Your head is full of colour schemes, guest lists, cake ideas, and so much more. There is a lot to think about; you now realize you have this extraordinary event coming up, and that you need to actually plan it!
There is no way you’re going to do it all alone – you definitely need a wedding planner.
But… Who?
How do you find the right person for you?
It’s important to choose a wedding planner with the perfect personality and experience for your unique day.
To help you out, we’ve put together a list of the best questions to ask a potential wedding planner before you hire them.
What is their philosophy when it comes to weddings?
Is it a childlike excitement that stems from an early age?
Do they love the organisation and challenge that comes with planning a wedding?
The way they answer these questions will show you how they feel about wedding planning.
You’re going to be working with this person for months so you’re going to want somebody who complements your own personality and planning style, and who will execute your wedding vision exactly how you’ve dreamed it.
Now we’re getting into the organizational stuff.
You might know exactly what you want from your wedding planner, but many people aren’t sure.
Do you want to organize the majority of the wedding yourself and have somebody to coordinate things on the day if?
Do you want somebody to organize everything from the invitations to your arrival vehicle?
Or, are you unsure about what you want out of a wedding planner?
Asking a wedding planner questions related to what packages they provide will help you clarify what you want from them in your own mind.
Do they have an hourly or flat rate?
Do they want to charge a percentage of the wedding?
Can they give you a breakdown of costs and what budgets are they used to working with?
How do they get paid – is it weekly or is it a deposit at the beginning and a lump sum at the end? Are there any additional fees? What’s their cancellation policy? – So many questions!
Budgeting can be one of the most stressful things when it comes to weddings – don’t let it become a source of stress for you!
Budgets are rarely static for weddings; costs can change. By asking all of these questions at the beginning, you’ll find yourself feeling a lot more relaxed and organized.
This is a big one.
You might be the kind of person who’s happy to wait for four days before getting a list of answers to your email of requests. Or, you might expect them to be picking up the phone whenever you call (within reason).
Don’t ever forget to ask this question, because clear communication is key when liaising with your wedding planner and when avoiding big day stress!
Similarly to response time, you’re going to want to know how much time your wedding planner will have for you around the big day. If you know you’re going to be super demanding the week leading up to your wedding, you don’t want them to be juggling several weddings that are coming up that same weekend.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a beginner wedding planner – everybody has to start somewhere and many planners have a natural talent!
However, it’s still important to many people to know the background and experience that will be supporting their own wedding plans. You will also want to know whether they go at it alone, or whether they have a team in place.
If you’re having a huge wedding, or want somebody to manage absolutely everything from start to finish, it’s going to be a good idea to book somebody with the experience and team to match!
After telling them a little bit about the wedding you’ve envisioned, asking them about similar weddings they’ve planned is of utmost importance. Perhaps you’ve got 400 guests coming, but the biggest wedding they’ve ever planned had a guest list of 50.
Have they ever worked with the kind of venue or with the kinds of vendors that you’re looking at?
By taking a look at similar weddings they’ve planned, you’ll get an idea of whether this planner can organise the kind of wedding you want.
It’s important that the wedding planner has complete transparency with you!
Of course, you have to have the perfect vendors for your wedding day without worrying whether they’ve just been booked because the planner receives commission.
Do note that there’s nothing wrong with a wedding planner receiving commission from a vendor if that vendor is right for you!
This is the question everybody needs to ask - the stress question!
How do they cope when things go wrong or when difficulties arise?
You might want to ask them to give an example of when this has happened in the past. Weddings can be complicated, and things might not always go to plan prior to the day, or even on the day.
The main thing is how the wedding planner resolves these problems – you’re going to want somebody with a cool head and quick thinking, just in case your mum throws a tantrum about the seating plan!
And finally, going back to question number 1.
Here’s our final question, one you need to ask yourself before hiring your wedding planner:
You’re likely to spend a lot of time with this person, whether in person or over emails. You should look forward to it! Your big day is all about being as stress-free and happy as possible, and that all starts with the planning process.
Armed with these questions, you’ll be able to find the perfect person to plan your wedding!
