ULTIMATE LIST OF QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING PLANNER - PART TWO
Welcome back to the second part of the ultimate list of questions to ask your perspective destination wedding planner. Read all the way through, because at the end you will find a link for a free PDF download of all the questions, so you can have it at hand when interviewing candidates.
HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE AND WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THAT FEE?
Of course this is one of the most important questions. And you should not feel ashamed to ask it. It is your money and you need to know what you are getting for it. In order to ensure you are getting proper value for your money, we recommend getting at least three quotes for wedding planner services in order to have an idea of the industry standard in your chosen destination.
HOW DOES THE CONTRACT AND DEPOSIT PROCESS WORK?
It is important to know that not all wedding planners work in the same way. Some will present a proposal inclusive of some design ideas and vendor recommendations at the inquiry stage and others will ask you to sign a contract and pay the deposit before they start any work for your wedding. It is up to you to decide what works best for your wedding planning needs.
WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
Should (God forbid) the occasion arise that you need to postpone or cancel your wedding, it is good to know in advance what is the cancellation policy of your wedding planner as well as all of your vendors. In the case of postponement, most vendors will offer a transfer of the deposit to the new date. When cancelling the wedding completely however, your wedding planner will most likely keep the deposit, especially if it has been a couple of months that they have been planning your wedding as they would have put in their time and effort into it.
IS THERE A PAYMENT PLAN YOU CAN OFFER US?
Most planners and vendors will ask for a deposit (booking fee or retainer) to be paid at the time of booking in order to hold the date and the rest of the balance is usually due in the weeks prior to the wedding. If your catering is organized „on consumption“ basis, the final bill will need to be settled after the wedding.
WHERE CAN WE SEE SOME OF YOUR REFERENCES?
Wedding planners will be delighted to point you to their testimonials page on their website, if you haven’t found it yourselves already!
HOW MANY WEDDINGS DO YOU PLAN IN A YEAR?
This is a good indicator of how in demand the wedding planner is but also how exclusive they are, as some will only take a limited amount of weddings per year/season in order to provide quality service.
WILL YOU CREATE A WEDDING DAY TIMELINE?
This question relates to the kind of wedding professional you are hiring – planner or coordinator. Your wedding planner will almost always create a timeline as they would have also hired all of the vendors, while a coordinator might not offer this service as the couple was in charge of vendor procurement.
DO YOU ALSO PLAN FOR BACKUP OPTIONS IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER?
Croatia’s Adriatic coast boasts almost 2300 hours of sun yearly. However, the skies are not always merciful and it can happen that, with no previous warning, a shower of rain falls on your wedding day. It is for this particular inconvenience that you need to plan for a backup option if your wedding is due to take place outdoors.
DO YOU WORK ALONE OR HAVE A TEAM?
It’s always good to know if your planner is a „one (wo)man show“ or comes with a team of coordinators. Some wedding planners guarantee a minimum number of helpers on the day, depending on the size of your wedding, while others work alone and with the help of the vendors.
WILL YOU PERSONALLY BE AT THE WEDDING OR SOMEONE ELSE FROM YOUR TEAM?
As mentioned previously, some wedding planners are independent and some work within a company that has several planners. It is important to know if the person you’ve been planning with for all these months leading up to the wedding will be the person that actually is there on the day.
DO YOU HAVE PREFERRED VENDORS AND CAN YOU RECOMMEND SOME?
Most wedding planners have a list of preferred vendors they work with and will be happy to recommend them – after you sign the contract. If you are looking to plan the wedding yourself, be honest and sincere and do not fish around for free recommendations from wedding planners. You can also check out our recommended Vendors.
ARE WE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR THE MEALS OF VENDORS?
This is a very important question that not a lot of couples remember or even think of asking. In most cases it is not obligatory but we cannot emphasize enough how welcome and appreciated it is when the couple offers to pay for this.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?
Do we need to explain this one? There might be a question that we did not mention here but a wedding planner will feel like they need to tell you, so this question covers that.
With these 25 ultimate questions to ask your destination wedding planner, no stone will be left unturned and you will have all the answers necessary to pick your ideal planner and start planning! If you wish to download this list of questions, click on the link below! If you missed the first part of the list click here: ULTIMATE LIST OF QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR DESTINATION WEDDING PLANNER – PART ONE
Happy planning!
Chantal
Ever since Chantal was a little girl, she knew all she wanted to do was to plan weddings. Fast forward to today, she has worked as an event planner & coordinator both in Ireland and Croatia, and is currently busy writing her blog Destination Weddings Croatia aimed to help brides that are looking to get married in her lovely homeland. Brides like you!
