It is a flush of joy to announce your engagement to the nearest and dearest ones, and a time when you would also start looking around for all the help you can get to make this wedding a success. There would be plenty of opinions thrown at you; checklists included and many decisions to make as well. Sigh, wish there were more hours in a day to cope with them all. But wait, there is actually a wedding planner that can help you through the whole rigmarole and seamlessly too. A professional wedding planner knows it all and can do it all, without your presence around and as per your wishes. Great isn’t it? But do you know how to pick the right wedding planner in India? Read on!

What you need!

1. You need a professional to arrange a full-service wedding to the tee with all cultural and traditional details kept in mind,

2. You may also need them to help you choose the wedding location and the right vendors too, and

3. A coordinator who would see all of this through

But why the added cost?

Why hire a wedding planner and add more costs, you ask? There are many reasons as to why-

1. You save your energy

2. You get to focus on other wedding tasks

3. You get to focus on yourself

4. You save the running around you have got to do otherwise, and

5. You save tons of money

What to keep in mind

Before you start talking to wedding planners, sit with your fiance and finalise the following;

1. Your budget

2. The number of guests on the list to be invited

3. The date of the wedding

4. The theme of the wedding

5. Your vision of the wedding

When the interview is done

After talking to the wedding planner, here are a couple of things your fiance and you should sit and discuss at length.

1. Where did you hearabout the wedding planner?

2. Was your vision of the wedding understood by the planner?

3. Would they be able to work around on a budget you stated?

4. Were they actively listening to your worries, and

5. How do you feel about the wedding planner?

Know your wedding planner!

When interviewing the wedding planner, here are a couple of questions to ask them-

1. Are they available on your wedding date?

2. How do they face challenges at weddings?

3. How good are their problem-solving skills?

4. Any certifications they can provide?

5. Are they part of any wedding associations in India or do they freelance?

6. License and tenure of their business?

7. When was the last full-service wedding they helped perform?

8. How many weddings do they undertake in an annual year?

9. How well connected are they with vendors, and

10. Ask for referrals from clients of the past they have worked with!

Finalizing a venue and vendors with the wedding planner

Wedding planners that provide full-services in India also help scout the best location, vendors, and venues for the wedding. Here are a couple of things to probe into with them.

1. Have they ever used the same venue before?

2. Contingency plans they provide for incase it is bad weather!

3. Do you have to choose only the vendors they have or can you hire from outside?

4. Who pays the vendors-is it all inclusive of the vendor fees or would you have to pay separate!

5. Who checks on with the quality of services provided by the vendor?

6. What if the vendors don’t turn up on time at the wedding venue on the day of the wedding?

7. What logistical planning can one provide as back-ups on the day of the wedding and after that?

8. While the wedding venue is being decked up, who is going to be supervising!

9. Do you have your own team of wedding photographers?

10. Do you have your own bridal makeup and hair team?

Other important questions to ask

1. Would you be there at the wedding to ensure everything goes smooth and on time?

2. What if there is an emergency at the wedding, what would be the backup plan?

3. When would you arrive and depart on the day of the wedding?

4. Who would be responsible for the dismantling of the wedding decor and disposal there of?

5. When can we expect a blueprint of the wedding plan or a floor plan of the venue!

6. What are the packages on offer, and what comes with each package?

7. Do you conduct wedding rehearsals for the various pre-wedding and wedding rituals!

8. What about rehearsal dinners and post-wedding brunches-who manages them?

9. Would your team assist us with honeymoon packages and planning!

10. What about the wedding shopping, do you have qualified shoppers to help us out with?

So as you see, there are many things that go into the planning of a wedding, and if you are pressed for time and do not have much help coming around, it would be wise to seek the help of a professional wedding planner. This exhaustive checklist here ensures that all your details for the wedding are answered meticulously, and none left out as such.

When looking for wedding planners, also check with family and friends that have used such services and you were impressed with. This would make the task of sourcing easier, since it would be from a reliable source that help is coming from.

Don’t rush into anything. Sit and talk things out and go over with your needs should you not understand what the wedding planner wants to tell you. Remember, this is your wedding and you want it to be the best. We wish you all the luck in searching for the right wedding planner. Do let us know if there are more questions that we should ask wedding planners in India.