How long have you been planning weddings? How many weddings have you planned?
You should not expect a big number here! If a wedding planner is going to assist you in planning your wedding, do you really want them to be planning lots of other weddings at the same time? To plan a wedding well takes a lot of time; researching, negotiating and finding the suppliers that are just perfect for the client and their budget. You should be suspicious if your wedding planner says they plan over about 10 per year. Most wedding planners will only have around 3 or 4 in progress at any one time as there will be an awful lot of detailed work involved with each one. As some of you will know my background is in hotel based wedding co-ordination. During this time I would often have around 40 weddings on the go at any one time, but please remember that I was only dealing with the things that happened at the hotel and I had a massive team of staff that ran the events on the day (sometimes two at a time!). Having worked on a large number of weddings like this means that I really appreciate the care and attention that is needed to produce beautiful, unique events from start to finish, and can really focus on every detail when I am only working on a couple at a time.
What experience/qualifications do you have?
Anyone can set-up in business as a wedding planner, it’s really important that you interview potential wedding planners to find out what makes them the right planner for you. Ask about the training courses they have undertaken and organisations they belong to. I trained with the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) and since I launched Endless Love I have been an associate member. This means I adhere to the UKAWP’s code of ethics:
Respond to enquiries within 48 hours.
Respect client confidentiality.
Disclose all suppliers that they have a vested interest in.
Always pass discounts and/or commission onto the client.
Ensure their Public Liability insurance is up to date.
Never give client details to any third party unless for the sole purpose of the wedding.
Respect copyright of all planners, co-ordinators and related suppliers.
Represent each client fairly and honestly.
How do you keep up to date with industry news and wedding trends?
You will find most wedding planners are very active in the world of social media, with twitter accounts, facebook fan pages and blogs (like this). Do some research in advance of meeting potential wedding planners; take a look at their website, follow them on twitter, become a fan of their page on facebook and read their blog. All of this will help you get to know them and find out more about their business.
Are you married?
If a wedding planner is married themselves the will have had the unique experience of what it’s like to be the Bride and deal with all the stresses of the wedding day. Hiring a planner (even just for the wedding day) means you can have a relaxing and enjoyable morning getting ready with your bridesmaids as your wedding planner will be at the venue making sure everything is set-up as you wish and that any problems are resolved quickly and efficiently, usually without your knowledge of anything going wrong.
All good wedding planners will offer a free consultation so you will have the opportunity to get to know them before you make a decision. Your wedding planner will become a big part of your life over the next year or so – it’s important that you like them and get on with them!
To find out how Endless Love could help you plan your wedding, contact us now to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.
Photo credit: Ross Dean Photography
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