Questions to Ask Wedding Planner: Wedding Planning Help

A wedding planner is a professional who coordinates all the logistical aspects of a couple’s wedding day.

In addition to helping couples decide on their overall vision, budget, and event design preferences, these planners get into the nitty-gritty both before and during the wedding day itself. This means preparing well enough to prevent things from going awry as well as being able to solve problems if an issue comes up despite the best-laid plans.

By hiring a wedding planner, the couple—as well as their bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents, and guests—can enjoy the wedding without worrying about any potential mishaps. They can rest easy knowing the wedding planner is working behind the scenes to ensure everything goes off without a hitch.

Wedding planners take steps to ensure complex events go according to plan. Here are just a few of the things potential wedding planners do to alleviate the stress for happy couples planning their big day:

• Coordinates with vendors: Your wedding planner will meet with florists, caterers, DJs, and other vendors to make sure they have everything they need to make your day move along as smoothly as it can. You can attend these wedding vendor meetings too if you want, but you can leave it in your planner’s hand so long as they have a long track record of success in coordinating events like yours.
• Helps to design your vision: Some people hire their planners before they even land on a wedding venue. In cases like these, wedding planners can help you build the vision for your special day from the ground up. It’s often helpful to choose a planner with experience preparing events similar to the one you plan to host. For instance, if you want to have a destination wedding, choose a planner who specializes in them.
• Organizes setup and cleanup: Wedding planners help set up before the ceremony starts and tear down after the reception ends. This includes getting all the centerpieces and floral arrangements ready, as well as clearing out the space of your rental to look as good as new in the time the wedding venue allows.
• Prepares for the big day: In a general sense, certified wedding planners are there to take care of every logistical step necessary to let you, your soon-to-be spouse, and your wedding party enjoy your day without stress. In the lead-up to your wedding date, they’ll anticipate every potential hiccup they can ahead of time so things proceed smoothly.
• Solves real-time problems: On the day of your wedding, things might go wrong in one way or another, but a wedding planner can fix them fast. Maybe rain threatens your outdoor ceremony plans or a vendor cancellation happens. Your planner will be on-site with a backup plan ready to go for every possible problem.

Wedding planning can prove to be a full-time job, so it makes sense there’s a booming industry for professional wedding planners. Still, every couple has different preferences. You might have a natural knack for planning or only want to host a small event, in which case you could probably coordinate your wedding by yourselves with a little help from your friends.

On the other hand, if you’re planning a wedding with a triple-digit guest list, consider hiring an outside planner. Keep in mind you can still pick a planner who’ll be more or less hands-on depending on your needs and desires as a couple. Some will help you plan everything from sending out RSVP cards to your honeymoon, whereas others will just organize the day of the event itself.

As you start your personal wedding planning process, you’ll need to vet potential wedding coordinators. Ask about these subjects to better decide on the right wedding planner for you and your fiancé or fiancée:

• Budget: Talk to potential candidates about whether or not they can work within the wedding budget you provide. On top of that, see if they can offer any insight into cutting down on wedding costs while still achieving the same standards you’re hoping for on your big day.
• Compensation: Ask how each wedding planner you talk to prefers to receive payment. Some might want a deposit up front, installments along the way, and a final payment after your wedding weekend ends. Others might just take a flat fee at a certain point in the process. Make sure you go over any contracts they provide to clarify expectations.
• Network of vendors: Some wedding planners will give you free rein to choose whichever vendors you want, while others might have a set of preferred vendors from which you can choose. Odds are, they’ll have an extensive network of people they’ve worked with in the past you can pick from regardless. Ask about who they know and how they can help meet your needs and expectations.
• Past experience: Ask each wedding planner you talk with about the types of wedding receptions and ceremonies they’ve planned in the past. See if they can give you references to reach out to about their services. Try to find someone who’s planned an event similar to the one you want for yourselves.
• Services offered: Talk about the scope of work you expect from your wedding planner. Perhaps you want full-service planning from the bridal shower and rehearsal dinner to the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon. Maybe you just want a day-of coordinator you can start working with closer to the actual event. Ask about what services each candidate offers to narrow down who you want to plan your big day.

Have a wedding to plan? Learn how to take on the process strategically. Discover Mindy Weiss’s approach to setting a budget, choosing a theme, and sending invitations when you sign up for the MasterClass Annual Membership.