by Nik Edser
“Over two thousand bucks next time” the mechanic told me.

“What? …”

I was 17, naive and the mechanic knew it. Each and every service since I bought my car was just getting more and more expensive. I sent thousands with him over the past 12 months. This time I thought I would get a second opinion so took it to another mechanic who quoted me $70 for the next service! He said the car looked almost new. No surprise, this other guy was getting me to replace just about everything in the car over the past year!

Well … fast forward and I’m no longer 17 and I’m no longer naive.

So, what has this got to do with choosing suppliers for your wedding right?

Well, see I assumed a mechanic was a mechanic. Many bridal couples assume that a florist is a florist, a DJ is a DJ,
a cake designer is a cake designer … see where I’m going?

Not all service providers are equal. Some are very cheap, but when you consider what they deliver you can see why they are so cheap. Others are extremely expensive and charge much more than they are truly worth. It’s tough to cut through the fog and get a clear vision isn’t it? You have so much already on your mind when it comes to planning your special day. Wouldn’t it be nice to just have an industry list of trusted, reputable providers?

Well, the good news that list already exists! And here is the really cool thing about it … it’s not some stuffy judges that give them the “pass” or their score. It’s actually blind scoring provided by previous bridal couples that have been served by the suppliers. This way it gives a TRUE, accurate and completely unbiased measure of just how good these companies are.

So where can you get this priceless list and how much does it cost to access it?

Well, here is the good news … it’s completely free for you to access.

It’s called the ABIA (Australian Bridal Industry Awards). www.abia.com.au

WAIT!!! WARNING – Before you leave this post and rush over to the ABIA website, take another minute just to finish reading this post so you know what you are looking for on this site.

Any supplier can become an ABIA member (for an annual fee). However, many suppliers simply don’t get rated very well (due to their poor service). For example, in Queensland alone there are over 200 DJ companies registered as ABIA members, but just being a member doesn’t mean they are good. So how can you tell the good from the bad?

It’s easy. What you need to do is look for the finalists in each category. Being announced as a finalist means that the company has been providing outstanding service to their bridal couples. These finalists in each category (never more than a maximum of 10) helps you to seperate the try-hards from the true industry professionals.

You will come across suppliers who might be absolutely brilliant, but are not members of the ABIA. But you have to wonder, if they are so sure about how great they are, why AREN’T they members? What are they afraid of? Besides, can you really afford to take the risk with having suppliers that are not ABIA finalists for your special day? The hard work has been done for you by choosing these proven and awarded suppliers. (Oh, and not to mention once a company has been awarded as a finalist they tend to keep striving to do better and better each year to remain ABIA finalists).

Okay … so now go and explore!
P.S. – Oh yes, of course NikNat Entertainment are ABIA finalists!

Warmest wishes,

Nik Edser