How to Choose the Right Wedding Organizer

Know Your Vision

It’s important to understand your vision before choosing a wedding planner. The best advice we can give to couples is to know themselves and what they want for their wedding. If you’re recently engaged and enjoy participating in the creative aspects like envisioning and decorating the reception, it’s advisable to choose a wedding planner. Look for someone who is skilled in scheduling and proficient in coordinating meetings with vendors. It’s beneficial to choose a planner whose strengths complement your weaknesses, as they can fill in any gaps.

Ask Your Social Network

Use your network to find the best wedding planner. Ask your friends and family for recommendations and start a list. You’ll get first-hand information about what it was really like to work with the planner.

Search Social Media

Social media is used to book hotels, find restaurants and plan vacations. Why not also use social media to find a wedding coordinator? We recommend checking Instagram to see if [the planner is a real event planner who has worked on events similar to your wedding style. Follow up by doing a thorough analysis of their actual wedding experience. Read their reviews on Google or The Knot. Visit their website to see if they have a voice that fits yours.

We also suggest a quick Google Search to get things started. A lot of couples find local wedding planners by simply searching for ‘Florida Wedding Planner’ or ‘Tampa Wedding Planner‘.

Check Out Magazines, Websites, and Expos

You can also find the right wedding organizer by using other resources. Couples should explore local options, such as attending bridal shows and open houses. These events provide excellent opportunities to observe how wedding planners interact with couples. Additionally, consider browsing wedding websites or magazines. Look for the credits of a wedding that you admire to identify the planner behind it.

Ask Your Venue

You might have already selected your wedding venue. If that’s the case, you can ask the venue coordinator or the director of sales if they can recommend any outstanding wedding planners who are familiar with your desired venue.

Match Your Aesthetic

Take your theme into consideration when making your decision. Verify whether the planner you are considering has experience in organizing weddings with a similar style and ambiance to yours. 

During your initial meeting with the wedding planner, make sure to express your ideas and visions in a way that allows you to feel confident that they truly understand your vision for your special day.

Talk About Budget and Fees

You’ll also need to ensure that the wedding planner you choose is within your budget. Double-check before you commit that you are on the same page about the services you require for your wedding. Determine how much assistance you need (day-of event management, partial or full planning), then look at the planner’s price model. If you’re looking for a package that allows you to add more services later, look for a planner who offers customizable pricing.

What you’re investing in is their experience planning weddings, their ability to anticipate any problem or issue ahead of time, and a list of incredible vendors that they can refer you to, to name a few.

Identify Shared Values

You will be spending a great deal of time with your planner. They will be involved in an extremely personal moment in you and your partner’s lives. The planner or company you choose must be able to work with the style and vibe of your wedding.

You should spend time finding someone with whom you are comfortable and in complete sync. For us, it is similar to a first date. If we have a great call with a couple we are ecstatic and eager to continue the conversation. You and your partner both should be feeling the same when you make your decision.

Double-Check Services

It’s not enough to find a planner who matches your ideal aesthetic. You also need to make sure that they provide you with the services you require. It’s important to have access to a planner via phone or email so you feel comfortable asking questions and feeling taken care of before the wedding. You would want to be sure that your planner will communicate and coordinate with your vendors in the lead-up to your wedding so that you are able to rest assured everything will arrive on time.

You may also want to confirm that they provide other services, such as creating your daily timeline and reviewing contracts.

Prepare for the First Meeting

Ask them what you should bring with you to the meeting once you have done your research. The answer will depend on your current planning stage and the services that you hope they’ll provide.

When we meet a couple for the first time, it is important for us to get to know them. We believe that finding the right match is the key to a successful wedding. We spend so much of our time communicating with clients via email, text, and phone that it can feel forced if there is no chemistry. The end result will be affected. Bring yourself and a bit about how you envision your wedding day, as well as basic information about the services you have booked.

Find an Advocate

When you make your final decision, consider whether your wedding organizer is your best advocate. When you are looking for a planner, it is important to not feel judged. You want to feel that you’re being supported. You should also trust the planner and like them personally.

It’s likely that the planner you are choosing is not the best fit for you if a call or meeting makes you more stressed.

Trust Your Gut

Finding a wedding planner who feels right is the most important part of your search. You can trust your gut instinct to make the right choice. Your wedding planner is a teammate. It should feel as if you have a teammate working with you to make your vision a reality.