Thank you gift for suppliers?

Yes it is quite normal to give your photographer an M+S food hamper?

No- but really its entirely up to you and I would say that it is not expected or the norm and best before you budget for things I would wait and see if you are happy with the services that you have received on the day. Or if someone has perhaps gone above and beyond

Hi,

I'm planning to get a thank-you gift for my florist, as I came to her in a flap after the original florist started being flaky and not replying to emails. She listened to my ideas, made suggestions which I loved, and just totally reassured me. All at quite short notice. I'll prob get a card for the bridal shop too, as they were very helpful.

If you get above-and-beyond service, maybe worth considering, but I wouldn't bother otherwise. At the risk of sounding harsh, you're already paying folks do do a job!

No its not the norm and as it says above you're already paying folks to do a job!?

Nail on the head!

I wouldn't unless it was exeptional circumstances or they went above and beyond on the day. They're already getting paid a lot of money and if they do their job well then I think the best way to show your appreciation would be to leave good feedback on their website of fb page or write them a thank you card.

Wow your friend is generous! I'm paying them, I don't think I'll be getting them gifts as well. Hopefully my money and heartfelt thanks will be enough

I was planning to (if they were good!) send a thank you card, a letter, and a box of chocs. Nothing fancy, just a B&M special. Oh dear...

It's a really lovely thought, but a gift is certainly not expected and is definitely more of a 'once in a blue moon' thing for most suppliers rather than being a common occurrence.

I'm sure most suppliers would agree that a genuine "Thank you" is more than enough ?

If you really would like to show further appreciation for a supplier (or suppliers) though, it's always sooo appreciated if you can take the time to leave a review of your experiences, somewhere like hitched, google and many Facebook pages now accept reviews/ratings.

From planning a wedding myself, I know that when we'd come across a supplier we liked the look of, it would always be really valuable to see genuine comments from previous customers. It can also be valuable for other aspects of businesses like SEO. So a couple of minutes of your time to rate or review can really make all the difference to your suppliers and could really help them to boost their business long term as well.

Hi Brooksy,

Like the other suppliers we certainly wouldn't expect a gift from you on your wedding day. Very occasionally if there has been lots of last minute details worked out then a couple might give me a small gift.

Sending a thank you card or giving feedback via email or social media is great and very appreciated!

James x

Haha, thanks Bill, thought someone might say that!

Thanks everyone for your replies, you really have confirmed what I was thinking around only if they go above and beyond. The thing that really threw me was that the friend in question had a pretty budget wedding, so if she shelled out a lot on gifts for her suppliers it must be the done thing!

I think if I am happy with them on the day I will make sure to give positive reviews and probably a thank you card, but im not going to have gifts for them on the day.

I've heard similar a lot. In most of the cases I know of personally, the suppliers have offered the couples a deal, so it could be that your friend felt she really did have to say a special thank you ?

I'm not doing gifts or cards, but there will be a bit of "coffee and pastries" spread at the house while we're getting ready, so TOG, hairdresser & MUA can help themselves to that, and I'll buy the DJ a drink at the end of the night if he wants one!

Unless a supplier did something exceptional that saved the day or something like that, I wouldn't. It may be a special event, but when it comes down to it, it's their job and you're paying them for it. That and a thanks (and where possible a positive review) should be enough.