Hiring a Wedding Planner 101

Today, I got to tag along on my first potential client consultation meeting with Lori! I was really excited because I definitely was ready to see what went into the initial starting point of planning an entire wedding.  While we met with the bride-to-be, I took note of what really went into the actual beginning process of planning.  There was one thing I noticed that could really make or break whether or not the meeting was productive or not:  QUESTIONS.  Not only questions from the bride-to-be, but questions from the planner's side as well.  At the end of the meeting, I had noticed I had taken almost two pages of scribbled notes; and, in my opinion, too much information is better than too little.  With that being said, there are a lot of important things that you should be asking the planner when meeting for the first time; and, there are also a lot of things that the planner should be interested in about YOU.  So, after today's meeting, I picked out some key questions that should be asked by both you and by the planner.  Enjoy!


Questions to ask the Wedding Planner:

• Will you be there all day on the day of the wedding or event?
• Will you be committed to my budget and not push me to spend more?
• Will you be honest with me about opinion in venue, caterer, florist, etc.?
• What type of services do you offer?
• Will you direct me towards the most popular/well-known vendors or will you be sure to match my vision and budget guidelines when making recommendations?
• Will everything be out of my hands the week of or the day of the wedding? (No one wants to be a stressed out bridezilla on their big day!) 
• What sets you apart from other planners in the area?

Things the Wedding Planner should ask you:

• When you picture your wedding, what do you see?
• What words would describe how your wedding looks?
• What are the "must-haves" and the "no way!" elements you want incorporated?
• How did you and your fiance meet/how did he propose?
• What is your current lifestyle and how much time to you have to dedicate to wedding planning?
• What is your budget and how tightly do we need to stick to that?
• Who else will be involved in the wedding planning? Any family? Friends?
• Who, if you have any, are your favorite vendors that you know of and are set on?

As I was able to see today, these questions allowed the planner and the bride to understand each other and what was wanted/needed on each end.  And, after all, every girl knows exactly how she wants her wedding to be.  Most of us have known since we were ten years old! So, the more detail, the better! I hope these questions are helpful tips for those of you out there beginning to plan next phase of your life! 

Boldly Yours, 
Taylor