Planning a wedding on your own can be overwhelming. You likely know that you need help, but do you know how to choose a wedding planner to help?
In this guide we will show you how to research, find, and choose a wedding planner.
Photo: Amy Hutchinson Photography
Choosing A Wedding Planner
With the additional work and decision making, the stress of planning a wedding adds up quickly.
Because of this, many wedding couples turn to an experienced wedding planner to help manage their wedding day. This allows couples to avoid stress and save time.
Once you’ve decided to hire a wedding planner, how do you decide which planner is right for you?
Below we share the steps involved in choosing and hiring a wedding planner for your wedding.
How To Research Wedding Planners
Researching wedding vendors is the first step in choosing your wedding planner.
Wedding Vendor Guides
We recommend checking a quality wedding vendor guide (or even two!) as your first research step.
Wedding planners will be listed in wedding vendor guides with profiles. These include detailed information, photos of their work, and reviews from other brides.
Wedding Blogs
Next, browse wedding blogs. Wedding blogs are a great source of inspiration and a wonderful way to find potential vendors for your wedding.
Blogs that feature real weddings like ours will include vendor information for those weddings.
If you see a wedding similar to the one you want then that wedding planner might be a good selection.
Word Of Mouth
Then you should ask people you know! Word of mouth is a great way to find wedding vendors.
Let people in your circles know that you are looking for a wedding planner. Ask which planners they may have used for events.
You will hear about wedding planners people used and planners they didn’t hire as well. All of this information can help you make your decision.
Create A List
Create a short list of wedding planners to contact from your research and then reach out to them.
It’s best to have at least two or three on your list. This is needed in case a wedding planner is already booked for your date.
If you need help creating a short list of wedding planners, we have a list of local wedding planners for Memphis.
Read Reviews
After you have a short list of wedding planners you should further investigate them.
Reading reviews online can be a helpful way to learn more about wedding planners. You can check many of the places where vendors are reviewed:
- Google reviews
- The Knot
- Wedding Wire
- local wedding blogs
Photo: Angela Acker Photography
Interview Potential Wedding Planners
Once you have your short list of Memphis wedding planners that interest you, you should set up informational interviews.
Wedding planners should be willing to meet with you at their office or in a local coffee shop. There you can have a short chat and ask questions to determine if their services match your needs.
Create a list of questions you want to ask the wedding planner. You want to learn how they operate so you can determine if it is a good match.
You can ask questions about:
- the wedding planner’s experience
- the team that will work your wedding
- examples of past weddings
- how they work on your wedding day
- how many weddings they work at once
- how often you will expect to communicate
- meetings during the planning process
During the interview pay attention to whether the planner shows interest and enthusiasm in your vision. The communication between you both should be easy and enthusiastic.
You want to make sure your wedding planner will be available to you and works well with you.
Check The Wedding Planner References
Even if you got a word of mouth referral for a wedding planner and loved them in the interview, you should still request references from recent couples.
If you are trying to decide between two wedding planners it might help you decide by speaking to past brides about their experience with the wedding planner.
Contact a couple references given by the wedding planner and speak to the bride, groom, or mother of the bride. Ask them the questions you are most concerned about as well as their general opinion and experience with the wedding planner. Add their opinion and experience to what you already know about the wedding planner.
Choosing Your Wedding Planner
Once you’ve researched, interviewed, and checked the references of your wedding planner candidates, you are ready to choose!
By this stage you should know exactly who you want to work with on your wedding day vision. If not, you can create a pros and cons list of your final wedding planner candidates to narrow it down to one.
Working With Your Wedding Planner
When you are sure of your decision to hire a Memphis wedding planner, the final step is signing the contract with that planner!
The wedding planner contract will outline the services you will receive, the fees you will pay, and a payment schedule for paying upon delivery of work. If you have any final questions about the contract, then the time to ask is before signing.
Make sure you speak up and are comfortable with the contract you are signing for your wedding planner.
Finally, celebrate choosing your wedding planner!
The wedding planning process will be much easier with an experience planner by your side. You’ll be working together throughout the wedding planning process.
They will likely start by getting all of your vision recorded and providing you with a wedding planning timeline or checklist. From there your experience will depend on your package and needs.
Need some inspiration to share with your planner? Check out these ideas:
