In short
- A coordinator’s first question is ’will they make my day harder?’, not ’are they talented?’
- Know which kind of list you’re after: recommended, preferred, exclusive or paid.
- The best approach is a follow-up after a wedding you did at that venue.
- Have insurance, registrations and a one-page supplier sheet ready to send the same day.
- Lists get reviewed. Thank, refer back and stay in touch to keep your place.
How a recommendation actually happens
Most couples book their venue early, then ask the venue who else they should talk to. The coordinator hands over a list, says a name out loud, or both. Planners do the same with a shortlist built around the couple's budget and style. Other suppliers recommend too: a photographer gets asked about florists, a celebrant gets asked about hair and makeup.
Those recommendations come in a few forms, and it pays to know which one you're aiming for.
| Kind of list | How it works | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended suppliers | A list of suppliers who have worked at the venue. Often long and rarely reviewed. | Easy to get on. The name the coordinator says out loud matters more than the list. |
| Preferred suppliers | A short, curated list the coordinator vouches for. Reviewed from time to time. | Worth the effort. Earned through good work at the venue. |
| Exclusive or in-house | The venue only allows its own team or one named supplier for that service. Common for catering, sometimes for bar, styling or hire. | The door is shut for now. Stay friendly and focus elsewhere. |
| Paid listing | A fee or a commission to appear. | Ask what the fee buys before you pay (more below). |
Some venues also run a formal application for their list, a point Easy Weddings makes in its advice to suppliers. Ask first, and follow their process if they have one.
What a coordinator is really worried about
A coordinator's name is on every wedding at their venue. When a supplier runs late, blocks the loading dock or leaves wax on the floorboards, the couple remembers the venue. So the first question in their head is not 'are they talented?' It is 'will they make my day harder?'
The things that come up again and again:
- Bump-in and bump-out times, and sticking to them.
- Where to park and unload.
- Venue rules on candles, confetti, fixings, power and noise.
- Following the run sheet.
- How you treat their staff.
- Couples who come back happy.
Planners care about all of that, plus one more thing: replies. A planner juggling many suppliers for one wedding will stop using the one who takes three days to answer. Most approaches to venues talk only about style. Show you understand the rest and you stand out.
What each trade can offer
The useful first offer depends on your trade. Some ideas that answer what venues and planners worry about:
| Trade | What venues and planners watch | A useful first offer |
|---|---|---|
| Photographers | Being on time, staying out of the staff's way, images that show the venue well | A small set of venue images from a wedding you shot there, with the couple's permission and clear terms for the venue's use |
| Florists | Installs that respect the rules, prompt pack-down, no mess or water marks | Dressing the tables for a tasting night or open day |
| Cake makers | Delivery timing, fridge space, who cuts and plates, allergen details | A tasting box for the venue team, plus a one-page sheet on delivery and set-up |
| Celebrants | Starting on time, sound, the wet-weather plan, the paperwork done right | A short note on how you run a ceremony at their venue: where you stand, your PA, your rain plan |
| Hair and makeup | Getting everyone ready on time so the ceremony starts on time, leaving the getting-ready room tidy | A timing guide by party size that the coordinator can pass to couples |
| Hire (furniture, styling, marquees, lighting) | Delivery and collection windows, floor protection, damage, clearing out on time | A bump-in plan for their site and a list of what you have set up there before |
Get your paperwork ready before you ask
When a coordinator says 'send me your details', send them the same day. Keep everything in one folder or one link:
- A certificate of currency for public liability insurance. Many venues ask for one before a supplier works on site, and some set a minimum cover. Ask what theirs is.
- Your ABN and business name, matching your invoices.
- Registrations your trade needs. A celebrant can point to their entry on the Attorney-General's Department register of authorised marriage celebrants. A cake maker should have whatever food business licence or registration their state and council require.
- A one-page supplier sheet: what you do, packages or a 'from' price, how far ahead you book, how you bump in and out, and your phone number on the day.
- Real weddings at that venue or similar ones, shared with the couples' permission.
