5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Planner
Should you choose to hire a wedding planner, it will be one of the most expensive investments for your big day. Prior to booking one, here’s 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Planner.
How many weddings have you planned?
First things first, you need to know the extent of a wedding planners experience. Your personal requirements may differ from others, but a planner should have a handful of weddings under their belt. Go into the specifics of the types of weddings they have planned as well. Did they a budget or style that will be similar to your event? Ask to see a portfolio of their work and/or past client reviews.
What is your fee?
Don’t skip around the nitty gritty. A wedding planners fee will make or break whether or not they are even an option. Getting this bit of information as soon as possible will mean less of both your and the wedding planners time will be wasted. Go over the details of how they charge clients, a flat rate or hourly, as well as their contract. The contract will key you in to any additional expenses that you may be charged for, like travel, transportation and lodging.
How do you communicate with your clients?
Although a wedding planners experience is telling, so is how they communicate with their clients. In order for you to get the most out of this investment, you need to mesh and be able to work well together. This all starts with how you and your planner will contact one another. Most often by phone, email or text messaging. Some of these methods simply may not align with your preferences, and could be more of a hassle than it is worth.
Can you help us stay on budget?
One of the most important questions to ask a wedding planner is whether they will be able to help you stay on budget. This is after all the primary point of hiring a wedding planner. If upon meeting them, during say a consultation, they seem unable to grasp the limitations of your budget, it may not be a good match. You need someone who can understand your wants and needs, and make it happen with any given budget. The further they can stretch your budget, the better!
Who are your preferred vendors?
A lesser known fact about wedding planners is that they typically have a preferred list of wedding vendors. That is, vendors that they enjoy working with, are willing to back, and may receive a discount for booking. Having preferred vendors means that the wedding planner has been in the business for awhile and has a reputation. Usually one that is good seeing as people want to work with them. Be sure to ask a potential planner about their preferred vendors. They may have a relationship with a highly sought after vendor that have been unable to book!
At Michelle Combs Photography, I am always glad to work with a wedding planner. During our consultation, be sure to key me into your intentions to hire a planner, whom I will do my best to collaborate with. If you are still on the hunt for a photographer in the Central Florida area, be sure to visit my website here for a peek at my wedding gallery. Should you have any questions, or if you would like to book a meeting, please reach out! I can’t wait to capture your special day. So this is all about 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Planner.
