Preferred Vendors and Recommendations

Couples constantly ask their planner "who should we use for photography?" or "do you know a good florist?" Gilded lets you mark your go-to vendors as preferred, write a short blurb about why you recommend them, and send a couple a branded list of recommendations in a couple of clicks.

This is available on every plan.

Marking a Vendor as Preferred

You can flag any vendor in your rolodex as preferred:

• From the vendor form — open a vendor and click the star toggle. It reads "Mark as preferred" when off and "Preferred vendor" when on; the star fills in when active.
• From the vendor list — click the star button on any vendor row, or use the same option in the vendor's dropdown menu. Hover text confirms the action ("Mark as preferred" / "Remove from preferred").

Preferred vendors are the ones that get pre-selected when you send recommendations, so star the vendors you'd actually put in front of a couple.

Adding a Recommendation Blurb

While editing a vendor, fill in the field labeled "Why you recommend them (shown to couples)". This is a short note that couples see next to the vendor in your recommendations email — for example, "Bright, candid style and incredibly easy to work with" or "Books up 12 months out, but worth the wait."

The blurb is optional, but it's what turns a bare list of names into a real recommendation. Without it, the couple just sees the vendor's name and contact info.

Sending Recommendations to a Couple

Recommendations are sent from an event, so they go to that couple with your branding:

1. Open the event and find the Vendors card
2. Click Recommend

This opens the Send Preferred Vendors dialog:

• The description confirms who it's going to: "Email {couple} a branded list of your recommendations."
• Add an optional Personal message — a quick note to the couple that appears at the top of the email.
• Under Vendors, pick who to include. Your rolodex is grouped by category, preferred vendors are marked with a gold star and are pre-checked, and each shows its blurb. A counter shows how many you've selected.
• Vendors with no contact info show a warning ("No contact info — couple will only see the name") — the couple will still see the recommendation, just without a way to reach them.

Click Send to email the couple. You'll get a confirmation that the recommendations were sent.

If the couple has no email on file, the dialog tells you so — add an email to the event's contacts first.

What the Couple Receives

The couple gets a branded email titled "Vendors I recommend for you," introduced with a line like "Here are a few trusted vendors from [your name] to help with your planning." (Gilded uses your name if you've set one, otherwise your business name.)

Vendors are grouped under category headers (Photographer, Florist, DJ, and so on) in a consistent order. Each entry shows the vendor's name, contact details, and the blurb you wrote about why you recommend them.

Tips

• Star as you go. When you finish a wedding with a vendor you loved, star them right then and jot a one-line blurb while it's fresh.
• Write blurbs in the couple's voice. "Perfect for a relaxed outdoor wedding" helps a couple picture the fit better than "great photographer."
• Curate per couple. The pre-selected preferred list is a starting point — uncheck anyone who isn't right for a particular couple's style or budget before sending.