Congratulations, you and your love are engaged! By the time you are reading this I hope you have celebrated, given yourself the time to soak in all the happy and are just so excited for ALL that is to come.
Now… after said celebrations, you probably have been asked 1001 times:
“When’s the wedding?”
“Where do you want to get married?”
“What vibe / style / colors / how many in your bridal party….”
You’ll get to every last one of those questions however before you get lost down the Pinterest rabbit hole of what on earth to do next, PAUSE.
You’ve done the most important part of it all; you found the love of your life! Remember this, you’re getting married! No matter the color of your flowers or the flavor of your cake, you have found your person. I repeat: remember this! It is your new wedding planning mantra, my gift from me to you.
There are professionals to help guide you, responsibly AND beautifully, through every decision you’ll need to make (and when).
And with that, I cue the Wedding Planner!
As we are continuously meeting with our newly engaged 2020 and 2021 Clients, I have compiled a list of the top 6 things to look for when hiring your wedding planner.
1. Personality
You are going to spend a lot of time with your Wedding Planner. We always tell our Clients your wedding day is one, amazing magical day; however your wedding planning can take 1+ years! The entire process should be a fun one. You should feel that “click” with your wedding planner. You’ll be turning to them to discuss family, budget…your fiancé! They need to be someone you can depend on and trust while being someone you genuinely like (hint: could you see yourself grabbing lunch or a cocktail with?!).
Questions to ask!
- What is your management style and how do you handle conflict?
- Describe your relationship with your Client.
2. Ask for referrals (and do your research!)
Not only read their reviews but ask for referrals! I am so happy when potential Clients ask this question as it’s helpful for brides to turn to brides…grooms to turn to grooms.
Mothers to Mothers.
Also ask any vendors you have been in contact with thus far about your planner. They will give you even more honest, unbiased feedback as they too want to work alongside the best of the best. It makes their lives (and jobs) even easier!
My team and I have worked long and hard at having the reputation for being the friendly, professional and easy to work with planners WHO know their trade and Get. Things. Done!
I’ll shout it from the rooftops, as would my Clients and vendor partners.
3. Ask what their process is. HOW, with WHOM and WHERE will you be working together?
- How will you work together?
- What does the day-to-day look like and where is everything managed?
- How often will you meet and talk, is there a limit to this?
- Who will you be working with (and do they have a full-time team to back them up in case anything was to EVER happen?!)
I am so proud to share that we invest in ourselves just as much as we invest in our Clients. It is why we’re backed by a full-time team, have designed a gorgeous design studio “home” for all our meetings. We look to customize the planning experience to be tailored to fit every schedule, while always ensuring our high standards are met to produce a successful wedding.
4. Will you have full access to your planner? How many weddings do they do a year?
How many weddings does this business do a year? What do their weddings look and feel like? How do they differ, and who is working on them?
At CJDE whether it’s working with us for our full-service planning or our month-of coordination services, we cap our events each year to give our Clients the time and attention they deserve. This is how our ideas stay fresh and our excitement at an all time high when your wedding day is here.
5. What services are included with their Wedding Planning?
What do your planner’s services include and how can they further tailor the planning experience to be perfect for you?
We customize every planning proposal for every couple while providing perspective and expertise to what we know our clients need to produce a successful wedding.
6. What experience do they have and what is their area of expertise?
What types (styles / cultures / venues / locations) has this planner worked in? What do they define as their area of expertise?
Logistics and detailed timelines and execution? Design? Innovative guest experiences?
All of the above?!
Because of the number of weddings we produce at CJDE I have the bandwidth to leverage our team’s Type A planning skills with our creative design experience. Years of advertising and management of “we can’t reshoot this so it MUST be perfect” days are ingrained in our processes.
All while thoughtful details surprise and delight our Clients and their guests with design experiences that touch all 5 senses. All managed with personal care and attention.
To this day I pride myself on personally getting our couples down the aisle while still designing each and every bridal bouquet.
The VIP Decision! Decide what’s most important to you and find a planner who meets these goals through their skillset and team through the above questions and talking points.
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