- Reviews that mention reliability and communication, not only how it looked.
How to approach a venue or planner
Start with a wedding you've already done there
The strongest approach is a follow-up, not a pitch. Within a week of working at a venue, send the coordinator a short thank-you with something useful attached: a few photos of their space, a note that the pack-down went smoothly, or the couple's kind words about their team. Then ask how they choose suppliers. A made-up example:
Hi Jess, thanks for Saturday. Your team made the reception reset easy. I've attached six photos of the courtyard set for the ceremony. The couple are happy for you to use them.
If you keep a list of florists you recommend, I'd love to know what you look for.
Mia, Little Fern Flowers
If you haven't worked there yet
Ask for something small and specific: a site visit, the chance to dress an open day, or a styled shoot that shows their space as couples would use it. WeddingPro's advice is to make the first email about how your clients and theirs line up, and ask only for a visit. On the visit, ask what they look for in suppliers. Then answer that question with evidence: reviews, paperwork, a wedding at a similar venue.
If you know a supplier who is already on the list, ask them to introduce you. A word from someone the coordinator already trusts counts for more than any email you can write.
Planners work differently
A planner recommends from their own experience across many venues and matches suppliers to each couple's budget and style. Make it easy for them to place you. A line like 'relaxed documentary photography, packages from $X, usually booked six months ahead', with your real numbers in it, is more useful to a planner than a mood board. Then be the supplier who replies the same day, fills in the run sheet without being chased, and arrives when it says. There is more on what wedding planners look for and how venues choose suppliers.
Other suppliers recommend too
Couples ask the suppliers they have already booked for names, often before they ask the venue. A photographer who books a year out is asked about florists, hair and makeup and celebrants long before the coordinator is. These pairings tend to be natural: photographer and florist, celebrant and hire, hair and makeup and photographer, cake maker and florist.
The approach is the same as with a venue. Pick a few suppliers whose style and price sit near yours, work a wedding alongside them, and follow up afterwards with something useful, such as photos that show their work well. Then ask whether they'd be happy to swap names when couples ask. Keep it to suppliers you would genuinely send your own couples to, because every name you give is a recommendation with your reputation on it.
Staying on the list
Lists get reviewed, and suppliers who drift out of touch get replaced, a point WeddingPro makes too. Keeping your place is mostly small habits:
- Thank the person for every couple they send, by name, and tell them when the couple books.
- Recommend back. When a couple asks you about venues or other suppliers, mention the ones who send you work first, if they suit.
- Send your new certificate of currency before your old one runs out.
- Tell them when you're booked out on a date, so they don't send couples who will be disappointed.
- Ask every enquiry how they found you, and write it down. After a season you'll know which venues and planners actually send work.
- When a coordinator leaves, introduce yourself to their replacement. The list often goes with the person.
Is a paid listing worth it?
Some venues and planners charge to be on a list, or take a commission on bookings. That isn't wrong in itself, but find out what you're buying:
- How many suppliers in your category are on it?
- Does the coordinator recommend from it, or just hand it out?
- Can you talk to a supplier already listed about what it brought them?
- Is there any check of your work, or can anyone who pays join?
A list that takes anyone who pays is advertising. Judge it the way you would any other advertising: by what it costs against the bookings it brings.
A simple 90-day plan
- Week 1: list the ten venues and five planners closest to your style and price. Note who coordinates each, and whether any has an exclusive supplier in your trade.
- Week 2: build your folder: insurance, supplier sheet, real weddings, reviews.
- Weeks 3 to 6: send a follow-up to every venue you worked at this season. Ask the others for a site visit or offer something specific.
- Weeks 7 to 12: do the visits, ask what they look for, follow up within a week, and start tracking where every enquiry came from.
None of it is quick, and most of it is just being reliable where people can see it. If finding the right venues and planners and writing those first emails is the part that never gets done, Curlew does it in your business name and passes on anyone interested; the work at the venue stays yours. For more, see how to get on a preferred supplier list and getting referred by other businesses.