Safely Booking your Wedding Vendors Online on GMA

May 22, 2006

I happened to catch a segment on Good Morning America this morning where they featured a bride still waiting for her bridesmaid gowns as her wedding date quickly approaches.  That is a horror story, to be sure, but the editor from Bride’s Magazine advised brides to not book their wedding vendors online. 

I happen to completely disagree with that statement since I bought my own wedding dress and other items online without any problems.

Here’s the original quote from ABCNews.com:

“Don’t book your vendors online,” Bratten said. “You need to get a good feeling about them. You have to look them in the eye.” Shopping online can be unpredictable, so Bratten recommends reading the fine print and leaving plenty of time for exchanges. - ABCNews.com

I don’t know why someone in the media would offer a blanket statement against booking vendors online.  What if you are planning a destination wedding in Hawaii?  I don’t know about you, but I would not be able to fly out to meet the vendors to get a good feel for them.

Yes, I would suggest meeting your wedding vendors face-to-face if you can, but if you can’t, try to do as much research on them as possible.  When I worked as a wedding videographer, brides would often call at the last minute to book us one week before the wedding.  Sometimes we wouldn’t be able to meet them in person due to our conflicting schedules, but they booked us because we came highly recommended and they liked our online demo.

Not everything works for everybody and some people are fine with booking vendors and ordering items online.  We paid for our very expensive honeymoon, my wedding dress, tiara, wedding veil, wedding cake topper, and wedding favors online.  I used eBay and a few other retailers online and everything was fine. 

Sure, there are horror stories out there about online retailers never mailing the purchased items, but plenty of online transactions happen everyday without a hitch.

You know what I think?  I’ll tell you.  Lots and lots of high-end wedding gown vendors advertise in Bride’s magazine and pay an arm and a leg for those full-page, full-color print ads on multiple pages.  Those magazines are often over 5-lbs because of all those wonderful wedding gown ads.

I’m sure the editor of Bride’s magazine is very responsible and experienced in the industry, but she does work for a huge corporation that is sustained by thousands of wedding vendors across the country.

These wedding magazines act like they are the ultimate authority when they are not.  Trust me!  They’re just people trying to figure out the changes the industry.

Here’s the deal.  The economy is still in recovery and brides all over the country are negotiating with vendors to get the best rates they can for their services.  That’s the reality right now and some vendors are refusing to go with the times.  Note to wedding gown vendors:  not every bride can afford to plunk down $5,000.00 for a dress they will wear ONE TIME.  They would much rather visit a reputable online retailer like Gowns Online and pay 1/2 price for their wedding dresses. 

The good thing is that you have choices.  With the internet, you have the freedom to hire anyone that you choose.  Thank goodness for technology.

One last thing...talk to other recently married brides.  Ask for their advice regarding their wedding vendors and their experience purchasing items online.  Chances are, they purchased at least one of their wedding items through the internet.

Have fun!

Alison

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