What should a wedding supplier brief include?

Fifteen fields: names and date with day of week, venue and the exact space, ceremony time, confirmed and invited guest counts, a run sheet with hard times, deliverables and deadlines, the decision-maker on the day, budget range in FJD, suppliers already booked, payment terms, the transfer the supplier must make, the outside-vendor policy, whether accommodation is needed, the named wet-weather space, and whether power is continuous.

What makes a Fiji supplier brief different?

Five fields that change the quote rather than just the logistics: the exact space rather than the resort name, the transfer the supplier has to make and the last boat back, the venue's outside-vendor policy and fee, the named wet-weather alternative, and whether power is grid or generator and continuous.

How many suppliers should you brief per category?

Three, briefed identically, replying by the same date. Fewer gives you nothing to compare against; more and you will not read the replies properly. Then normalise the quotes to the same scope, deliverables and tax treatment before you compare totals.

Should you tell suppliers your budget?

Yes, as a range in Fiji dollars. A range gets you an itemised quote priced to your job. Withholding it usually gets you a brochure or a top-of-range package, and it costs you a round of revisions you did not need.

Why does the exact space matter in a supplier brief?

Because a beachfront lawn and an on-site chapel are different jobs at the same resort. Light, wind, power access, furniture requirements and set-up time all change. Briefing a venue without naming the space is the most common reason a quote has to be revised.

The Supplier Brief Template

Q: Do Fiji suppliers charge for travel to the venue?

Frequently, and reasonably. A supplier travelling from Nadi to the Coral Coast loses most of a day to the road, and one travelling to a Mamanuca island is on a scheduled sailing with a last departure that may fall before your reception ends — which can mean an overnight stay. Put the transfer in the brief so it is quoted rather than invoiced later.

A supplier brief is one page that lets a photographer, florist, stylist or celebrant quote accurately without a phone call. For a Fiji wedding it needs fifteen fields, and five of them are specific to Fiji: the exact space, the transfer the supplier has to make, the outside-vendor policy, the wet-weather alternative, and whether power is continuous.

Most couples brief their suppliers in fragments across three months of emails. The result is a quote that has to be revised twice, and a supplier who arrives having planned for a different day.

What has to be in a Fiji supplier brief?

Fifteen fields. The first ten are universal; the last five are the ones that make a Fiji quote accurate rather than approximate.

#	Field	Why the supplier needs it
1	Names and the date, with the day of the week	Saturdays price differently and book out first
2	Venue and the exact space	"Beachfront lawn" and "the chapel" are different jobs at the same resort
3	Ceremony start time	Decides light, heat and whether they can do a second job that day
4	Guest count: confirmed and invited	Florals and styling scale on confirmed; catering on invited
5	Run sheet with hard times	Arrival, ceremony, photos, reception, first dance, departure
6	Deliverables and deadlines	"40 edited images in three weeks" is a brief; "some photos" is not
7	Who decides on the day	One name, one phone number, one authority
8	Budget range, in FJD	A range gets a real quote; no range gets a brochure
9	Suppliers already booked	So they can coordinate rather than duplicate
10	Payment terms and whether tax is included	Fiji quotes vary on whether VAT and levies are inside the number
11	The transfer the supplier must make	Drive time, or which sailing, and the last one back
12	The venue's outside-vendor policy	Some resorts charge a fee or refuse external suppliers outright
13	Whether accommodation is needed	On an island, the supplier may have to stay the night
14	The wet-weather alternative, named	A florist designs differently for a lawn and a ballroom
15	Power: grid or generator, continuous or not	Decides lighting, charging and equipment planning

Why do the last five matter so much in Fiji?

Because they change the quote, not just the logistics.

The transfer. A supplier travelling from Nadi to the Coral Coast is losing most of a day to the road; one travelling to a Mamanuca island is on a scheduled sailing with a last departure that may be before your reception ends. That is a travel charge and possibly an accommodation charge, and it belongs in the brief rather than in a revised invoice. Our guides to realistic drive times and ferry timetables have the numbers.

