Planning a wedding takes a lot of time. You want your big day to go perfectly and just focus on having the best and most memorable time. A professional wedding planner can help deliver all of your expectations and even add some extra ideas and advice. The right wedding planner should have local knowledge to be able to advise on, and liaise with the local wedding suppliers. There are many wedding planners in the Byron Bay and Ballina region.
A few tips on hiring a wedding planner:
Before interviewing potential wedding planners:
You and your fiancé should have an idea of:
- How much money you have in your budget
- How many people you would like to invite
- Your preferred wedding date
- Your vision for your wedding – style, food, music etc. ( If you aren’t sure yet don’t worry—getting help with this is one of the reasons why you’re hiring a wedding planner!)
- Write a list of questions that you have and any ideas, no matter how small a detail.
After each interview is complete, ask yourselves:
- Did we feel heard?
- Did they seem to have the right experience and local knowledge?
- Does the planner understand our vision?
- Did we get a strong sense he/she will work with our budget?
- Was there a good connection and did our personalities mesh well?
Research the wedding planners online
Found a wedding planner who might be a good fit? Check out their website, portfolio, blog, and social media. Also try to find online reviews and feedback.
This is a great opportunity to get a solid grasp of their aesthetics and style, along with their “brand voice” and style of communication. Has their work been published in any blogs or online magazines? Look for those coveted “As Seen In” badges on their website as another indication of great work.
Meet in person (if possible)
While virtual communication is a perfect starting point, you can only get so far via email. Just like any job interview scenario, a face-to-face meeting will give you a much better sense of their personality and whether or not they’d be a helpful addition to your vendor team.
Ask more questions
How often will your meet and communicate throughout the planning process? Also, does your planner work solo on the day-of or with a team of assistants?
If you want some additional reassurance, don’t be afraid to ask a wedding planner for a list past client references. Most planners will be more than happy to oblige, and you’ll be able to hear directly from couples who can give you an unbiased review.
Carefully read the contract
When considering how to find a wedding planner, perhaps the most important point is to read the contract from beginning to end. Make sure you’re aware of how this particular planner handles things like pricing and/or additional fees, day-off set-up and tear down, and backup plans for bad weather.
Ensure you’re compatible
At the end of the day, you want to hire a wedding planner you’ll truly enjoy working and collaborating with. This is someone you’ll be spending quite a bit of time with leading up to the wedding, so make sure it’s a good fit on both a professional and personal level.
When in doubt, stop and do an honest gut check. Ask yourself if this is this someone your want metaphorically (or even literally) holding your hand during one of the biggest days of your life. Answer with a resounding yes? Go ahead and pop the bubbly because you’ve officially found the wedding planner who’s right for you.
Deux Belettes provides a luxury weddings and events venue in the Byron Bay hinterland. We don’t provide packages so if you are wanting your wedding or event at our venue, you will need to engage suppliers such as caterers, florists, furniture & marquee hire etc. A local wedding planner will help you with this.
