What kinds of questions should we ask potential wedding planners?
June 29, 2011 7:52 AM Subscribe
What do I ask when interviewing a wedding planner?
We're looking to hire a wedding planner, and I'm starting to line up interviews. I know a lot of this is a "fit" thing and to see if the person clicks with us and our vision, but I'm sure there are some best practices in what to ask them that might help us shed extra light on this important decision.
If you hired a wedding planner for your wedding, what were the questions you asked that were the most enlightening?
What sorts of things should we be asking aside from the static ones you always ask a person you're hiring? (e.g. "What is your rate? What does your rate include?")
(Any other advice on this hiring process is welcomed, thanks!)
We're looking to hire a wedding planner, and I'm starting to line up interviews. I know a lot of this is a "fit" thing and to see if the person clicks with us and our vision, but I'm sure there are some best practices in what to ask them that might help us shed extra light on this important decision.
If you hired a wedding planner for your wedding, what were the questions you asked that were the most enlightening?
What sorts of things should we be asking aside from the static ones you always ask a person you're hiring? (e.g. "What is your rate? What does your rate include?")
(Any other advice on this hiring process is welcomed, thanks!)
What is your refund policy / termmination process? Are there discounts for referrals? What are the fuinancial responsibilities of each party should a subservice be determined substandard? Are you insured?
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:04 AM on June 29, 2011
posted by Nanukthedog at 8:04 AM on June 29, 2011
Will you be present on the day of the wedding, or do I need to hire a separate Day of Coordinator? (That's an actual job, day-of-coordinator, indeed)
posted by copperbleu at 8:06 AM on June 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by copperbleu at 8:06 AM on June 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Make sure to be very clear about what she will and won't do for you, what she'll charge extra for, etc. Also, be sure to ask if she has proprietary relationships with certain vendors. You don't want to be shoehorned into using someone because she gets a kickback.
Finally, make a point of asking for references, and be sure to actually call them.
posted by litnerd at 8:15 AM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Finally, make a point of asking for references, and be sure to actually call them.
posted by litnerd at 8:15 AM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
We hired only a Day of Coordinator, not a full wedding planner, so these questions are a bit more Day-Of/setup oriented.
* What time do you arrive on the day of the wedding? How late do you stay?
* If the venue has an event coordinator, how do you work with them? How do you decide how does what setup, etc?
* Do you communicate primarily by email or phone (I am really an email only person, and it drove me nuts that the wedding industry is so phone oriented)
* Do you create a schedule of the day? What is included? Our DOC took input from the photographer, event coordiantor at our venue on the Banquet Event Order, etc, and made a super detailed spreadsheet of the day's events, bad weather fall backs, contact info for everyone, etc
posted by lyra4 at 8:18 AM on June 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
* What time do you arrive on the day of the wedding? How late do you stay?
* If the venue has an event coordinator, how do you work with them? How do you decide how does what setup, etc?
* Do you communicate primarily by email or phone (I am really an email only person, and it drove me nuts that the wedding industry is so phone oriented)
* Do you create a schedule of the day? What is included? Our DOC took input from the photographer, event coordiantor at our venue on the Banquet Event Order, etc, and made a super detailed spreadsheet of the day's events, bad weather fall backs, contact info for everyone, etc
posted by lyra4 at 8:18 AM on June 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
* How do you see yourself fitting into our wedding decisions?
* What types or styles of weddings do you best handle? (Highly formal to rather casual)
I suggest these questions, because my sister and mom had some disagreements with their wedding planner on certain aspects of the wedding that would have tacked on a couple hundred dollars, if not more. For instance, the wedding planner was pushing for fancy custom-made table identification widgets (I forget exactly what she wanted), but those were $70 to $100 per table, and would serve no purpose after the wedding.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:40 AM on June 29, 2011
* What types or styles of weddings do you best handle? (Highly formal to rather casual)
I suggest these questions, because my sister and mom had some disagreements with their wedding planner on certain aspects of the wedding that would have tacked on a couple hundred dollars, if not more. For instance, the wedding planner was pushing for fancy custom-made table identification widgets (I forget exactly what she wanted), but those were $70 to $100 per table, and would serve no purpose after the wedding.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:40 AM on June 29, 2011
Also, be sure to ask if she has proprietary relationships with certain vendors. You don't want to be shoehorned into using someone because she gets a kickback.
On this same vein, sometimes a strong vendor relationship can be a good thing. Wedding planners are often able to land a client because of these relationships—i.e. "My fee is $2500 but in return, you are likely to save that much off your budget by working with me rather than going it alone, thanks to my industry relationships." Many florists, rental houses, etc. give a "trade discount" (usually a percentage off) to a wedding that is brought in by a planner.
So you just want to find out who these vendors are during the interview. If the planner only has relationships with the most chi-chi providers in town, but you are looking to go more budget-conscious, that might be a problem, and vice versa. You might also be able to deduce what vendors a planner most often works with through some internet research.
I would ask to see his/her book or portfolio... some kind of photo gallery that represents past successful events.
I might ask who his/her event or style icons are. It's partially a get-to-know-you question and partially a vetting question. A wedding planner is a tastemaker, and should therefore have a few people that serve as muses and icons. Someone who stumbles over this question might not have as much experience as you would like.
For example, Steve Kemble is a nationally known wedding and event coordinator amd has appeared on all the reality wedding shows and various E! programs, and so on. For me personally, he's quite over-the-top. I'm very staid and conservative in my events, and someone who idolized Steve Kemble's every move would not be a good fit for me.
