How to Choose the Right Wedding Planner for You

Just the mere thought of tying the knot can bring upon anxiety of a new kind, especially if you’re limited on time. Weddings have turned into a ball of stress, sleepless nights and countless arguments, all aimed in an effort to perfect that big day.

From giant things such as the venue, date, theme and guest list to little details like the favors, registry and music, the wedding checklist seems to be forever growing.

So what’s the ultimate solution to situations like these? Hiring a wedding planner of course! A professional that’s been designated to distribute your workload, holding vast experience in the wedding industry is just the type of individual you should be on the lookout for.

We’ve said it many times and we’re undoubtedly going to say it again, the planning process for your wedding is so much easier when you’ve got a good wedding planner on board. Someone that can help you get a team of vendors that are trustworthy, cost effective and oh so fabulous. But how to find the perfect wedding planner is truly a question worth pondering upon and a quest that many are unable to fulfill.

This wedding season, we’ve got you covered with the best tips and tricks on how to choose a wedding planner that’s right for you. We’ll begin by discussing how you can start the search and how to narrow it down seamlessly until you find the one. So let’s take a look!

Your compatibility and their experience matter

A wedding planner should only be hired if their compatibility with the soon to be married couple is strong. We’re talking an individual that understands your wedding’s vision and gets along with your personality. After all, hiring an individual with a persona that’s totally opposite to yours isn’t such a good idea in the first place.

Face to face consultations are a big YES in our books, simply because they give you and the planner in question the opportunity to get a feel of what your goals and objectives may be and how they’re willing to work around them to get you an event that fits right in.

And that’s not all. Experience matters most. You’re probably better off hiring a wedding planner that’s been in the business for a good number of years as compared to someone who’s just starting out their venture right now. It really pays to help and ask around amongst close family and friends. Social media apps, especially Facebook and Instagram are equally convenient towards giving you a planner that fits right in.

Do your research and homework before hand

It always pays off to play your part from the start and hiring a wedding planner is no exception. We’re talking getting done with your research and homework beforehand, in order to get you someone that understands you in totality.

Narrow down your list of potential wedding planners by checking their portfolios on the web. Take a look at reviews being published by couples that have worked with that particular planner in the past and ask for references too.

Feel free to ask them regarding the type of vendors they’ve worked with in the past. Remember, only experienced wedding planners are able to provide clients with a whole list that comprises of vendors they’ve established a working relationship with in past weddings.

Above all, never opt for the cheapest option. Remember the good old saying that nothing in life comes easy and you only get what you pay for!

Don’t forget to ask the right questions

This point surely can’t be stressed enough if you ask the experts in the wedding industry. Most experts suggest couples create a list of 5 questions that they feel are most important to them, in terms of gauging whether or not their planner is fit for the giant task ahead.

Some basic questions worth asking include the following:
• Enlist the type of wedding planning services you offer
• Estimate of the average costs regarding the weddings you plan
• An overview of the wedding planning timeline, if you were hired
• What do you need from us in terms of getting our wedding’s vision across to you effectively
• What would your overall fee sum appear as

Talking about money from the start is so important for so many reasons

To help couples get saved from some big time disappointment and classic financial scenarios in the near future, we recommend the following:
1. Always ensure that your wedding planner’s fees are within the range of your budget set from the start
2. You are providing your wedding planner enough funds that enable them to do their job effectively, ensuring your lifelong wedding dream becomes a reality. Remember that a good and experienced wedding planner will surely work their way into bringing your visions to real life, no matter what the budget may be. However if everything goes out of budget, it gets tough to produce results similar to what you imagined them to be in the first place.
Never be shy to ask openly regarding your wedding’s budget. Ask around about weddings that they’ve catered to in the same ballpark range. This is done to ensure you’re not left disappointed in the long run.

Get a good outlook on the type of services on offer

It’s important for couples to understand that wedding planners play around the world of logistics. These individuals have been trained to provide and aren’t limited to certain actions such as the following:
• Vendor selection
• Site selection
• Vendor referrals
• Contract negotiation
At the same time, it’s important to realize that there are other individuals available for certain wedding related duties. And these include wedding coordinators, consultants, wedding designers, stylists, producers and more. Having a thorough and detailed understanding of their job description as well as the services they provide is so important for so many reasons. After all, you wouldn’t want to hire someone that’s good at negotiation but poor at designing beautiful weddings.