How to Make Your Wedding Day Unforgettable By Choosing the Best Wedding Planner

A wedding planner becomes your point person at every step of organizing your wedding day. You need someone who is not only professional and good at what they do—but more importantly, someone you trust and feel comfortable working with. There are several important questions to ask potential wedding planners before deciding to hire one.

1. Is the planner available on your wedding date?

Don't waste time on someone who isn’t free.

2. What is the average budget for the weddings the planner typically handles?

Some planners set a ‘minimum wedding budget’ that they can work with. You want to find someone who is within your price range or. This also gives you an idea of what your own budget might have to be if you haven’t set it yet.

As a rule, wedding planning services will take up 15% of your overall wedding budget (that’s $1,500 for a $10,000 budget and $15,000 for a $100,000 wedding). If the planner’s baseline is above the number you are aiming for, consider talking to someone else. If you really want to work with someone but can’t afford them, you can always ask if they are willing to handle blueprint planning or part-time consulting for a smaller fee.

3. What services does the planer offer?

Most planners are available either for day-of coordination, a la carte planning, or full-service event design. Ask if they can handle event styling, too. If you are a take-control, super organized type of bride, you might just need a day-of coordinator. If you want to completely leave the event on someone else’s hand, then you want a wedding planner who can deliver everything from an overall vision to event styling.

4. How many weddings has the planer done?

Wedding-specific experience is crucial. Not all event planners are great at weddings; some are actually better corporate party planners. You want someone who specializes in this kind of celebration. Weddings tend to have a more personal and emotional element that other kinds of events don't.

5. Will the planner be working on other weddings on the same day? How many?

You want a planner who will give you full attention at least on the actual day of your wedding. But it's realistic and perfectly normal for a planner to handle multiple clients during the planning process. Bigger teams typically have no problem handling a lot of clients, but smaller wedding planning firms might be overstretched.