Whenever I think about the horror show that is trying to find vendors for your wedding (Can you find them? Can you afford them? Do you like them? Oh wait, can you afford them again?), I always think about that quote from 10 Things I Hate About You that goes, “I know you can be overwhelmed and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be… whelmed?” Because 😬. Right?
This is why a huge portion of what we do at APW is connecting readers with our amazing community of wedding professionals. And why, we’re beyond excited to announce the launch of our brand-new APW vendor directory. We spent the first half of 2017 busting ass with our developers to build the vendor directory of our (and hopefully your) ✨dreams✨. And the reason that’s a big deal is that it’s going to bust open the door for tons more of those connections. Plus it has a bunch of new user-friendly features that are going to make finding your vendors that much easier, like:
- LOG IN AND SAVE YOUR FAVES: Sick of keeping lists of links to potential vendors in a Google doc? We got you. You can now create an account, where you can save all your favorites, and even save searches so you’re the first to know when there’s a new photographer in your state.
- one and done hiring: One of the more frustrating aspects of hiring vendors is having to go to several websites to vet them. You might find them on APW, but then you’ve gotta check out their reviews somewhere else, and then hit up their contact form on their website to get in touch. But no more! We’re excited to announce that all vendor listings now feature reviews and a contact form, so you can read all about what other APWers loved about their vendors right on their listing, reach out to your faves, and then pay it forward with the vendors you loved when the wedding is all over.
- now with more vendors: Perhaps the most important thing we’ve done with this launch is adding a new free listing option. Why is this a big deal? Well, indie vendors like makeup artists, hair stylists, officiants, and florists don’t always have a lot of advertising dollars. Which means they can be impossible to find. But with our new free listing option, even the vendors who can’t normally advertise can still get a listing. We hope this means that in time, no matter where you’re getting married, you guys will be able to do all your sane vendor searches right here on APW.
HELP US Help Them Help You
We are beyond thrilled to be launching this new tool, but to get it all the way off the ground we’re asking for your help.
- SPREAD THE NEWS: Tell your vendors! If you worked with awesome people for your wedding, and you think they’d be a good fit for APW, tell them to check out the new directory. I mean, they can get a free listing and connect with more clients as awesome as you are, so tell your vendors to get on that.
- LEAVE REVIEWS: Go check to see if any of your vendors are directory members and leave them some love!
- BETA TEST: Since we just launched, the vendor directory is still in beta, so give us a heads up if you see anything that isn’t working right (or that could be working better). Feel free to leave us a comment below (with a screenshot) if you notice any problems or email advertising (at) apracticalwedding (dot) com.
I can’t tell you how many wedding vendors our team meets in the wild where we want to shout “YOU NEED TO BE ADVERTISING WITH US” to get the point across about what great clients APW readers make. (We take our job as your hype crew very seriously.) But with the new vendor directory, we can just… hook them up with a listing. DONE.
So readers, share the love and tell your best vendors to sign up for the vendor directory. And if you’re a vendor who’s been kicking around these parts with the idea of signing up with us, but just couldn’t afford to, well, it doesn’t get more affordable than free.
CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT A (FREE) Vendor Directory APPLICATION (OR COPY THAT LINK AND SEND IT TO YOUR FAVORITE VENDORS SO THAT THEY CAN FILL it OUT).
Thank you to everyone who has helped make the APW vendor directory a success since its launch six years ago. It is in no small part thanks to our vendor community and the readers who shop the directory that we were able to make this relaunch possible. Our gratitude goes out to each and every one of you!
