You are engaged! You, your fiance, family and friends are excited, and then you realize, now you need to plan a wedding. When thinking through the idea of wedding planning, it can feel overwhelming and like the To-Do list is endless. On top of that, having a full-time job and a busy day-to-day life doesn’t make it any easier! Fitting in the needed time is one of the driving components to seek the help of a wedding planner. As wedding planners in the California wine country, we’ve highlighted four components that we feel to be the most critical factors on how to choose your wedding planner. 

Connection

One of the first things that becomes apparent during the interview phase of selecting a wedding planner is personal connection. Are you getting a good vibe from the planner? Is communication flowing seamlessly? Do you feel like they listen to you and hear your concerns, excitements, reservations, etc.? We find the best wedding planning experiences have a strong base of connection from the start. While we don’t read minds, we get pretty darn close after getting to know our couples so well. That’s the level of connection we are seeking when working with our clients and they are considering how to choose a wedding planner. Getting to know them, what excites them, and what their vision of a perfect wedding contains are all components we are looking to learn when first speaking with a client. 

Knowledge and Expertise

Another obvious components couples are seeking when looking how to choose your wedding planner is their knowledge, experience, and expertise. A wedding planner does not provide you with a tangible product; you hire them for their knowledge of the industry, expertise in the wedding market, and experience with planning weddings. During the process of hiring a planner, you will encounter different price points, and there is a reason for that. A planner creates value based on their knowledge, expertise, and experience. So the common phrase, “you get what you pay for,” is very much applicable in this circumstance. Some planners just starting out in the industry and seeking experience will have a lower package price. Whereas those that have been successfully in the industry a long time will have a higher price point. 

Our personal resume contains a collective of 20+ years of experience in the wedding industry, and our high level of customer service and attention to detail is fundamental to us. Because of that, we take on a limited number of weddings per year to best serve our clients and provide them with the absolute best experience. We hear from too many people that wedding planning is stressful, and we do not want that for our couples! As California wine country wedding planners, we want the process to be fun and easy. Our goal is to take all of your unknowns, questions, concerns, and details off your plate and allow you to enjoy the process of the fun elements, like menu tastings! We can promise those expectations because of our experience and expertise.

Understanding the Process and Services

Once you feel you have a sense of the planner’s knowledge, experience and you have felt an initial connection with them, next is to understand the process and services being provided. Expectations are key factors when deciding how to choose your wedding planner, so you want to make sure you are clear on what exactly you are getting. 

Are you planning from afar? You will want to know the best communication style, the anticipated amount of in-person time, etc. Are you planning a multi-day destination wedding weekend? You’ll want to ensure that all of your needs are being met by the wedding planner. All planners have different planning packages and methods, so ensuring you understand what is included in the services and contract is important to start planning on the right foot. 

For example, some couples are looking for limited assistance with wedding planning and looking for someone to assist them at the end with final details about a month or two before and then execute their wedding day. We refer to this service as more of a Wedding Coordinator. While other companies, like us, are offering a Full-Service experience navigating the planning from Day 1 with assistance on things you may never have even thought about yet.

Trust

While trust seems like a pretty simple trait, it is a significant factor in our opinion when hiring a planner. We want our couples to trust us beyond measure. Our clients know that anytime we are making a recommendation or suggestion, it is coming from a place of trust. They can trust that we are making these suggestions based on all of our experience, our relationships within the industry, and of course, the relationship and understanding we have developed with the couple’s needs, wants, and desires. Knowing your planner is going to go to bat for you every step of the way is so unbelievably important. 

A lot goes on behind the scenes of planning a wedding, and the relationship we develop with our clients along the way, allows us to make those necessary decisions and fight for your vision when you are not there to do so. You are about to spend a large amount of money on your wedding, and your planner is there not only to make sure the planning process is as stress-free as possible but also to act as your protection and mouthpiece on your investment. Your planner is an extension of you, so trusting them is so important!

Yes, we may be biased as California wine country wedding planners, but we feel one of the most important steps you can take in planning a wedding is hiring a wedding planner from the start. Your wedding planner is the most vital piece of the puzzle to ensure a fun, no stress, and smooth experience. A lot falls into our job description, but overall, our goal is to create your perfect wedding! If you are looking for help to make your dream California wine country wedding come to life, please inquire on our website and we would love to hear more about your vision for your big day!