How To Choose Your Wedding Planner

Cathy of Willrich Bridal keeping an eye on the timeline.

You know lately, I’m seeing more and more wedding planner horror stories online. I have to ask myself how does this happen? How can things go so terribly wrong that brides have to fire their planner or worst yet suffer through stressful wedding planning or a wedding day with a planner that turns out to be nothing like they hoped for.

My first thought is a lack of communication on everybody’s part. When choosing your planner, she should be up front about exactly what she will do for you. You should have it in writing. Vague promises of “I will provide you a beautiful wedding” are not enough. You need to know exactly how she will go about providing this wedding. The same thing goes for the bride. She needs to be upfront about exactly what she expects from the planner. Hiring a day of planner and then wondering why you aren’t hearing from her 5 months before the wedding, is lack of communication on both your parts. Don’t take a planner’s cheapest package and then expect full package service. It’s only going to end with you and the planner unhappy.

Next do your homework. Just like everything else in life, you are going to get what you pay for. Before choosing the planner with the cheapest price, ask a few questions. Make sure when you are comparing planners you are comparing apples to apples. How long has she been doing this? Ask to see pictures of weddings she has done, make sure they are her weddings, not weddings just pulled off the internet. Everyone has to start somewhere and I see no problem with hiring someone new to the business if you are aware of exactly what you are getting.

Find out if she is insured, does she have a business license? Is she a member of area bridal associations? This will help you know she is serious about this business. Too many people have planned their own or a friends wedding and suddenly decide to hang out a shingle, to see what happens. You need someone who is invested in their business and brings more to the table than just a love of weddings.

What will she actually provide on your wedding day, how many assistants will be with her, how many hours will she actually be working? Think about it, if she is going to be there for everything you need, have assistants helping out (no planner can do a good job alone) and only charging you $400 dollars, something is wrong. This can not possibly be a business for her.

Coming up with décor plans, themes and colors are fun and the more glamorous side of wedding planning, but the help you will really need on the wedding day is the hard, tedious work that also goes along with planning; the setting up, handling logistics, working with the other vendors, and cleaning up. Make sure you and your planner are on the same page about this day.

When choosing your planner, start with a clear idea of what you want and what you are willing to pay for it. Communicate and make sure you and the planner both get what you are working towards.