If you’re planning a wedding, could be yours, your friends or your family members’, you’d understand the word ‘Chaos’ in a much better way. But, we hastily ignore it and address it as an ‘Overwhelming yet beautiful Chaos’. Which brings me to the question, Is the Chaos every good?
If this can be simplified with a wedding planner then what's the problem? But the problem of choosing the best planner starts to put you in an inexpressible dilemma. Do we have to approach big companies? Or count on a number of years of their experience? Will the wedding budget outstrip? What if they don't understand what we need and how we need it?
But let me tell you, as a wedding planner, We totally understand the chaos running in your mind so we decided to make it easier for you to choose your best wedding planner.
Here are 7 problems We think your mind can finally start to worry less.
1. Do they Walk the Talk?
Often it so happens that if you start looking for wedding planners, the internet throws you multiple options, all of which equally remarkable with stunning websites and profiles. With a lot of struggle you pick up a few numbers from your favorite looking websites and dial them. But, can you really rely on the sweet-talking, telephone ready conversations? It could be real traumatizing but we suggest you look at at least 10 websites, shortlist 5 of them, zero down on 1. ‘Easier said than done!’.
Our suggestions would be to look for Transparency & Clarity while they communicate. Firstly, list down the things you wish-to-have at your wedding, some good-to-haves, and the must-haves. Secondly, compare their skillset to your requirement. For example, if you wish to have a photo booth at your wedding, you can ask the planner to send some samples/ideas of it. It is the best way to know their capability.
Secondly, Apart from their stunning profiles, check their references/testimonials, look at the ideas which they’ve executed. Also, after providing your requirement, ask them to draft a first cut plan for your wedding. Yes! they would certainly do this FOC. Make the most of it, while you’re at it. And If you happen to fall in love with a couple of ideas out of the entire deck, then the rest can be mended anyway.
As Scott Weiland once sang, ‘let the proof be in the pudding, sugar.’
2. Ritual Knowledge & Beliefs
If you’re having a wedding planner who has done an astonishing job at Catholic Weddings, and you are a Hindu who believes in full-fledged rituals, the first thing you check is how much they understand your rituals? How far in their assistance can they possibly go in fulfilling the tiny requirement for those rituals?
Let me be clear that not all the wedding planners will have an in-depth knowledge of every ritual, of every religion. But they’ll have some ideas. If the wedding planner understands and is ready to go for the extra mile in arranging the Sehra or a decorative umbrella or freshly made Haldi — that's your go-to Planner.
3. Communication Strategy
As an event planner, we come across various people some extremely friendly, some with naturally friendly nature, some bossy, some rude, some cocky. However, their personalities are, we cannot avoid them. I’ll have to be friendly, make them feel comfortable, and understand their comfort level. Needless to say in the end they become my retainers.
Therefore, it is a must for a wedding planner to have a friendly nature, go-to personality rather than having a stubborn tone that shoots down all of your ideas and enthusiasm.
Coming from a corporate events background, we realize the catch that the wedding industry is its not an organized sector. Since its more personal, people tend to take advantage of it and misuse it. But at what cost? we have everything is written down on paper, mail, a formal presentation with a properly prepared checklist. We believe its easier to keep track and not forget or mess up anything.
Likewise, look for planners who are disciplined, process-oriented, who believe in making checklists, exchanging texts/emails for every change, or every communication along with phone calls, and personal meetings.
If they’re eager to meet you to get the brief, that means they’re ready to go that extra mile just to make you feel comfortable.
4. Can they handle Scale?
Most Indian weddings are a Big fat Indian wedding in their own way. But Big-Fat doesn't only talk about Too many people, it also talks about too much decor, too many rituals. Our weddings are known to last for days. However, Are the planners willing to commit with the same enthusiasm, the same support for all the days equally and diligently? Mostly they do. Because it is their job.
You’ll have to check their team size, it’ll be easier to determine the capability to handle the last minute arrangements which are bound to pop-up. Any event having two extra Manpower in handy is always chaos-free.
For example, one of my favorite clients planned her wedding for months with every little detail and specifications with flowers, colors, and patterns. It was 2 am in the night and she wanted to check on her ‘South Indian Braided orchid head ornament with golden and deep pink spray.’ When I reached out to my florist to check on the already finished and stored item, I realized it is not deep pink instead of light baby pink and it doesn’t match her attire. I had two hours on my hand and midnight. Luckily, for me, my team was big and handy at the site, one of my operation guys immediately agreed to run to the market and get the exact match spray for the floral clips. By 4 am, I had them ready. When she saw them in almost perfect beauty, she had tears filled and thanked me for making her wedding perfect. Of course, she didn’t quite know the effort behind making it perfect, but she acknowledged it gratefully. Going back, what if I didn't have that extra manpower at hand? what if the bride saw totally mismatched ornament just before her big day much to her dismay she can’t rectify it. I’d have lost my favorite client and her special feeling on her wedding day.
5. Are they Creatively Gifted?
Most of the time, it is a ready-made portfolio you choose your designs from, imagining from reference photographs.
But everyone wants their wedding to stand out and be remembered for long. What if the wedding planner holds a key to it. Be brave to do something different, need not be heavy-duty. Your wedding planner can whip up something like a simple photo booth, wish-station, personalized props or deck up a place filled with old family photographs for everyone to reminisce and cherish it.
However, you don't mind spending that extra budget then you should look at having extravagant experiential zones, personalizing every experience, every ritual.
So, don’t shy away asking the wedding planner to give some creative ideas, to make your wedding a memorable experience.
6. Venue Hunting & Logistics Solutions
Most of the families get stuck in this situation. When the wedding is finalized, the families tend to leave their work aside and have to keep roaming from venues to venues, checking the proximity to date availability and venue infrastructure. Finally end up booking a venue, which in worst scenario turns out to be a disaster on the D-Day.
Your cue is to start looking for a planner from Day 1, who would help you do the field research and find your perfect venues, the ones which are apt for booking, and available for suitable dates. This would definitely help you with the biggest problem of all.
Second, Big-Indian families also come with a lot of traveling, hotel booking, local transport. So, enroll a planner who clearly has the capacity or allocate a person just to handle the logistics on your behalf. It just saves you too much stress, time, and probably give you more time to enjoy the festivities.
7. It's your wedding! You have to enjoy it!
Sign on a planner who wishes to be involved in every aspect of your wedding and not just the bits and pieces like Decor, Catering, and Photography. The Wedding Planning company should take up all the responsibilities, maybe prepare a checklist with the timeline and ensure everything is set beforehand while putting you at ease. While you sit back, get your beauty sleep, transfer your burden of organizing to the team. Clearly, we don’t want you to be worried about each and every step or every vendor or every arrangement. Just Enjoy your Wedding!
Let the Chaos be handled by the experts.
Recommend you to try out WedUtsav.com in your reviewing experience, these people go an extra mile to give you that special feeling, crafted with personalization, solving all the above problems in a very friendly and easy way. They are worth the time and money spent!