Event Planner Database
Planning a wedding requires a lot of time and effort, and let’s face it—nobody has the free time to stare at their computer screen for hours. People will often grapple with the decision of whether or not they should hire a professional wedding planner to save some time or simply tackle the task themselves. Those who choose to enlist the help of a planner will quickly find that their arsenal of knowledge about event planning, as well as their contacts, is simply unparalleled. Their ideas are well researched and can easily be adapted around almost any bride’s budget.
If you do decide to utilize a professional wedding or event planner in your planning process, there are a couple of ideas to keep in mind that will help you during your selection process. The key to choosing the right event planner is to find one that suits your style, personality and budget.
Know What You Want
In order to find the event planner that best suits your needs, you first need to figure out what exactly those needs are. Take some time to reflect on how big of a budget you can afford, how big you want the event to be and how much assistance you will want from your planner. You can choose a full-service planner that is involved every step of the way, or one that has a more concentrated role around just the wedding day. Different types of event planners specialize in various services so it is necessary to determine which best suits your specific needs.
Research the Credentials
Search for a planner who has a variety of credentials and is actively involved in local trade associations to ensure that they are a legitimate planner. Research the history of their successfully planned events as well as user comments and ratings. This insightful information can give a great picture of their strengths and weaknesses.
Look for Experience
They say that experience is the best teacher. This is why it is important to choose a planner who has plenty of experience, specifically with planning the types of events that you are going to be hosting in conjunction with your wedding. This means that you might have to conduct an interview with several wedding and event planners and ask them about some events that they have planned in the past. Be sure to ask them about how big and significant these past events were in order to discern if they could produce the same results for your event.
Verify References
A successful planner will have plenty of references and will be more than happy to provide you with some. Following up on these references can give you the inside scoop about the planners that you can’t otherwise find on the web.
Wide Network
It is extremely important that you choose a planner that has a wide network of connections. If you are planning on hosting your event on a yacht, he or she should be able to contact someone who owns or rents one. If they don’t, they should be able to establish these connections in order to give you what you need. This is also a great opportunity to receive discounts on your rentals since the planner is connected to more than 20 individual event vendor categories in most instances.
Cost
To put it simply, hiring an event planner costs money. Always make sure that you have the planner’s costs determined before signing the contract. Clarify whether or not their fees are separate from any vendors’ fees. This will help to avoid any confusion and stay on track with your budget. Keep in mind that you will also need money to pay for the venue, refreshments, etc. so you need to make sure that you leave enough money leftover after hiring the planner. A more senior planner will help you determine your overall wedding budget and account for this aspect.
Make Sure You Like Them!
Having great credentials and references is only half of the hiring equation. You also need to ensure that you generally like the planner that you are hiring! You want to be with someone who listens, gives their undivided attention and respects your wishes. You will be spending a lot of your time with this person and you don’t want to be miserable along the way.
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