Many of you have heard or read a lot about the importance of having a variety of to-do-list at your disposal. For many first time brides this is daunting because they have no idea what vendors they will need or how to choose the best wedding vendors for their big day. Of course they are aware that they will need a fashion wedding dress and a wedding cake, oh and food for the guests at the reception. The big question is when and where to begin.

We are here to help you, keep reading to find a list of the type of vendors you will need and a timeline for hiring them.

What is a wedding vendor?

Any person or business that supplies a good or service designed specifically for a wedding is considered to be a wedding vendor. The list includes:

Photographer/videographer

Now that you know who you will need to contact here is a timeline that you should strive to keep. Most of the best wedding vendors are booked for at least a year in advance. This is the main reason that most wedding planners advise couples to plan on a wait of a year to have their wedding. Understand that the sooner you lock them in the better you will rest knowing that you have the one you really wanted.

Wedding Chapel and Reception Hall

You should find these and lock them as soon as possible. These are often used for other things and getting both for the date and time you want will take a good bit of negotiation. It is best to work on these simultaneously.

Next to renting the halls, these are the next highest in priority of all your vendors. You should find them at least 6-9 months before wedding. You will need to choose the cake and the menu soon after that. It is also good to have a rough estimate of the number of people that you are expecting to attend the event.

Another must have and these too fall into the "book early to avoid the rush" timeframe of 6-9 months. You will need flowers for every stage of the wedding.

Transportation - 5-6 months before

Invitations - at least 6 months in advance - however you may purchase the save the date cards a lot earlier.

DJ/Band - as soon as possible, the good ones are in high demand

Photographer/videographer - This is also one area that you have to play a bit by ear. Again the more experienced ones are in high demand and the earlier you book the better.

Checklist Of Things To Ask And Consider When Hiring Wedding Vendors

• Who will do the actual work (this is especially important when hiring the DJ/Band or Photographer)
• How long have hey been in business ( ask about the person doing the work, many times a company may have been in business for years but their employees could be very new.)
• Availability (are they available on the dates you want)
• Ask for at least three references
• Ask about the cancellation policy ( get a copy so that you can read the fine print)
• How much deposit is required and how long will you have to complete the payment.

Trust your gut, if it doesn't feel quite right go with that feeling. If during an interview the wedding vendor is more interested in selling you what they have in mind, rather than listening to your ideas, move on. Visit iwedplanner.com for more information on choosing vendors and while you are there download the free wedding apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. These tools will help you to locate all of your wedding vendors.