As I’ve helped my BFFs plan their weddings this year, I’ve noticed the same two issues plague them near constantly: family drama and lack of wedding vendors. And while the family drama is making me consider opening up my own wedding therapy practice (for realz, someone give me a 1-900 number and we can talk it out), the vendor stuff feels like it should have resolved itself by now. Except, then I remember that there’s a big difference between planning a wedding in a major metropolitan area and planning a wedding where I got married. (In a smallish city where the wedding industry is like… four venues and a handful of people your friends used for their wedding.)

Case in point: One of my BFFs is getting married in Maine at the end of the month, and she could not, for the life of her, find a makeup artist. The one makeup artist in town who everyone uses is obviously booked up through 2018. And everyone else was either unavailable, too expensive, or not the right fit. (Mostly because everyone else was like… six people.) And while wedding planning inevitably involves compromises, choosing a napkin you don’t really love isn’t exactly the same as choosing… a face…. you don’t really love?

And while we aim to help solve that problem with our own vendor community (who really are the kindest and most talented people in the business), it’s harder when the people you’re looking for are the kind of vendors who might not even have their own website. Because chances are, that means they are also not spending dollars on advertising.

But I have good news! We just launched a brand-new vendor directory with a FREE listing option. No strings attached, no gimmicks. We just want to make it possible for you to be able to find great vendors. And we want to fill it with all the best people we can find. Which is why I’m opening up today’s open thread to you guys. Can you help us out and do one (or more!) of the following?

• Either send your vendors this link and tell them to fill out a (no strings attached) free mini listing. Or leave their information in the comments below, and we’ll reach out to them for you. (I know you’re busy.)
• Second, I want to know what it was that made you truly love the vendors you loved? We’re constantly chatting with our vendor community about how they can be better serving our community, but it would be even better if that feedback came directly from you.
• Lastly, I’d love to know where YOU found your vendors. Online? Word of mouth?

I was lucky to have had only amazing professionals at my own wedding. And then doubly lucky to have been a vendor myself, working with the best community on the planet (you guys, duh). And I firmly believe everyone deserves that. So help us help you?

List your favorite wedding vendors in the comments below! They don’t even have to be from your own wedding. Did you love your brother’s wedding photographer? Know a friend who’s a kick-ass baker? Drop their deets!

Image CreditLaura Ford Photography

The post What Made You Super Love Your Vendors? appeared first on A Practical Wedding: We’re Your Wedding Planner. Wedding Ideas for Brides, Bridesmaids, Grooms, and More.