How would procurement plan a wedding?

How to plan a wedding

How to plan a wedding at short notice without breaking the bank? Naomi Clews - Chartered Purchasing & Supply Chain Expert planned her own wedding to perfection by approaching wedding planning as a strategic sourcing exercise.

As weddings are traditionally high profile, strategically important, stressful and complex events, Naomi has provided her top tips on how to successfully navigate the billion pound wedding industry to make the Right purchases for your big day!  

Planning a wedding is stressful. It requires precise timing, a calm demeanour, nerves of steel and a pinch of patience. As a purchasing and supply chain professional, I'm no stranger to chasing orders, scheduling deliveries & the occasional dispute so why not plan a wedding as I would a purchasing procedure. 

The following 4 step plan is my comprehensive guide on how to use purchasing and supply chain tools and techniques to plan a wedding to perfection.  

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Step 1: Sourcing Plan

The sourcing plan is a procurement tool used for planning, managing and monitoring risk to gain best value for money.  It contains the following elements: 

#1.  Executive Summary

• Brief synopsis : overview of the aims and goals of the event e.g. to celebrate a marriage  

#2. Introduction 

• History of the couple: names, proposal, love story   
• Background: bridal party, religious beliefs, cultural and diversity considerations, potential barriers and obstacles to overcome, family traditions.   
• Drivers - timescales, budget, number of guests, location

#3. Objectives

• maximise budget, find venue with capacity, intimate and private wedding, specific date and venue wedding, outdoor weather, wedding to be remembered, quick wedding etc  

#4. Specification

• Ceremony - religious or non-religious ceremony, Season: spring, summer, autumn, winter, weekend or weekday wedding, morning, afternoon, evening or all-day wedding. Indoors, outdoors, home or abroad, elopement, combined wedding and honeymoon, legal ceremony and blessing. 
• Venue - fully managed, Venue hire only, land hire only, DIY  
• Suppliers - caterers, florist, entertainment, transport, décor, suit hire, cake, invites, accommodation, photographer, master of service, wedding planner, make-up artist, hairdresser, beautician, jeweller, dressmaker 
• Guests – numbers, accommodation requirements, children? girlfriends /boyfriends?  
• Budget - funds available to spend 
• Timescales - number of weeks to the preferred date of the wedding

 #5. Budget

• the total amount of money you have to spend and how much you want to spend on each item in your sourcing plan. 

Contact Naomi Clews Consultancy today to discuss your procurement requirements 

​​Step 2: Vetting Wedding Vendors

Now you have a sourcing plan it is time to put it into action. The Request For Information (RFI) is a key tool for procurement professionals who use the RFI to make informal enquiries about the capacity and capability of vendors to provide goods and deliver services. Create an RFI to share your specification with your vendors. 
 
​​#6. Submitting a Request for Information (RFI) 

In our wedding event planning example, this could include requesting information about the following: 

• ​Legal formalities - licences, divorce certificates, birth certificates, Visa.
• Venue availability - costs associated with seasons, day of week, occupancy.  
• Travel and Accommodation - coincides with your venue availability, affordable and local
• Vendor Search - Online directories, online research, social media, wedding fares and events, blogs, recommendations from friends and family.  

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Once you have obtained information from vendors you are in a position to evaluate their quality and price proposals to determine which vendors provide best value for money.

How to plan a wedding

​#7. Evaluation and Selection criteria 

Use quantitative and qualitative techniques to evaluate vendors:
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• Quantitative Review –cost per head, bulk buy discounts, bundling discounts, promotional offers
• Qualitative Review – taste tests, samples, trials, fittings, recommendations, references, availability. 
• BAFO - Negotiate to reach a Best and Final Offer (BAFO)
• Cost versus Quality - the best you can afford within your budget 

​Step 3: Managing Wedding Vendors

#8. Recommendations

​Determine which vendors are within your budget and provide best value for money, based on your evaluation and selection criteria. At this point you may be forced to compromise to obtain your event within budget. This may include changing your specification or lowering your quality expectations, reducing service durations or removing items from your specification completely. 

Before advising vendors and entering into a contract, review their terms and conditions and perform a risk assessment. 

• Terms and Conditions – corkage charges, deposits, cancellation policy, public liability insurance
• Risk Assessment – reliability and reputation, payment plan, short notice substitutions and contingency plans in the case of adverse weather conditions, fire, accidents etc. 
• Advise Vendors - secure dates and availability in writing 
• Quality Control – insurance, contracts, references, recommendations, site visit.

 
#9. Implementation Plan

Plot backwards from the end of your wedding day, to determine the timescales required to deliver each element of the event e.g. ceremony, drinks reception, meal, evening party. Plot the lead time and cancellation dates for your vendors goods and services for invitations, cakes, flowers, alterations, suit hire and any legal obligations such as giving notice. 

Once you have plotted a robust time plan with key milestones and deliverables you can allocate roles and responsibilities for each task to your available resources – family, friends, money, loans, savings, skills and experience. It is also prudent to contingency plan (Plan B) for the weather, transport, loan approval, no shows and cancellations. 

Create a Payment Schedule of key dates when deposits and balance payments need to be made and when refundable deposits are due back into your account. 

Provide all vendors with a written brief, clearly detailing the deliverables you expect them to provide in return for their fee.

This may include: 

• turn up on time,
• deliver X as described,
• pick up X from here and take X to there,
• have dress delivered by X date,
• delivery will be made on X date, return will be made on X date,
• food will be served at X time,
• drinks package will consist of X,
• car hire will be for X amount of time,
• musicians will play for X amount of time. 

Keep track of any cost savings you have negotiated or endorsements, advertising, sponsorship, freebies, to ensure receive these as agreed. 


Step 4 Relax, Enjoy Your Wedding Day

If you have followed the previous 3 steps your wedding should go like clockwork. Although there is nothing you can do about the weather but you will have built contingencies into your plan to deal with all eventualities. 

#10. Feedback  ​ 

Remember to publicise the success of your event and provide feedback for your vendors to help them develop and improve: 

• Thank you cards - thank your guests for coming and for their gifts 
• Online Reviews - for vendors, venues, services etc 
• Returning Items -  ensure deposits are returned promptly 

Naomi Clews is an independent procurement consultant who planned her own wedding. With over 25 years purchasing and supply chain management knowledge and experience in both the private and public sector Naomi helps clients to Get Procurement Right! Just don't ask Naomi to plan another wedding. Check out Naomi's blog for more procurement tips and tricks www.naomiclewsconsultancy.com/blog ​​