gradually and feels manageable at each individual step. Then the week before the wedding arrives and the only way to confirm a vendor’s arrival time is to dig through 6-month-old emails.

Set up a vendor tracking system when you book your first vendor. Keep it updated as you book more. It takes 10 minutes to add a vendor at booking time; it takes 2 hours to reconstruct that information later.

What to Track for Every Vendor

For each vendor, maintain a record with these fields:

Contact information

• Company name and vendor type
• Primary contact name (the person you communicate with, not just the business)
• Day-of contact name (if different — some booking contacts aren’t the person who shows up)
• Cell phone (not just office line)
• Email

Financial

• Total contract amount
• Deposit amount and date paid
• Payment method used
• Balance due and the due date
• Paid-in-full confirmation

Day-of logistics

• Venue arrival time
• Load-in location or instructions
• What they’re delivering or setting up
• Expected departure or breakdown time
• Any specific requirements (parking pass, elevator access, power outlets)

Every field here serves a purpose. The day-of cell phone is what you use when the florist texts that they’re stuck in traffic. The arrival time is what you use to build the venue timeline. The balance due date is what prevents a surprise contract void.

The Vendor Confirmation Email

Two weeks before the wedding, email every vendor with a single confirmation message. This email should include:

• The date (spelled out — no abbreviations)
• The full venue address (not just the name)
• The load-in entrance location if different from the main entrance
• Their specific arrival time
• The name and cell phone of your day-of coordinator or point person
• Any relevant logistics: parking, entry codes, elevator location, vendor meal timing

End with: “Please confirm you’ve received this and we’re confirmed for [date].”

Save the replies. If any vendor doesn’t reply within 3 days, call them.

This email prevents 80% of wedding day vendor confusion. The most common day-of problems — wrong arrival time, wrong entrance, not knowing who to call — are all solved by this confirmation step.

Giving Your Day-of Person What They Need

Your day-of coordinator or point person needs a complete vendor contact sheet: every vendor’s name, phone, arrival time, and responsibility. This document should be on their phone the morning of the wedding.

Create it the week before. Include:

• All vendors listed by arrival time order
• Each vendor’s cell phone (double-checked against your contract or confirmation)
• What each vendor is delivering or setting up and when they’re breaking down
• The venue’s direct contact for day-of questions
• Your photographer’s cell (they’re often the most mobile vendor and can relay information)

Hand this to your coordinator in person, not just via email. Confirm they have it saved and understand their role.

The Week-Before Confirmation Call

One week before the wedding, call or text every major vendor. Not email — phone. Say: “Calling to confirm we’re on for [date] at [venue]. Do you have the right address? Do you have [day-of coordinator]‘s number? Is there anything you need from us before then?”

Most of these calls take 2 minutes. Occasionally one reveals a problem — a vendor misread your end time, a second shooter had to cancel, a floral supply is delayed. Finding out one week before is solvable. Finding out on the wedding day is not.