A professional can help you plan every aspect of your wedding or just certain aspects of it. Before searching for one decide how much help you are looking for. You should take your budget into consideration when making this decision because it will cost you more to have them plan every aspect of your wedding as opposed to certain aspects. Part of the full service usually includes the help of the planner in choosing a site for your wedding and reception. If you have already done this, or you intend to do it on your own, make a potential planner aware of this in advance.
If you anticipate having problems dealing with your wedding vendors you may be better off letting your wedding planner do it. Their job is to make the whole wedding planning process less stressful for you. They do this by taking the majority of the work off of your hands. Just be prepared to be flexible if you are working with a planner in any capacity.
Interviewing each potential planner you are considering will help you make the best decision possible. If it is important to you, find out during the interview if the planner was formally trained to do their job. You should also find out how long they have been working as a wedding planner and the types of weddings they have experience organizing.
Establish the level of service you are looking for from your planner during this interview. You don’t want to hire someone that thinks they are planning every aspect of your wedding if you only want them planning certain parts of it. Explain to them the budget you are working with and make sure they agree to it in advance.
Ask who their contacts are when it comes to wedding vendors. If all the vendors they have contact with are out of your price range you may want to find a different wedding planner. Be sure to find these kinds of things out before you sign a contract with them.
Once you have officially chosen your wedding planner stay in touch with them regularly. A weekly or bi weekly update from them will let you know the progress they are making and whether or not they have hit any snags along the way. You should give your planner several ways to contact you and tell them which method of contact you prefer.
As long as you and your wedding planner are on the same wavelength hiring one can be one of the best things you can do for yourself during this time in your life. Let us know if we can be of help planning your special day!