Planning a wedding for some is completely, utterly exciting and enjoyable, for others it’s horrifically daunting and for the vast majority it’s somewhere in between….

With a to-do list of practicalities, time constraints and unknowns it can be hard to know where to start so here are the top 5 questions I always ask my potential clients, and therefore I recommend you at least consider before you contact any perspective wedding planner (it will only make things easier for you!)

1) What Is Your Maximum Budget?

A bit of a fun spoiler, but a very realistic question to ask yourselves early on in the process. It’s important that you set you budget at a figure that you’re comfortable with. Your wedding day is one of the most special days of your life, but a memorable and amazing day doesn’t always have to have a huge budget to be achieved so where possible don’t set yourselves up for financial stress.

Similarly, if you’re not sure on what is a realistic budget then make a note of this, and point it out to your potential planner. They’ll be happy to give you advice and approximate/average costs to help point you in the right direction to establish a feasible budget for your day.

2) What Are Your Guest Numbers?

Now, no one is going to know their final guest numbers at the beginning of the wedding planning, especially with a destination wedding as it’s not possible to know who will and won’t be able to make the travel commitment at this stage. BUT it is important to have a good idea of your guest list, minimum numbers and how they are likely to fluctuate.

With a destination wedding accommodation is going to be needed, so your venue options will be driven massively by your guest numbers, particularly if you want all guests to sleep onsite.

Try and estimate this as accurately as possible and keep your planner updated with changes to the guest numbers (whether up or down) throughout the process.

3) When Would You Like To Get Married?

Again, you may not know the exact date you want to get married, but let your possible planner know of any preferences that you have; for example month of the year, day of the week, length of stay, extent of your flexibility are all useful things to consider at this stage.

Venue availability and pricing will vary by season and date choice so it’s good for a planner to understand the date range their working with.

4) What Type Of Ceremony Would You Like?

With a destination wedding, ceremony options may vary from those options for a wedding in your home country.

The most common ceremony options are civil, religious or symbolic. Some people have a very strong preference on this, others are open to the suggestions of a wedding planner, so consider your stance on this early on as again this will affect which options are/aren’t suitable for you as a couple.

5) What Are Your Priorities?

Every couple will have a different list of what’s important to them. For example, for some the venue is the most significant aspect, for others it’s the location or the date and for some it’s the food.

As a couple, discuss your list of priorities, what ‘has to be’ and what is flexible?

You may find your individual opinions differ slightly, which is why it’s good to sit down and have this discussion early on in the planning. Again, let your planner know as this will help with your venue and supplier searches.

The above are all useful tips to get you started, believe it or not us wedding planners do understand that you won’t always have the answers to everything early on! A lot of aspects evolve with the more information you find out so if you’re unsure then don’t be put off, still contact your preferred planners and be honest, tell them you have considered the above but need some guidance….always happy to help 🙂