Bridal Season is heating up and now is the time to start contacting vendors for your custom pieces! I have put together a few tips to help you get exactly what you have envisioned for your big day.
When you contact a vendor about making a custom piece or set make sure you mention the important stuff up front.
- Your wedding date is of course important but also letting the vendor know about any hair trials or other "need by" dates.
- Let the designer know if you are considering a bigger set and not just one item. Some vendors, like myself, will give a discount for bigger sets!
- Your budget. I know, I know - you feel like giving someone a budget is like letting someone rip you off (what if they were going to say way less!?) I felt the same way when I was planning my wedding. But here is the thing, if you let me know how much you want to spend I can find materials and sources to make the best piece possible for that amount of money. I may even throw in something extra because i know it will make your wallet happy!
- Pictures, Ideas & Inspiration. Nothing will help a vendor give you a quote faster than pictures of what you are looking for. Your idea of medium may be way different than mine - but a picture of what you think is medium will help me to know exactly what you expect. Pictures are the key to success. Send pictures of your dress, your shoes, something you like, your hair, whatever. Every picture helps.
Color Obsessed: Go to Home Depot and grab some free paint color swatches that match your theme - ask your designer for their mailing address and send them off!
Pressed for Time: Let the designer know up front if you are super stressed out. Even if your wedding is 8 months away - if you mentally need something done soon, please let us know!
Not happy with the final product?
Talk to your vendor! If a comb, a fit, a size, a whatever, is not working for you, just let the designer know. They will most likely be happy to try and fix it for you. Even if your wedding is 3 days from now - your designer can talk you through a simple fix that you or a loved one can do at home. If you don't let us know, we cant fix it.
Good Luck and Congratulations!
These are perfect instructions! I'm going to link to this from my Etsy shop policies. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. As a vendor who does a lot of custom orders myself, I can say that 10eisha's advice is right on! And she is right, it can't be stressed enough...photographs are key!!
ReplyDeleteI would also add a tip for folks looking to order custom clothing items or even add custom accessories for they wedding gowns:
Take accurate measurements - and if they are measurements on your own body, have someone else (who knows what they're doing) do it for you! It also never hurts to send extra measurements if you know them and think they might be important. There is nothing more disappointing than a beautiful dress that doesn't fit!!
Good addition Miss Swank.
ReplyDeleteJust in case people do not know - you can go to most tailors and have them take your measurements for a very small fee if there is a fee at all!