For some couples, being hands-on with planning their wedding is a joy. For others, a lack of time, imagination - or inclination! - make it a task they’d rather avoid. A planner’s ready access to the best suppliers and know-how to deliver the perfect wedding day is the obvious solution. Even couples that enjoy the planning can benefit from the expertise of a professional. But where do you start in choosing a planner? Here are our pointers:

Seek out recommendations

As with any service, a personal recommendation for a wedding planner is worth its weight in gold. Try asking family, friends or others in your network, and you could even use social media, forums or wedding websites to ask for references. Couples who’ve used a planner before can you an honest review of their experience, as well as advice on the entire process.

Do your research

Once you have some recommendations, it’s time to do your research and whittle the names down to a shortlist. Take a look at a planner’s website and a blog, if they have one, for examples of past weddings they’ve worked on. Be realistic – if it’s clear from their social media that they work on huge super-lux weddings, and you’re looking for a modest affair for close family and friends, they’re unlikely to be the right planner for you.

Remember that you need to like their aesthetic, but you also need to find a planner who can work with your budget. Find out as much as you can, and see if their name pops up on wedding blogs or in magazines so you can get an insight from the perspective of other couples. Try to get down to a handful of options you feel comfortable with, rather than placing all your hopes on one choice.

Check compatibility

Your wedding is a hugely personal project to entrust to another individual, and it’s vital that you strike up a good relationship with your planner. Don’t rely on phone or email conversations to establish this bond; it’s important to meet them face-to-face before you make a final decision.

A meeting is your chance to understand more about your potential planner, and their personality. You’ll want someone you feel you can trust, who will listen to your requests and ideas and seems calm and capable to deal with any problems or plans that go awry. If they seem good on paper, but in person your personalities don’t quite work together, trust your instinct and walk away. There is no sense in trying to limit wedding stress by using a planner, and ending up with one you struggle to work with!

Go to the meeting armed with all the questions you want to ask, as it’s better to be clear about how the relationship will work from the start. You may want to ask whether they have a team, who will be on-hand on the day itself, and how often and what sort of communication you’ll have during the planning process. 

Put it all in writing

When you’re ready to go ahead and appoint a planner, make sure you thoroughly read and understand their contract before you sign it. You need to be clear about their charges, and what is and isn’t included. If there are details that are missing, or unclear, ask for clarification and put that in writing. The last thing you want are unwelcome surprises later on.