You are engaged! That’s fantastic! But what now?
Probably the first time after your engagement you are completely in the clouds with your head and you can only think of one thing: your wedding. So you spit through all the wedding magazines and surf along every existing wedding website to get inspiration ... .to get overwhelmed by the large number of choices, decisions and tasks that await you. That is probably the moment that you and your fiancé consider hiring a wedding planner to help you with the design, planning and / or organization of your wedding ... And that is not a bad idea, because depending on the amount of help that you wishes or need, you can hire a wedding planner who advises, helps and guides you from A to Z or someone who only helps with some parts of your wedding. Someone who takes your work and care off your hands so that you can sit quietly on your pink cloud while you carefree to your wedding. But how do you pick the wedding planner that is the perfect match for you?
To find the wedding planner that best fits your wedding vision and personal style, you prefer to have conversations with a number - I usually recommend three wedding planners that you have selected based on their style and experience. During this conversation you determine whether there is a mutual click: do your personalities fit together, do you feel heard and understood and do you have the confidence that this professional will help you realize the wedding of your dreams? Listen to your feelings here; if a conversation does not feel right, it is better to continue looking for your perfect candidate.
Before you start talking to different candidates, it is wise to have a (general) list of the following:
- What is your desired wedding date, month or season?
- How many guests do you want to invite?
- How big is your wedding budget?
- What do you expect from your wedding in terms of atmosphere and appearance?
Then you can ask the following 12 questions during an introductory meeting with a wedding planner to determine if that is the perfect candidate to make your wedding the best day of your life.
1. What do you like the most about your work?
Everyone can usually tell what they do, but if someone can tell enthusiastically what they are doing, they will immediately get a good idea of what drives them and motivates them. Do they do this work from passion or purely because of the money? An important distinction when it comes to handing over the planning of a day that is as important and special as your wedding.
2. How would you describe your ideal customer?
The answer to this question is not only important for you to determine whether you meet that description, but the fact that a wedding planner has an image of his / her ideal customer at all is often a sign that they are in that customer group. deepened and thus offer the best fitting service for that target group. After all, you can not please everyone - and not every bride and groom.
3. What is characteristic of your style of weddings?
If you have figured out in the preparation what you expect from your wedding in terms of atmosphere and appearance, you can put that next to the answer to this question to see if the vision of you and your fiancée matches the style of the wedding planner.
4. How much experience do you have with organizing weddings?
Before you entrust your best day to someone else, you would like to know more about their experience. Inquire about their work experience, how long they have worked in this industry, any training and their experience with weddings of the same style and size as yours. Also, do not hesitate to ask for references from customers and / or suppliers.
5. What services do you offer and what does it include?
As a rule, you can hire wedding planners for one or a few parts of your wedding to the overall organization of marriage proposal to honeymoon. But not every wedding planner offers all these options and the content of the different packages that wedding planners offer differs. So take the time to find the candidate who meets all your wishes and needs in terms of planning and styling and ask carefully to avoid misunderstandings about what does or does not fall within the service. Most wedding planners will do everything necessary to make your wedding an unprecedented success.
6. Do you work alone or with a team?
There are both advantages and disadvantages to appoint a wedding planner who works alone or with a team. In any case, it is wise to clarify where you are in both cases. If the planner works alone, make sure that he / she will be able to do everything - especially on your wedding day - everything runs smoothly. If there is a team, you may want to know in advance with whom you will be dealing during the preparations and on your wedding day itself. Which tasks does the wedding planner take for his / her own account and which tasks are delegated?
7. What does an average wedding day look like for you and your team?
Because every wedding planner is different, it is important to get a good picture of what you can expect from them on your wedding day. Is the wedding planner alone or with a team, is there someone who accompanies the bride during the day while everything is put in order on location, do they receive guests and suppliers, do they coordinate the activities of all suppliers? In short, what do they do and what not during a wedding? Questions to an average wedding day will answer most of these questions.
8. How many weddings do you organize per year? And in the month of our wedding?
There is a lot to look at when organizing a wedding. And the greater the number of guests, the more work as a whole. Make sure you can trust the wedding planner to have enough time or support to provide you with all the care, attention and service you need, both during the preparations and on your wedding day. So ask yourself how many weddings in the period of yours will ask for his / her attention and make sure that the answer is satisfactory for you.
9. As a rule, do you work with the same suppliers? If so, why?
An experienced wedding planner worked together with various parties and over time developed a preference for certain suppliers. They will usually use these suppliers more often for new assignments because they know each other well, are attuned to each other and therefore perfectly know what they can expect from each other. That way they guarantee together that you get the best quality for your wedding. However, if you yourself have a preference for one or more other suppliers, then that is usually no problem at all.
10. How can you help us make our wedding unique and authentic?
"Your wedding does not have to comply with what your culture and customs prescribe," is the best advice I can give to couples. Who says that the parts of your wedding should take place in a certain order and why would you stick to etiquette rules if you just do what you feel like in your daily life? Choose a wedding planner that can help you with original ideas for a unique wedding with surprising elements and that is totally your own because it reflects your personalities and lifestyle.
11. How is your possible illness or accident taken care of?
Let's be honest, how much and detailed your business plans in advance, an accident is in a small corner. Therefore, ask the wedding planner what happens in the event that he / she is unable to carry out the (preparatory) work for your wedding due to illness or an accident. A good wedding planner has a Plan B with at least a qualified replacement on hand for unforeseen cases.
12. How and how often do you communicate with us during the preparations?
With all the decisions that have to be made to come to your most beautiful day, you will have to maintain close contact with your wedding planner. Before you make a choice for a wedding planner, it is therefore wise to know how he or she will communicate with you during the preparations for your wedding. Do you usually consult by e-mail or telephone or do you also meet physically? Make sure their favorite communication method matches the way you prefer to have contact. Do you think e-mail is great because it is easy and fast, or do you prefer to meet regularly for a more personal contact? The one is not better or worse than the other, what matters is that it gives you and your fiancée sufficient confidence that your dream wedding will be timely.