How To Choose The Perfect Wedding Planner For You
So you’ve been contemplating whether you really need to hire a wedding planner for your big day, but you also want your wedding day to be as stress and worry-free as possible. After exploring many how-to and DIY resources, you now know that the planning process is a bigger undertaking than the law should allow. Reality has set in and you’ve come to the realization that you’re going to need a wedding planner to coordinate your big day. Now it’s time to seek out the help of a professional, but you’re wondering where to begin. In this guide we’ll give you 10 steps to hiring the perfect wedding planner for your special day.
1. Solidify Your Budget
Little can be done without knowing how much money you are able to spend. With that said You’ll want to come up with a relatively firm budget. Things can add up quickly and there are many moving parts to take into consideration. We suggest creating a list of your must-have items
first. This will help narrow down what is most important to you and will also easier to identify items should you need to cut cost. Not knowing what things cost is okay as your planner can tell you what your budget will afford you. Most planners have a variety of packages to fit within most budgets. They can also help to reduce cost through use of their vendor partnerships.
2. Theme and Decor Ideas
After you have decided on your must- haves, You’ll want to begin thinking
about themes and decor. Are you more of an extravagant type or do you prefer more minimalism? This will have a huge impact on your budget. Browsing websites like Pinterest and Instagram can give you a visual sense of what’s been done in the past. Theme and decor ideas can be birthed on these sites and lend inspiration for your own wedding. You can find great ideas on lighting, floral arrangements, Place settings and more on social media and wedding sites as well.
3. Tap into your sphere of influence
One of the first places to start your search for the perfect wedding planner is within your own circles. Maybe you or someone you know has been to a good wedding recently. You can also reach out to those who you know have been recently married. Oftentimes friends and family can be your best source for leads. You might get lucky and someone they know might even know of might have had a great experience with a planner.
4. Browse Planner’s Online Profiles
This will not only give you inspiration as to things you may want to include in your own wedding, but also give you an idea as to what planners are capable of doing. A planner’s website, blog and social media channels will give you a clear cut indication of who they are and the quality of work that they perform. You’ll also want to check their reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and other places to see what type of experience others have had.
5. Put Together a List of Questions
Having a list of questions will help you to become more familiar with your planner. Here are some of the question we are most often asked.
1. How long have you been in the wedding planning business?
2. Is your business licensed & insured?
3. How many weddings have you planned?
4. How many weddings do you have during the month of our wedding?
5. Do you have any special relationships with wedding venues?
6. Do you have a contingency plan should something go wrong?
7. Are we required to only use your vendors?
6. Get Free Consultations
One way to help narrow down your search for a planner is by seeking out those that offer a free in-person consultation. This is a great way to see if prospective planners are truly a fit. This will give you the opportunity to not only ask all of your burning questions, but browse through portfolios. More importantly, you’ll be able to determine whether or not a planner’s personality matches with yours. Just like with choosing your mate you’ll want to make sure that the right chemistry is there. After all, you are entrusting one of the biggest days of your life to this person and will be spending a decent amount of time of the next several months.
7. What Services Are Included In My Wedding Planning Package?
You’ll want to be 100% sure of what services are included in your wedding package so that there are no surprises. If your planner does not include everything that you need in their package offerings, you may have look to an outside vendor. In this case you’ll want to be sure that the planner is willing to work with outside vendors. Be sure to check that your contract does not prohibit your ability to use vendors your planner is not familiar with.
8. Contracts
Another benefit of using a wedding planner is the use of their vendor relationships. These relationships not only help to reduce cost, but also streamline the contract signing process. More often than not, your planner has long standing relationships with the vendors needed to bring your vision to life. Instead of signing individual contracts with each vendor involved, your planner will usually have a blanket contract that includes the work of their vendors as well. Prices are usually pre-negotiated and those saving are then passed on to you. As we mentioned earlier, double check to your contract to ensure that there are no limitations on the use of outside vendors.
9. Insurance
Although it’s the least romantic aspect of wedding planning, insurance is a must. You’ll want to make sure your planner has liability insurance. Most venues require a planner to have insurance in order to book an event at their locations. Not only being just good practice, it simply protects everyone involved in the event of an unforeseen incident.
10. Communication
Communication is going to be key over the next several months as you map out logistics and plan for your wedding. Having good communication will not only make the process go smoother, but help to ease tension as well. While most planners are good at holding hands and guiding their clients through the process, there has to be a communication schedule. Will you be to contact your planner only during normal business hours or does your planner accept calls after hours as well? This is something the relationship just to be sure that you are not over-stepping boundaries.
Well, we hope that you have found these tips to be useful and we wish you all the best in search for the perfect wedding planner for you.
