10 Questions you should be asking your UK Wedding Planner
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How many times will we meet during our planning journey?
Full wedding planning service varies with every wedding planner. Read through your proposal carefully and add or take out services as you need. One of the key elements is your accessibility to the wedding planner. Some of the planners include unlimited meetings during the wedding planning journey, some will specify them in number. 5 face to face meetings is the usual number. The wedding planner might be meeting some wedding suppliers without you as well. It is good to know not only how many meetings you have paid for but also when they might occur. You will need at least 2 meetings at the very beginning of the planning, and the final one in the final 2 weeks. Find out how much would an additional meeting be if needed.
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Are you going to be available to us in the final weeks before the wedding?
Wedding planners and coordinators are very busy in the summer season and it is best to put those final meetings in the calendar straight away. However, a wedding planner and their team will always be available to you in that final week before the big day. And their availability will maximise, in general, in those final 6 weeks. Most couples become a little bit nervous when the date is approaching because there is seemingly nothing to do. Everything has been organised so the wedding planner will order you to relax and enjoy a spa day.
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What time will you start on our wedding day and will you run our wedding day?
Wedding planners and coordinators start early morning. You can pick up a phone when you wake up and check on the progress if you wish to do so. A wedding planner will come to see you before heading to the venue and managing the setup if circumstances allow it. Your wedding day will be run by the wedding planner himself/herself or their team member. This should be agreed at the very beginning. Some wedding planners work on their own and some run a successful wedding planning agency where it is clear they are a planner, not a coordinator.
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How do we pay you and how much is the non-refundable deposit?
A non-refundable deposit is paid once you agree on all terms and conditions. It is usually a third of the total fee. The rest of the fee is then either split into the payment plan or due 4 – 6 weeks before the wedding day. Every wedding planner has its own system in place and the payment method varies. Most used payment method is an invoice and a bank transfer.
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Will we get any discounts if we choose your suppliers?
A very good question. Relationships among wedding suppliers are very important. They do work as a team on one of a lifetime events for you and therefore, they must get on well. You will certainly benefit from these well-established relationships. Any discounts provided to a wedding planner are passed onto you.
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Are there going to be any extra costs for us?
Wedding planner’s fee is agreed at the beginning. Your proposal will state all services included in your wedding planning package. Anything that is not stated will most likely be charged as an extra. It might be an extra meeting, extra drive to pick up your veil, an added extra like organising your honeymoon… If you are not sure just ask
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Can you book our honeymoon?
A wedding planner can book your honeymoon if they are a registered travel agent or works with a travel agency that provides you with all the necessary insurance. It must be an ATOL protected company with an ABTA registration.
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Do we pay the wedding planner or the wedding suppliers directly?
A wedding planner is paid their fee, all the wedding suppliers should be paid directly. A wedding planner will negotiate the price of a product or a service on your behalf, generate an invoice that you will pay directly to the supplier. A wedding planner will keep and forward all the receipts to you and keep an eye on remaining balances.
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How many weddings do you plan per year?
It is good to know how busy your wedding planner is and if they have any other weddings in the same week as yours. This might limit their accessibility to you. However, a good wedding planner is very organised, and this shouldn’t affect you in any way.
10. Do you have a liability and professional indemnity insurance?
All wedding suppliers should be insured. You can ask to see the insurance certificate. All wedding venues will require insured suppliers otherwise they wouldn’t be allowed on the property. You should also consider insuring your wedding, especially if you travel abroad. Wedding insurance starts from as little as £17.50 and will provide you with a piece of mind.
