5 important questions to ask to your wedding planner

Weddings.Weddings abroad.weddings in Italy
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Salve!

This morning I would like to spend a little of my time in trying to drop a couple of notes with the aim of helping you in booking the right planner.

First of all if you are getting married in a foreign country and you really want to be the bride on the wedding day and not the manager directing the army of vendors – you need a planner.

You have 3 solutions:

  • Bringing a Professional Planner from home;
  • Hiring an independent Professional Planner on site;
  • Using the in-house (if offered) Professional planner of the venue.

Hiring a planner is not wasting money if you are hiring the right person.  Selecting the right planner is like scouting the venue or picking the gown: you will know immediately if you’re in front of the right one.

Being a planner (and not for a deliberate choice) since 14 years and having had a discrete experience on the matter, forgive me if I’m sharing with you this morning what I really would like to ask to a planner if I was a bride deciding to getting married far from home.

  1. Most of my current brides are asking me how long I’m the field of planning or how long I’m a planner – well honestly I’m more interested in asking to my planner “why you’re a planner” – you should have been involved in hundreds of jobs or different activities.  You will discover from her reply realistically if she’s more interested in the frivolous aspects of the event or design or she’s a passion for flowers and décor or again if she really has a great talent in managing people and if you’re lucky .. she can have all the qualities!
  2. Another common question is : how many weddings have you planned last season?  Quality is better than quantity.. so I’ll rather ask her which was your best event of ever.  Ask her to describe in a few words what she loved and what she did not.  Yes… there are lots of things that planner do not love.. me for instance I’m not a great fan on monochromatic events.
  3. How many guests you had at your biggest event? Well let me say that from experience you can have 10 guests and face with the most stressful event of your life and having 250 and really love it! Again try to work on the quality instead of the quantity.
  4. Would you mind if I’m contacting your vendors directly? Ecco.. that’s another key point – there are some planners that will share with you their know-how without any problems, other that will be a little reluctant – so try to be diplomatic if you really want to keep in touch with vendors. Imagine if you’re a professional painter, I’m ordering to you a portrait and asking you to use your paint… you will be reluctant.  So always try, but try to be fair.  I can proudly share with you about 5 of my former brides that now are planners.
  5. How much is your fee? Great dilemma in the big melting pot of the planners on the market now.
  • Some planners work on % on the base of your total budget – meaning on the total amount you’re spending for the whole event;
  • Some planners apply a consultancy fee or propose you a total package including the wedding organization and services you’ve agreed with her;
  • Some planners apply a consultancy fee and will get an annual compensation from vendors they are recommending you.

After this last point, the question is how much really I’m spending for my wedding?

Realistically this depends on you and how good you are in understanding what you really need, which are your priorities, what you can really afford.

If you were a planner, do you expect to work for free and having the whole responsibility of the best day of a bride life on your shoulder?  Do you risk of being fired on socials, blogs for a little amount of money?  Now it is also true that the most glam and famous planners in the world are applying incredible fees that only for a few clients, and there are legends around for big disasters, so a lot is due to responsibility of your planner.  Anyhow

Before deciding to get married abroad, draft 3 budgets:

  • For the venue & food & drinks per the max number of guests you’re expecting to attend;
  • For the décor taking into consideration (please) that all that is on pinterest is not so cheap and also probably is fruit of style shooting and not a real wedding.
  • For your planner – meaning how much max I can afford for a planner

and in addition try to remember that you can came across different planners and different way of approaching the event:

  • you can hire a coordinator expert in mediation which will help you in finding the right vendors;
  • designers and experts in coreography;
  • florist or floral designers offering also wedding planning services;
  • travel agencies selling trips with wedding attached;
  • events organizers;

90% of them are runing one-man company and all extremely motivated,  try always to understand what really fit with your needs and expectations and start enquiring,  move towards he/she fitting better for you in terms of “mood – style – price – attitude!”

Happy planning girls!

rossana@theknotinitaly.it

 

Photo courtesy of Guido Calamosca Photographer (in the pic – Rossana Sapori Wedding Planner; Emiliana Fedeli Maitre de Sale)

Rossana Sapori