Planning a wedding is one of life’s most stressful experiences – so why not take the edge off and hire a wedding planner? If you decide to go down this route, then you need to make sure you’ve got the right wedding planner to match your needs. Here are some tips to help you find the right fit.
One thing that’s important to take into account is that the very first impression is everything. When you meet a wedding planner – go with your instinct. It’s vitally important that you pick someone you’re comfortable with, if you’re going to leave your big day in the hands of someone else you’ll need to trust them and you’ll also need to have a good relationship. The same goes for taste. You need to like your planner’s aesthetic. Take a look at their website. Do the photos and testimonials appeal to you?
Weddings are expensive affairs, so make sure that the planner knows your financial situation. It’s hugely important that they plan a wedding that doesn’t break your bank account. Draw up a budget and be firm on it. Make sure they keep you up to date with the costs so you have no nasty surprises. A good planner should be able to tell you what to prioritize and what to cut.
Be clear on vendors. A good planner will come up with a selection of retailers and caterers with a list of prices. Discuss this together on which one would be the optimal choice for your wedding. This is a good time to find out how the planner can get the best deals with these vendors for your wedding. Perhaps the planner has a good relationship and gets a discount. This can play to your advantage rather than going out and looking for a place on your own.
Your wedding is about you, and a good planner knows that your needs come first. They need to be flexible about working with your preferred vendor, for example.
When meeting your planner, you need to find out what they can contribute. You might have your own ideas, but a good planner might be able to expand on your original idea to bring things above your expectation. You might have the idea for a theme and your planner can help bring that to life in a way you couldn’t have imagined.
Organization is key, and you need to make sure your planner can deliver a projected timeline and milestones. This will help you see how the planning process is coming along and what needs thinking about. You’ll get an impression just how your wedding is going to shape up and you can tell whether your expectations will be met.