Hiring a wedding planner is an important step in coordinating the wedding of your dreams, and finding out whether your vision for your big day aligns with their skillset and services is key. We’ve gathered questions that reveal key details about your planner’s approach and style to ensure you find the perfect planner for your wedding.
1. What services do you offer?
Image courtesy of Josh Bellingham Photography
While this may seem like an obvious question, it’s important to ask what range of services your planner offers so that their role is clearly defined, and everyone is on the same page regarding what will be included.
Do you want a full-service wedding planner to take care of every detail, allowing you to focus your attention elsewhere? Or would you prefer a la carte service, where you ask your planner to help out as needed, leaving the creative direction to you?
Some planners focus on coordination and logistics, while others will direct design and styling of your wedding venue. Consider the areas of planning you’d most like professional advice on and use this to guide your hiring process.
2. What are your primary areas of expertise?
Image courtesy of Afterglow Images
Some planners have specialized expertise, such as destination weddings, winery weddings, or theme weddings. Others have a special interest in your chosen venue or your type of event, for example, black-tie ballroom weddings.
Choosing a planner who specializes in formal events when you want a casual wedding isn’t likely to be a good fit, so you want to be sure that your planner has experience planning the kind of wedding you’re interested in. You should also get an idea of their style and aesthetic and see if it aligns with your vision.
3. Have you planned other weddings at our venue?
Image courtesy of Lorie Marie Photography
While it’s not a dealbreaker if your planner hasn’t coordinated a wedding at your chosen venue before, it is a major bonus. They’ll be familiar with the layout of the venue for design ideas, have a working relationship with the staff for any requests, and understand the logistics involved in staging a successful event in that space.
If your planner hasn’t coordinated a wedding at your venue before, it’s important that they commit to familiarizing themselves with it.
4. Can you help us with selecting and booking vendors?
Most planners have worked with other wedding professionals, including vendors that you’ll need to bring your vision to life. Ask your planner how they can help with vendor selection, including who their preferred vendors are so that you can do your own research. When planning your wedding with a Vintage Hotels wedding planner, you get to work with someone who is experienced with some of the best vendors in the area, like Clippings Floral Design, and tons of in-house wedding caterers.
You’ll also want to know if your planner will handle paying vendors on your behalf, or if you’ll need to pay them directly.
5. What are some ideas you have for bringing our vision to life?
Image courtesy of Afterglow Images
Before committing to a planner, you’ll want to know that they have ideas that match what you’re looking for. They don’t have to have every detail nailed down, but some general ideas about the designs they’d choose, the venues they’d recommend, and their sense of style are good way to gauge if you like their approach.
6. What was the most unique wedding you’ve planned?
Image courtesy of Devin Begin Photography
This gives you insight into what’s possible with your planner, given the scope of their experience. If you want a fun theme wedding and the most offbeat wedding your planner has coordinated is a conventional white wedding, there may be a mismatch between your vision and their skillset. It also gives you an idea of what excites your planner as a professional and whether they’ll be able to channel that same excitement into your big day.
Find the Perfect Planner for Your Dream Wedding with Vintage Hotels
At Vintage Hotels, our wedding planners are experienced, knowledgeable professionals with the advice and know-how to make your special day a success at one of our 22 wedding venues in Ontario. Contact us today to consult with one of our professional planners and get started on designing your dream wedding with Vintage Hotels!