While many brides love the process of planning every detail of their wedding, many brides do not have the time nor the desire to spend hours and hours planning their wedding. For a busy bride, a wedding planner can be the answer to planning a great event, without spending tons of your free time, bogged down in details. A wedding planner is also a great option if your wedding is a destination wedding, and you are not familiar with the local options. If your venue doesn’t provide planning services, here are some good questions to keep in mind when hiring a professional wedding planner.

Get to Know Your Planner

Just like interviewing employees for a job, you should do the same for your wedding planner. Take some time to meet with potential planners and start by seeing if they fit with your personality and are open to your thoughts and ideas. If you can’t meet with them in person, Skype or Facetime them. Treat your meeting like an interview, and make sure that you have all of your questions prepared ahead of time. During this initial meeting, make sure that you ask about their preferred communication style. Do they prefer phone, text, e-mail or meeting in person? This can be a deal breaker if you never answer your phone, and they prefer to communicate through phone calls. It’s important to ask how often a potential planner prefers to meet with the couple they are working for. Make sure that their thoughts about how often to meet match the level of involvement you want to have in planning. Also, make sure that you ask for a list of references. The person you are talking to may seem great during your initial meeting, but how their previous clients view them can be an important decision maker.

The Money Factor

Before you begin the process of hiring a planner, make sure that your budget is set! As you start working with a planner you will want to have all of your financial details available, so that they can work within your budget limits. When discussing money details with your planner or potential planner, here are some good questions to ask:

How much do you charge for your service? A flat fee, a percentage of the total cost, an hourly rate, or a combination of the three?
Do you charge for items like office supplies and mileage?
Do you take commissions from the vendors that you hire for an event?
What is your deposit?
When do you expect final payment?
Do we pay vendors through you or are we responsible for paying vendors directly?
What other fees do you charge for your services?

The Services Included

The services that wedding planners provide can range from basic planning to the smallest details like ribbons on favors and sending invitations. Many planners will build a menu of options, or packages that are popular with other brides. If your planner doesn’t have a set list of services, here are some questions to ask, to ensure you get the services that you are looking for:

Will you attend dress fittings?
Will you also plan other related events such as rehearsal dinners, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, etc.?
Will you create a contingency plan in case of rain or intense heat (this is important if your event is outdoors)?
Do you have a team and will we be working with them on the wedding day?
Will you coordinate meetings with other vendors for us?
What will we, the bride and groom, be responsible for?

Making sure that you ask the right questions will lead to a great relationship between you and your planner. Your wedding day is one of the most exciting and special days of your life, so taking the time to find the right person to achieve your dreams is not to be taken lightly. Here at Imperial Palace Banquet Hall we know how special your wedding day is. Let us be a part of your memories, and get in touch with us today.