When I first starting looking for vendors for our wedding, I knew nothing about the wedding industry and didn’t really have any specific vendors in mind that I wanted to use. Like most brides, I started my search using Google – typing in keywords like “Austin TX photographers”, “Texas florists,” TX wedding bands,” etc. and while I had some luck, I was disappointed with the results of my searches returned. I found lots of Wedding Wire pages, and they were great for reviews, but their search engine wasn’t the best, and the pictures on the pages were lacking.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I love all the vendors we ended up having for our special day, but now that I’ve started my own business in the wedding industry, I’m amazed by all of the fantastic wedding vendors I’ve discovered and have become friends with that I didn’t even know existed before. Most surprising is that I didn’t find any of these vendors through searching keywords on Google – I found them on Instagram.
Obviously, Google, Wedding Wire, and other online tools are extremely useful for finding vendors, and while I’m not suggesting that these should be replaced by using Instagram, I am suggesting that this social media platform can be a really great tool to use in conjunction with these online tools. Today I’m hoping to show you how you can take advantage of Instagram to discover vendors and select which ones are best for you. I’ve come up with a list of the 5 reasons why I believe Instagram can be useful for brides selecting vendors.
1. IN-DEPTH PORTFOLIO
Contents
Most websites and pages on Wedding Wire have limited pictures. On Instagram, most vendors post a couple of pictures per day. You’ll most likely get to see everything they’ve been up to lately. What workshops they have attended to further their education, what their style is, what they are good at, and exciting moments like when one of their shoots gets a print feature!
2. NEW VENDORS
Instagram is FULL of wedding vendors that are brand new to the industry. Since they are new, their names aren’t going to show up on a Google search and many of them haven’t yet paid to get ads on wedding websites. These newbies are extremely talented and bonus – you’ll pay less for their services because they are still working on building their portfolio.
3. BEHIND THE SCENES
On their websites, businesses display only their high-quality professional images from weddings or photoshoots. On Instagram, they post all their behind-the-scenes pictures! You get to see how they pull together a wedding, how they build a floral arrangement, and what types of services they offer all through pictures!
4. PICTURES SHOW PERSONALITY
Those behind-the-scenes photos of a vendor’s work life and personal life allow their personality to shine through. Maybe you connect with them because they share your style or maybe you connect with them because they’re a dog lover like you. Whatever it is, seeing their personality will allow you to determine if you will work well together.
5. FIND YOUR DREAM TEAM
Instagram allows you to see which vendors work well together. Vendors frequently post pictures of weddings or photoshoots that they did recently and list all of the other vendors they collaborated with. You could see a photoshoot that your dream wedding planner created and then discover the photographer that was behind the lens!
SOME OF MY FAVORITE ACCOUNTS
To get you started, I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite wedding vendor Instagram accounts! Follow along with them and look through their followers to find even more great vendors!
While I definitely wouldn’t recommend using Instagram as your only form of searching for vendors, I do think it can be a really useful tool for helping you discover really talented people and make your final selections. I suggest using it to discover a bunch of vendors at first, then learn more about those vendors you found through their websites and reviews. Continue to follow along with the vendors you are choosing between to learn their personalities and see their behind-the-scenes portfolios to help make your final selections. Be sure to check out all of the Instagram accounts I’ve listed above and follow along with me @lovewinstexas! I have some fun-styled shoots coming up soon and I’ll be sharing lots of sneaks peeks and behind-the-scenes shots!