Saying that you have chosen someone else...

Q. My fiance and I recently met with a number of caterers. We had four tastings, and the winning caterer turned out to be the last one we saw. I now have to tackle the dreaded task of saying "no thanks" to the other caterers. They were all great and quite amazing in terms of service, so I want to handle this correctly. What exactly should I say to them? Should I call them or write an email? If they ask me which caterer I chose instead, should I tell them?

A. While you are not obligated to contact potential wedding vendors after meeting with them, it is a courtesy that they would most likely appreciate. This prevents them from spending any more time on you after you've already committed to another vendor, and it also gives them the opportunity to ask a few questions, for instance who you went with and maybe even why. This gives a vendor an idea of what is going on in terms of the business in their area. If you want to answer their questions, do so and be honest; if not, just tell them you'd prefer not to say. An email is perfectly fine just to keep them informed. Say "We appreciate your time and information but we have choosen another vendor."