The outside-vendor policy. Fiji resorts differ widely on whether you may bring your own photographer, florist or stylist, and on what they charge if you do. Find out before you brief anyone — Fiji wedding venues: outside-vendor friendly lists where it is straightforward, and can you bring your own photographer to a Fiji resort wedding? answers the most common version of the question.

Accommodation. If the venue is an island and the last boat leaves at 5pm, your photographer is staying over. Someone is paying for that room.

The wet-weather plan. A styling quote for an open lawn and the same quote for an indoor alternative are different jobs with different hire lists. Naming the backup space in the brief means one quote covers both. Your Fiji wedding wet-weather plan sets out how to build it.

Power. Some island properties run on generators and not continuously. A DJ, a lighting plan or a videographer's charging schedule depends on knowing. See power reliability and generator backup.

The template

Copy this, fill it in once, and send the same version to every supplier.

FIJI WEDDING SUPPLIER BRIEF

Couple:                 [Names]
Date:                   [Day, DD Month YYYY]
Venue:                  [Resort / venue name]
Exact space(s):         [Ceremony space] / [Reception space]
Wet-weather space:      [Named space] — decision called by [time]

Guests:                 [X] confirmed of [Y] invited
Ceremony time:          [HH:MM]
Sunset that date:       [HH:MM]

RUN SHEET (hard times)
  [HH:MM]  Supplier access from
  [HH:MM]  Guests seated
  [HH:MM]  Ceremony
  [HH:MM]  Photos
  [HH:MM]  Reception / speeches
  [HH:MM]  Supplier departure / last boat

WHAT WE ARE ASKING YOU TO QUOTE
  [Specific scope]
  Deliverables:         [e.g. 40 edited images]
  Delivery deadline:    [date]

LOGISTICS
  Travelling from:      [Nadi / Suva / other]
  Transfer required:    [drive time, or sailing times]
  Accommodation:        [needed / not needed / we will cover]
  Outside-vendor fee:   [FJ$X / none / not yet confirmed]
  Power on site:        [grid / generator, continuous yes-no]

COMMERCIALS
  Budget range:         FJ$[X] – FJ$[Y]
  Quote to state:       whether VAT and any levies are included
  Payment terms:        [deposit %, balance date, method]

ALREADY BOOKED
  Planner:              [name]
  Celebrant:            [name]
  Photographer:         [name]
  Florist / stylist:    [name]
  Other:                [name]

DECISION-MAKER ON THE DAY
  [Name], [mobile], [email]

Please reply by [date] with an itemised quote and your
availability. If anything above makes the job different from
what you usually price, tell us and we will adjust.

That last line does more work than any other. It invites the supplier to correct your assumptions instead of quietly pricing around them.

What will the supplier ask you first?

Four things, every time. Answer them in the brief and you save a week.

Is the date held? A supplier will not hold a date on an enquiry.
Where exactly, and can I get there and back? The transfer question, again.
What is the wet-weather plan? Because it changes their kit list.
What is the budget? A refusal to give a range reads as a refusal to buy.

How many suppliers should you brief?

Three per category, briefed identically, replying by the same date. Fewer and you have no comparison; more and you will not read them properly.

Then normalise the replies before you compare totals — same scope, same deliverables, same tax treatment — because three suppliers will structure three quotes three different ways. Our venue comparison worksheet does the same job for venues.

The verdict

One page, fifteen fields, sent to three suppliers per category on the same day with the same reply-by date. The five Fiji-specific fields — exact space, transfer, outside-vendor policy, wet-weather alternative and power — are what turn an approximate quote into one you can sign.

Next step

Build the timings first with the wedding day run sheet template, then check your sunset time against golden hour in Fiji, month by month. The rest of the paperwork is in the Fiji wedding planning checklist and the Fiji wedding budget spreadsheet. For suppliers to brief, start with Ocean Studio Fiji or Leezett Photography for photography, Firefly Flowers Fiji for florals, Dream Weddings & Event Decor Fiji for styling, Totoka Hair & Beauty for hair and makeup, Celebrant Fiji for the ceremony and RK Event Hire Fiji for furniture, or browse suppliers in Nadi. Everything else is in the Fiji wedding tools hub.