This last couple of weeks I have witnesses a few occasions where a couple's wedding vision and the whole special day were compromized to a great extent due to the fact they had no reliable local contact to ensure all of their wedding vendor communication is indeed agreed upon and set in stone. I couldn't help but think: see, this is exactly why one needs to hire a wedding planner, especially for a wedding abroad.
the questions is- how to find a reliable one, that will indeed work in your best interests and ensure your dreamed of day truly goes as a day of your dreams?
We give you a few tips how to know the professional you hire is indeed an expert professional wedding planner:
1. RECOMMENDATION is the most obvious way to find out if your wedding planner is any good- look for testimonials from other couples and maybe even vendors. Other people's experiences with the person you are looking to hire to plan the most important day of your lives will help a lot in making this decision. Don't ask for reference letters only, but contact details of couples as well, especially those who have had similar wedding to what you have envisioned. It will also help get an idea of what they thought of these choices and how the planner contributed to the whole day.
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| Ines with Mairead and Neil in front of St Ignatius Church in Dubrovnik, after their wedding ceremony on 20/08/2009 |
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| Ines & Marin as witnesses at St Blaise church to Niall & Olivia, 20/10/2006 |
2. SAMPLES OF PREVIOUS WORK- we all know that any craft is crafted and perfected with practice, so is the wedding planning. Ask for a brief history of the planner's company, how many weddings they have done up to date and pictures of previous weddings. Ideally, if you are asking for references, your planner will supply you with a couple of contacts from each of the previous 3 years of business at least. Also, ask for photos and maybe even videos of weddings that have a similar concept to your own to see the closest picture possible.
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| Ines & Marin as witnesses to Jessica and Raoul, after their elopement ceremony on Dubrovnik viewpoint on 09/09/2009 |
3. PROFESSIONALISM, INVOICING AND CONTRACTING- your planner should clearly explain you how the payment and contracting procedure takes place for your wedding and draft you a contract proposal immediately after your date confirmation, outlining all agreed upon segments, cancellation policy, their fee structure and explanation of potential costs that are upcoming. You should also expect from your planner to issue you another annex to the contract closer to the wedding with every single detail agreed for your wedding with all prices and fees agreed upon, leaving no space for misunderstandings or unpleasant surprises. Make sure you check with your planner any potentially unexpected costs at the initial stages and if they would increase their fees if your guestlist goes up or the scope of their work goes wider. Finally you need to expect to receive a receipt for each deposit you make as well as final invoice for your wedding, outlining each and every item of your wedding.
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| Aine & Ines, who became very good friends during their wedding planning days, just minutes before Aine's wedding ceremony in Dubrovnik on 10/09/2010 |
4. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING LOCAL can never be stressed out enough. Local people look after each other and will always have a better relationship with local vendors than a foreigner will, and as much as we say this shouldn't be true, this is an unwritten rule and there are rarely exceptions. By hiring a local wedding planner you will ensure there are no miscommunications either as you wouldn't appreciate the fact that your flowers came purple instead of pink due to the language barrier. Finally, a local will know and feel the region, venues, possibilities, capacities and "hidden" vendors better than anyone else.
5. THE FEELING OF TRUST that you won't miss when you meet your true bound wedding planner. Your personalities will match and compliment each other and you will simply feel like that's the right person to entrust this important role. Everything about Your wedding should have the right and good feel to it, as does your Wedding Planner. They will become your best friend over the coming period whom you will be in touch with more than with anyone else probably, so it has to be a person you feel comfortable with -sharing your thoughts, feelings and asking any questions that pop your mind.
Your true wedding planner will know exactly how to calm you down when needed or nudge you into being proactive if you are not.
Your true wedding planner will make you feel at ease at any step along the way and will indeed plan and make your dream wedding day your reality.
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Ines with AnnMarie and Killian, after their wedding ceremony in St Ignatius church in Dubrovnik, 01/05/2010
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Dubrovnik Event wishes you happy planning!
If you would like Ines & Marin of Dubrovnik Event to be your wedding planners, for your personalized wedding offer please contact us at info@dubrovnikevent.com
for more info about us and more pictures please visit www.dubrovnikevent.com
