50 Questions To Ask Your Wedding Planner BEFORE booking

If you and your fiance are considering hiring a full-service wedding coordinator to help with the detailed aspects of your wedding planning, you definitely need to do your homework to make sure you choose the right person for this very important duty. Over the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people who have entered the wedding planner space and unfortunately, not all of them are what most would consider professionals.

To help you recognize the good from the bad, we've put together a list of 50 Questions To Ask Your Wedding Planner BEFORE booking for your wedding event. Please note that this is by no means an exhaustive list but should serve as a resource to help you feel comfortable when choosing wedding planner services.

How long have you been a wedding coordinator?
Is this your full-time job or part-time job?
Are you a registered business?
Are you a certified wedding planner? If so, where did you get certified?
Are you a member of any major bridal/special event trade associations?
Are you a member of the Better Business Bureau?
How many full-service weddings do you personally coordinate each year?
What is the largest wedding you've managed?
How many wedding clients do you take on in a year?
How many clients do you expect to have during the month of our wedding?
How far in advance should we book your services?
Do you charge hourly, a flat rate or a percentage of my overall budget?
What is included in your full-service fee package?
Is gratuity included in the price?
Does your fee include all phone calls, meetings, communications, e-mails?
Do you charge for expenses or travel?
Do you charge for an initial meeting?
Does the fee include the day of the wedding?
Have you worked at our venue before?
Will you personally be coordinating or do you employ other people to help?
Is there an extra charge for additional staff?
Will you be handling only the ceremony, or will the reception be included?
Are you present at the rehearsal?
Do you offer any discounts if we choose from your preferred vendors list?
Do you accept commissions or kickbacks from any vendors you refer?
Will you create the overall wedding day timeline?
Will you coordinate delivery, arrival, & setup times with all of our vendors?
Are you present at all vendor meetings? Do you come to the tasting?
Will you keep other vendors focused on conveying our vision of the day?
Will you read over vendor contracts for mistakes or hidden surprises?
If issues arise with vendors, will you handle them or are we responsible?
How many hours are included with your package?
How many hours are you on site the day of the wedding?
How will you be dressed?
Will you bring an emergency kit?
Do you help with setup and tear down?
Will you be offering etiquette advice for the bride and groom?
What won't you help with?
How many times will we meet and how long will each meeting last?
Preferred method of contact? Phone, email?
Will you provide me with a detailed budget outline?
Will you assist with lodging arrangements for our out of town guests?
Will you help plan and book our honeymoon?
What are your payment methods? Deposit?
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
Can you provide a list of references?
Do you have any online reviews available?
Are there any fees not included in your proposal that we should be aware of?
Can you provide us with a portfolio of weddings you have done?
Will you commit to my specified budget?

Good luck and remember, wedding planners are their to support the overall vision of your wedding day and should always respect your suggestions, perspectives, ideas and budget.

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