Whereas someone who said, "I really love the work of Lisa Vorce... and Sarah Pease... and as cliché as it may sound, it's hard to top some of Martha Stewart's events for sheer innovation...", I would check out the ones I hadn't heard of and then I would see that, "Ah yes, she's a good fit for me."
Just a way to get another external touchstone that you can check your own taste and preferences against.
I might ask how he/she describes the relationship she usually has with her clients. If you're really busy and you're seeking a no-nonsense person to just keep the logistics out of your way, and her answer is, "Oh I become like part of the family! We'll talk 5 or 6 times a day, and look, here is me in the family photo with my last bride, and I'll be your shrink and you can just come vent to me about the jitters and we'll be besties..." ......!
...Or the opposite—you want a neutral third party who is willing to be your buffer between all the wishes of various family members, and who isn't afraid to weigh in and really get involved in the process... and your candidate says, "We are extremely professional, we bill in 1/6 hourly increments, we are your hired experts, we operate with military precision and competence" ...maybe that is not the right bedside manner for you either.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
posted by pineapple at 9:02 AM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
On this same vein, sometimes a strong vendor relationship can be a good thing. Wedding planners are often able to land a client because of these relationships—i.e. "My fee is $2500 but in return, you are likely to save that much off your budget by working with me rather than going it alone, thanks to my industry relationships." Many florists, rental houses, etc. give a "trade discount" (usually a percentage off) to a wedding that is brought in by a planner.
So you just want to find out who these vendors are during the interview. If the planner only has relationships with the most chi-chi providers in town, but you are looking to go more budget-conscious, that might be a problem, and vice versa. You might also be able to deduce what vendors a planner most often works with through some internet research.
I would ask to see his/her book or portfolio... some kind of photo gallery that represents past successful events.
I might ask who his/her event or style icons are. It's partially a get-to-know-you question and partially a vetting question. A wedding planner is a tastemaker, and should therefore have a few people that serve as muses and icons. Someone who stumbles over this question might not have as much experience as you would like.
For example, Steve Kemble is a nationally known wedding and event coordinator amd has appeared on all the reality wedding shows and various E! programs, and so on. For me personally, he's quite over-the-top. I'm very staid and conservative in my events, and someone who idolized Steve Kemble's every move would not be a good fit for me.
Whereas someone who said, "I really love the work of Lisa Vorce... and Sarah Pease... and as cliché as it may sound, it's hard to top some of Martha Stewart's events for sheer innovation...", I would check out the ones I hadn't heard of and then I would see that, "Ah yes, she's a good fit for me."
Just a way to get another external touchstone that you can check your own taste and preferences against.
I might ask how he/she describes the relationship she usually has with her clients. If you're really busy and you're seeking a no-nonsense person to just keep the logistics out of your way, and her answer is, "Oh I become like part of the family! We'll talk 5 or 6 times a day, and look, here is me in the family photo with my last bride, and I'll be your shrink and you can just come vent to me about the jitters and we'll be besties..." ......!
...Or the opposite—you want a neutral third party who is willing to be your buffer between all the wishes of various family members, and who isn't afraid to weigh in and really get involved in the process... and your candidate says, "We are extremely professional, we bill in 1/6 hourly increments, we are your hired experts, we operate with military precision and competence" ...maybe that is not the right bedside manner for you either.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
posted by pineapple at 9:02 AM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]
Do you have a backup person if you are to become ill the day of my wedding?
posted by BuffaloChickenWing at 9:25 AM on June 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by BuffaloChickenWing at 9:25 AM on June 29, 2011 [2 favorites]
Also keep in mind that depending on your venue's catering director, a wedding planner might be redundant. I'm sure it isn't the norm, but I know a catering director here in Atlanta that goes way above and beyond, almost always helps the bride with flowers and decorations (sometimes even taking it upon herself), and has all the vendor connections to get things going with everything else.
posted by litnerd at 10:20 AM on June 29, 2011
posted by litnerd at 10:20 AM on June 29, 2011
I'd ask to speak to previous clients.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:05 PM on June 29, 2011
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:05 PM on June 29, 2011
"What's the worst problem that's happened during a wedding you planned, and what did you do to deal with it?"
Our wedding photographer told us that the most awful wedding incident he'd been present for was when one of the grandmothers got very drunk, climbed up on top of one of the tables at the reception, and launched into a monologue that began, "I hate every last one of you fuckers."
"What'd you do?" we asked.
"Casually lowered the hand I was holding the camera with down to my side, did a discreet fade through the door into the kitchen, and spent the next five minutes with the caterers shaking our heads and saying 'Oh my god...'"
posted by Lexica at 2:31 PM on June 30, 2011
Our wedding photographer told us that the most awful wedding incident he'd been present for was when one of the grandmothers got very drunk, climbed up on top of one of the tables at the reception, and launched into a monologue that began, "I hate every last one of you fuckers."
"What'd you do?" we asked.
"Casually lowered the hand I was holding the camera with down to my side, did a discreet fade through the door into the kitchen, and spent the next five minutes with the caterers shaking our heads and saying 'Oh my god...'"
posted by Lexica at 2:31 PM on June 30, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
How might your final bill exceed this estimate and what can I do to guarantee this doesn't happen?
posted by philip-random at 8:00 AM on June 29, 2011 [1 favorite]