10 Questions To Ask Wedding Planners Before Hiring them

You have found a soulmate, a best friend, your morning star. You now just need a dream wedding to make it official!

But where do you begin? Colors, flowers, menus, venues – you don’t even get an idea. You’ve got someone to put it all together.

If you’ve hired a wedding planner, everything is organized. And not all planners are created equal. You need someone reliable, comfortable working with, and ready to implement your specific wedding concepts.

When you interview planners, be sure to ask them the right questions so that you are matching. Read on to see 10 things you must know before you book your wedding MVP:

1. How Long Have You Been in the Wedding Planning Business?

An experienced planner won't get tripped up by the inevitable curveballs that pop up. They'll have insider vendor relationships and planning shortcuts up their sleeves. Ask about their training and background too. You want someone knowledgeable!

2. What's your wedding planning process and timeline?

All good planners will have an intentional sequence they take with each and every couple. Ask how long and when do they plan to start from meeting to wedding day! So no important planning gets kicked out the door. Always get to know their platform and decide if it is right for you.

You need to know they’re set and they can handle the emergency. Check that they have previous pivot experience during a crisis!

3.  What Types of Wedding Designs Do You Specialize In? 

Every wedding planner has their own little specialties and areas they do well in. One example: Some planners specialize in expensive, glamorous weddings with lots of flash and glam. Others do more stripped-back, bohemian affair-type parties. 

4.  What Do You Like to Say to Couples When They Are Planning? 

They must maintain clear and regular communication between you and your wedding planner. Ideally, they’ll be flexible and communicate regularly via your channels of choice - email, text, telephone calls, in-person visits, etc. 

Be VERY upfront about what you’re looking for with regards to communication and delivery before you book them! You want a very open communication channel and have access to your planner when something does arise during the process. 

5.  When Does Your Wedding Budget and Payment Work? 

Make sure to ask how your potential planner does cost breakdowns, budgets, invoices, and payments BEFORE you sign on the dotted line. Some are hourly and some are project based or a percentage of the wedding. Clear up on payment method and timeframe very early so there are no surprises! 

6.  Do You Have Vendor Recommendations You Trust to Refer Me To?

One huge benefit of hiring a great wedding planner is getting access to their rolodex of top-notch, tried and true vendor recommendations. 

Reputable planners will have strong professional relationships and partnerships with many fantastic local vendors - caterers, florists, photographers, videographers, bands/DJs, bakeries, wedding supply rentals, hair and makeup pros and more. 

7.  What's Your Backup Plan If a Vendor Unexpectedly Cancels?

You wish that everything would go smoothly and on schedule, but ask potential planners what they do if the unexpected happened: a vendor calling late or a situation occurring on the day of. You want to be sure they have contingency plans in place and are easy to troubleshoot if things get tough. 

8. Walk Me through What a Typical Wedding Day Timeline Looks like When You're in Charge

That wedding day goes SO fast! This is why your planner will want a rock-solid workflow to ensure you, the wedding party and all the vendors are 100 per cent on time. 

Ask to be told exactly how a wedding day goes normally if they are running the show and coordinating behind the scenes. It will ensure you won’t miss a good one! 

9.  Are You Sure To Check Out The Testimonials Of Previous Clients? 

Checking the reviews and seeing the planner’s past brides and grooms testimonials says it all. But you want to know that other couples just raved about them! This is giving you the assurance that the planner can actually provide you with a great wedding. 

10.  How Can You Be Different From Other Wedding Planners? 

The last but not least, ask them what’s different about how they plan their wedding. Are they detail-oriented?  Super creative?  Skilled at managing budgets?  Patsy when things go wrong last minute? You want a planner who specializes exactly what you need for the process!