Your wedding is a big event. From a large number of guests, a dozen or so local vendors, renting a wedding venue, dealing with timing, logistics, and being expected to do it all with ease so that your wedding day is a dream and relaxing experience when you have never done it before is insane.
Luckily an experienced wedding planner in Indiana can help you plan the wedding of your dreams without all of the stress! The knowledge of Indianapolis weather and events make theme a wealth of knowledge that will prove invaluable on your wedding day. But not all wedding planners offer the same service or operate the same way. When considering an Indianapolis wedding planner there are a few things you will need to know before your first meeting.
You will need to have a wedding date or at least be flexible when it comes to choosing one.
You will need to have a rough budget.
A wedding planner can help give you an idea of what your wedding will look like in that budget.
They will need to know how many guests will be invited.
A wedding with 50 guests will require a different venue than a wedding with 250 guests.
And you will need an idea of the vision of your wedding day.
It doesn’t need to be crystal clear but knowing what you want and don’t want will really help the planner polish the rest of the details in making your day perfect.
Once you know those things it will be time to interview a potential wedding planner. This list of questions is designed to help you discover exactly what any wedding planner you interview will provide to your wedding so you get exactly what you want!
1. Tell me about you and your business.
This easy opener lets you get an idea of who they are, how long they have been planning weddings in Indianapolis, their communication style, and could answer some of the other questions on this list before you even have to ask!
2. How many weddings to you plan per year, how many weddings do you expect to plan in the month we are getting married?
You can get a lot of helpful info from this question. The few weeks leading up to your wedding will require the most amount of email communication. Finalizing timelines and last minute details (like unpredictable Indiana weather) has some urgency and knowing your wedding planner will be available to help is important.
3. Do you recommend vendors?
Maybe you are hiring a wedding planner for their experience, or maybe you are hiring them to save you time and stress. Whatever the reason, a wedding planners connections is part of their value. There is a good chance you don't have a go to party rental supply company near you that you love where can rent you 250 beautiful chairs for your wedding. It takes time to research and vet wedding vendors. Share your vision of your wedding day with your planner and they should be able to recommend the perfect vendor for you!
4. Do we have the option to hire vendors you have not worked with before?
While you might not have a favorite party rental supply company, you may have been following a wedding photographer for years that will be perfect for your wedding vision or maybe you’re dying to have dueling pianos as your wedding reception entertainment. Knowing your planner will work with vendors they have not worked with before will ensure your wedding day vision will come to life!
5. Will you be present at vendor meetings.
There is a good chance you are looking at this list of questions to ask a local Indianapolis wedding planner because you don't know the in’s and out’s of the local wedding industry. That makes sense! Your wedding planner does know the in’s and out’s and will be able to ask questions from other vendors that apply directly to your wedding to make sure they will be a great fit. A wedding planner can also look over the other vendors contract to ensure there will be no conflicts.
6. Will you be on hand the day of our wedding?
Several years ago I was at a wedding in Avon where the caterer did not bring enough food to feed all of the guests. They screwed up. If this were to happen at your wedding, would you want the caterer to come up to you, interrupt your first dance and ask you how to solve the problem or would you want a wedding planner there to put out this fire for you? A wedding planner will be able to not only have the connections to take care of the problem but will also be by your side to get you a partial refund from the first caterer.
7. What details WON’T you handle?
Some planners deal strictly with logistics. Planning details, Booking vendors, timelines, guest lists, seating charts ect. Others will deal with more of the design portion of your wedding including setup and teardown. Having a clear answer on what they will and wont do will help you make the right decision for your wedding.
8. How much control do you take of the final outcome of our wedding. Are you open to our ideas and participation?
There is no right or wrong answer to this question as it depends on your personal preference. Many couples hire a wedding planner to do plan a wedding where all they have to do is walk in and enjoy. Others hire a wedding planner to take care of the administrative side of a wedding and keep everyone on the same page while they still want to have a lot of input on the final outcome. Once again this answer will help you decide of the wedding planner is right for your vision.
9. What are some common problems that come up on a wedding day that brides don't expect and how do you solve them?
Again taking advantage of the wedding planners experience will give you some insight on how to best prepare for your wedding day. You are emotionally attached to your wedding day and don’t want to think of the logistics. Since that’s the wedding planners job they will be extremely helpful forecasting common problems that go unseen by most brides until it is too late.
10. What is your payment policy, how much of a deposit is needed to book your services, and when is the final payment due?
The wedding planner should cover this without asking but I listed it here because it is so important to be clear on all the details when it comes money and payment.
11. Are there any other fees we should be aware of that are not accounted for in your proposal/collection.
You may be getting married outside of your wedding planners typical area of service that will require them to travel several times more than they are normally use to. You may be having a multi day event or want them to also plan your honeymoon. These things might require an additional fee. Talk with your planner about your plan and vision of your wedding day and they should be able to answer this question with ease.
Click here to print out this list of questions and take with you to your interview!
After your meeting ask yourself, did they feel like a good fit for your wedding? Did they listen to your questions and have helpful answers? Did you get along with their personality? Next to your wedding photographer, your wedding planner will be the vendor you have the most communications and spend the most time with. Trust your intuition and you will be one step closer to the perfect wedding day!
See More: Complete Wedding Planning Guide!
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