Hiring a Wedding Planner
Planning a wedding takes hundreds of hours and can be both stressful and overwhelming. The cake, 
the dress, the food, the location, the photos, the flowers -- it's enough to drive any couple mad. Sure, you figure that you'll get your friends and family to all help, but that still leaves a lot for the bride and groom to take care of, including the details on the day of the big event. That's why there are wedding planners, also known as consultants or coordinators. The point of investing in a planner is that with professional help you can delegate the responsibility to this one person who will handle all of the affairs of your special day. A planners responsibilities include:
- Connecting you with vendors that are the best to work with, who give the best deals, and who provide stellar services.
- Getting vendors to give you better prices and deals.
- Getting to know you and your needs and desires as well as helping you develop a realistic timeline and budget.
- Letting you know when you need to do things such as choose china, pay vendors, pick up your dress, etc.
- Advising you (within your likes and dislikes) of which flowers to pick, what menu will work best, and what cake would be great.
- Organizing the themes, colors, and other style elements that will be incorporated into your wedding.
Finding a Planner
Hiring a wedding planner consists primarily of scouting around, asking people you know about their experiences, and doing some research. Check with vendors in the area to see if they have worked with this person, contact the Better Business Bureau, and if possible, watch the planner in action. You'll get a good idea of how he or she handles things. You want the planner to be organized, professional, but friendly, knowledgable, and skilled.
Once you have narrowed down a few planners in your area who seem to fit your style, you'll need to interview them to get a feel for how they work, what their personality is like, and what type of budget they work with. Schedule at least two or three consultations, which should be free. If the planner charges a fee, check to make sure that it will count towards the overall cost of the services if you choose to work with him or her.
Services Offered
Once you decide to start interviewing planners, there are several things that you'll need to ask about before signing any contract. The first has to do with budget. You need to have a very clear idea of how much you can spend before going into a consultant's office. That way you'll know immediately if the planner is the right fit for you or not. Make sure to ask exactly what he or she charges and for which services up front. Either way you go about choosing a payment method, a sign of a good planner is one that can prove to you that you will save money and hassle in the end.
Here are some of the payment options for different consulting methods and things to keep in mind when talking to planner about budget and how they charge.
- Some will work with you for a very short period of time, say for a couple weeks before the wedding to make sure things are in order while charging a small sum that most people on a budget can afford.
- Others will offer a "free" service by directing you to particular vendors who will then give the planner a percentage of the sale on a commission basis. This can be tricky to work with because some vendors offer more of a kick back to the planner, meaning that you might miss out on using certain vendors in the area.
- You will often hear of "wedding consultants". Consultants typically work with you for short periods of time, perhaps an hour or two, or maybe ten. Their job is to give you the basics of how to plan your own wedding. The fees may be based on an hourly rate or per meeting. The thing with consultants is that you can often have your meetings over the phone, making it more convenient for many people.
- Another method of charging is on a percentage rate, usually from 10-20%. This is most often the case when the planner helps you from start to finish and the wedding is extravagant and falls within the medium to high budget ($30,000+). There is no limit on the number of hours that this level of planner will work for you, making this ideal for big, lavish weddings that will have the most details to attend to. This may be referred to as a "full wedding day package".
- For smaller weddings (under $25,000) the most used form of payment is a flat-fee. The fee itself will vary from planner to planner, however, it guarantees you a certain number of hours for specific services to be completed. This is recommended for small weddings that need less planning because if you go over the allotted number of hours, the hourly rate will increase and will cost significantly more.
- Planning preparation consists of a planner helping you in the very beginning of your wedding to arrange and coordinate vendor meetings and negotiate prices. This type of service will also get you some help with organizing a planning binder and a schedule for the day of the wedding, including seating and setup.
Interviewing a Planner
Usually when you go to speak with a planner, the first thing you'll need to do is get to know each other. You can start with the questions, such as:
- What type of experience do you have?
- What size and scale weddings have you planned?
- How many full-scale weddings do you plan each year?
- Do you coordinate and consult on a small-scale?
- What are some of the best and worst moments, and how did you handle any crises that arose?
- Have you had any difficulties with vendors? If so, how did you handle it and what was the outcome?
- Can you tell me what was the "best" wedding you've planned and why?
- Do you have pictures from any weddings that you have planned?
- Do you have other education or special talents?
- Are you a certified planner or just a hobbyist?
- Do you work as a planner full- or part-time?
- Do you have a business license, tax ID number, or any proof of being a member with a professional organization?
- Are you a member of wedding/event planning associations? If so, are you a due-paying member or do you have to take a training course to become a member?
- Make sure that the planner has a business card and stationery or other signs that show he or she is reputable. Novices can be less expensive, but they may not always have a good rapport with local vendors or the skills necessary to handle the duties associated with a major wedding.
- How do you typically work?
- Will you work with us to develop a theme and manage the details of the wedding's overall look?
- Do you help find lodging and accommodations for out of town guests?
- Do you have an event manager or other associates help you plan? If so, how much time do they work for you?
- Is there a charge for having extra staff work for you?
- In the event that you can't make the wedding (due to illness or other problem) who will take over?
- Do you manage the vendor contracting or do we have to contact them and pay them ourselves?
- Do you come meet the vendors with us? Will you attend tastings?
- Will you work the day of the wedding, and if so, for how many hours? Is this service included in the package price?
- Is there anything that you will NOT help with?
- How do we pay?
- What is the initial deposit?
- When do we pay you and in what amounts?
- Will you give us a detailed budget outline?
- Do you have a refund policy? If so, is there a time limit on cancellations?
The Contract
Once you have found a consultant or planner that fits your style and budget, it's time to draw up a contract. This is a very important step in the process which shouldn't be overlooked as it safeguards you from any mishaps. In the case that you have planning lessons or hourly meetings with a planner you'll simply receive a bill in most cases. However, for full-time planners you'll need to have a contract stating the following:
- Pricing type (flat, hourly, percentage).
- The services and the number of hours included in the cost.
- Total cost.
- Amount of deposit you have made and what portion of the bill is outstanding.
- The dates for the rest of the payments that you'll make.
- The wedding date.
- Contact information.
- Both of your signatures and that of the planner.
- Cancellation information for you.
- No-show policy for the planner.
