Multi-award winning Wedding Guru and Internationally renowned Wedding Planner Priti Raichura, offers her top tips for selecting a wedding planner in 2023.
Step 1: Do your research.
Head to Google. There is no better place than Google. It’s easy to use, and you can get a good feel for what couples say about any particular planner. Search ‘wedding planners’ (insert your location) and you will see tons of various vendor websites for you to browse and potentially contact to set up a call with you. You’ll see by doing a Google search on Priti Raichura Events, we come up as number one, and are proud to say that we have excellent 5* reviews from our clients.
Seek recommendations. Word-of-mouth referrals make up a huge part of this business, and with good reason. Ask your friends and family if they know of any amazing wedding planners you can reach out to. Again, a lot of our couples/clients book us through word of mouth. Once they’ve got the thumbs up from their friend, who better to trust then them? Perhaps they had a planner who they absolutely loved or they know someone who did. Using a planner that already has rave reviews from your loved ones is an excellent way to ensure a fantastic experience.
Step 2: Start reaching out.
Once you’ve done your research and narrowed it down to a few planners you’re really interested in, it’s time to reach out and set up a call or meeting. These consultations are usually free and are your opportunity to ask as many questions as you like to potential planners. Ask them questions that are important to you. Take note of how quickly they respond to your request. Did they get back to you in a reasonable amount of time? Was their communication up to your particular standards? Did you click right away? Chemistry between you and your planner is really important. He/she will be the one person who you will be putting a lot of trust into.
We at Priti Raichura Events take great pride in getting to know our couples, and very quickly start to build an idea about them of what they like and don’t like. Our clients end up being our friends for life, and we pride ourselves on how many weddings we have actually delivered, which have resulted in the couples actually becoming good friends with us.
Step 3: Prepare for the consultation
At the end of the day, it’s crucial that you state the most important things to you and your partner on your wedding day. Make each planner you have a consultation with aware of what’s important to you and your partner and ask them how they would ensure they deliver on these aspects. You’ll also want to make a list of questions to ask each potential planner during the consultation. You may already know a lot about the planner based on your research, but to help you brainstorm, here are a few examples of questions you should consider asking.
How long have you been a wedding planner? How many weddings have you done?
Do you have a team or is it just you?
Do you help with sourcing the venue and all other vendors?
Have you worked with our venue before?
What is your typical contingency plan if inclement weather arises on our wedding day?
Will you be present at all vendor meetings?
Do you handle all contract negotiations with vendors?
What is the scope of your work? Do you handle designs? Logistics? Floor plans?
What style, colours, design, etc. do you have in mind for our wedding?
Can you send us materials (videos, photos, etc.) from weddings you’ve planned previously?
Do you create the timeline and floor plan?
What part of the planning process will we be responsible for?
Who will be on-site for the wedding day?
Do you offer different packages? Can we customise what you assist us in?
Step 4: Gather your thoughts.
After your consultation, take some time to gather your thoughts. The biggest question to ask yourself: Did the personalities of both you and your partner align with the planner? Do you think you could be teammates? Does the planner seem like someone who both knows what she/he is doing while also offering good moral support (after all, planning a wedding can be one of the more stressful events of your life!)
Step 5: Make your decision.
When finally making the decision of who’s going to help put together the day of your dreams, we suggest picking the one that fits best with your budget and your personality. The planning process should be a fun way for you and your partner to be creative and work together to make your wedding dreams become a reality, and the planner plays a huge role in that.
Contact us – the multi-award winning company for your wedding planning needs at: https://www.pritiraichura.com/
