We’ve been in the Raleigh area for just over two years now. Having moved my entire life, moving around has never always been great, usually within the first year I am able to find my people, my places and it feels like home. This never happened in Raleigh. In Ohio, I had a community of wedding vendors. People freely worked with each other and it was truly a community.

Now Raleigh is a great city, I have found some great people, and everyone is very southern sweet here. I have met tons of vendors here in Raleigh, networked my butt off, but it hasn’t made much of a difference. That’s because here in the RDU the wedding vendors is more like your sterotypical high school clique, and unless your invited in, its impossible to be a part of.

Now I get have your inner circle of vendor friends, I have people that I love working with or that I would love to work with that I refer my client too. Having go to people is fantastic for those crazy ideas as well, because sometimes you need people you trust and trust you. I’ve watched the past 2 and a half years as the same 6 vendors work together shoot after shoot after wedding after wedding. There is no diversity in the people that they work with.

Now I know I am not the only one who has noticed this. I have talked to countless vendors who can even get into venues because they are not “preferred” I have even had clients point out that they see the same 5 people constantly working together. What is the worst part of it is, I talk to people who complain about this, but then the go out and do the same thing. They just repeat the pattern.

So this is a question for my clients, what does this mean for you? When you see a team of vendors work together, are you more likely to hire that exact team, or do you want to hire individuals to make your vision come to life.

For my vendors friends. I have a challenge for you. The next time you have an idea for a shoot, whether your a photographer, planner, make up artist, work with people you have NEVER worked with before. Make some new friends, create a new vision together. I know it can be scary, but if we don’t try new things how are we supposed to grow? Reach out to different vendors, become more than just internet friends!

If you have ever seen photos of my family, we use a different photographer almost every time. I love working with different photographers in different styles. I have some many photographers that I want to work with for my own family photos. If I had the money I would hire a different photographer every month for new family/couple/branding photos.