20 Questions to Ask a Wedding Planner Before You Book

The first meeting with a wedding planner is really an interview — you're hiring for the most logistically complex event your family will ever host. These are the questions that reveal who's actually ready.

About their process

• Walk me through your planning process, month by month.
• How do you build and track the budget? Can I see a sample (anonymised)?
• What does your master timeline look like, and who maintains it?
• How do you handle vendor contracts — in your name or ours?
• What planning tools or trackers will we share?

About the team

• Who exactly will be on-ground on my wedding days, and how many of them?
• Will the person I'm meeting today actually run my wedding?
• How many weddings do you take on the same weekend?
• Who is my single point of contact, and how fast do you typically respond?

About money

• Is your fee flat, percentage-based, or commission-driven?
• Do you earn commissions from vendors you recommend — and will you disclose them?
• What's the payment schedule, and what's refundable?
• What typically causes budgets to grow mid-planning?

About the worst case

• Tell me about a wedding that almost went wrong — and what you did.
• What happens if a vendor cancels a week before?
• What's the weather backup plan for outdoor functions?
• Have you ever had a medical or safety emergency at a wedding? How was it handled?

The green flags to listen for

Specific answers over confident ones. Numbers over adjectives. A planner who asks about your family more than they pitch their portfolio. And one who tells you what you don't need. For the full picture of how we answer these ourselves, explore our planning services — or simply book a consultation and ask us every question on this list.