Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Planner

Rustic Christmas Wedding at The Pavilion at the Angus Barn – Photo Credit: RTP.Studio

Planning a wedding is a huge undertaking, probably the biggest project you’ve ever worked on, and the idea of entrusting a total stranger with bringing your vision to life isn’t always the easiest. But if you don’t find someone you can trust to complete all the set up and run your wedding day, the burden will fall on you, your family and wedding party. At Beauty & the Budget Events, we believe a wedding day is meant to be a stress-free, enjoyable celebration for everyone in attendance, so we want to dive into how you can pick the perfect planner.

Should I hire a wedding planner or coordinator?

As with any vendor, finding the right fit for your wedding is so important, and there are some basic questions you’ll always want to ask. The first question you’ll want to ask yourself is if you want to hire a coordinator or a planner, and it goes something like this: “Do I feel like planning a wedding is something I can handle on my own, or do I want advice, resources and support along the way?” If you can plan everything on your own, you’ll only need to hire a coordinator, but if you want the extra support, a wedding planner is a great option. Knowing this distinction right off the bat is so important, because you want to make sure the vendors you’re considering can provide the services you want at a price you can afford. In both cases, the vendor will likely call themselves a wedding planner with a coordination service available.

A Crafty, Colorful Wedding with Full Service clients Megan & Owen – Photo Credit: MKM Photography

How to narrow down your vendor options

After you’ve decided what kind of service you want, we always recommend chatting with your friends to see if anyone knows any great wedding planners. Finding a vendor through a personal connection is the easiest way to feel confident in your choice, but reading reviews and asking the right questions can also ensure you find the perfect fit. You’ll first want to make sure that the planners you’re considering have your date available and have a personality you can get along with. Some planners specialize in certain types of weddings, while others have a broad range of experience. For inspiration, explore our guide on The ABC’s of Wedding Themes to discover different wedding styles and see which one aligns with your vision. You can pre-screen your options by checking out their websites or IG accounts to make sure you can relate with them (e.g. Do they work exclusively with one type of couple? Are they LGBT friendly? Do most of their weddings look alike?) Reviewing previous weddings they’ve planned, such as Paula & Sebastian’s Eclectic Tea Party Wedding at JC Raulston Arboretum, can provide insight into their style and capabilities.

Once you’ve picked a few potential options, you’ll definitely want to set up consultations. Before you get to that point, you’ll probably have some emails or DMs back and forth, and this is the first chance to see if they could be a good fit. Do you like their communication style? Do they make the experience feel personalized? Is the process to set up a consult easy and comfortable? By the time you get to the consult, you’ll probably already have a good feel for the planner, but you’ll really want to pay attention to your heart and your mind while sitting down for the consult. Whether over the phone or in person, you really need to be able to get along with your planner! After all, you’ll be chatting with them a ton about this super special day, and they’re going to be right by your side on wedding day – so you want to actually like them!

If you feel any warning flags throughout the process, don’t be afraid to ask them more questions about a specific topic or role they’ll play in your wedding. Trust is such an important part of this process, because after months of putting your heart into creating this amazing day, you’ll be handing over the reins to your planner to make sure everything comes together. Having trust means less stress, so you can truly enjoy every moment of your day.

A Springtime Citrus Wedding with Full Service clients Sarah & AJ – Photo Credit: MKM Photography

20 questions to ask before hiring a wedding planner

So, you’re feeling good about a few planners. They’ve got the right vibe, you’re cool with their prices, and they’re available on your date. So what should you actually ask before hiring your wedding planner? Here are our top 20 questions to ask your potential planners before booking.

• • What is your favorite part of planning/coordinating a wedding?
  • How big is your team? Will you be at my wedding, or will another team member be in charge of my day?
  • Do you bring an assistant to every wedding?
  • What kind of communication can we expect between booking and wedding day?
  • What do you actually do on my wedding day?
  • Are there any limits to what you set up or help with?
  • Do you have travel fees, or any other fees I should be aware of?
  • What is the booking process like?
  • What do your packages actually include?
  • How will you be involved before my wedding day?
  • Have you done a wedding at my venue? And if not, are you comfortable working at new venues?
  • What kind of wedding budgets do you work with, and how does ours compare?
  • How many weddings do you expect to have the month of my wedding?
  • What are some problems you’ve seen at weddings, and how did you help fix them?
  • We want to include ___ – can you help with this?
  • Are you certified and insured?
  • What happens if you can’t make it to our wedding? Do you have emergency plans in place?
  • Can you provide any references from past clients?
  • What does the payment process look like, and how do you charge?
  • What makes you different from your competition?

After you’ve chatted with your top few potential planners, you’ll probably know just who you want to book. But hey, if you’re equally torn between two, feel free to get rid of the stress of making a decision and just flip a coin. For another comprehensive list of questions, consider this guide from The Knot: 32 Questions to Ask a Wedding Planner, According to the Pros.