How to choose a good wedding planner

Besides looking for if there is the right chemistry between you two and the wedding planner, there are many things you need to consider when choosing one. Remember, you are looking for someone who has taste, style, and creativity, and is organized, detail-oriented, and objective. You also want a planner who is resourceful and an expert at getting you the most bang for your buck. And, since you will be working with this person/team for many months to come, you want someone who is utterly dependable and who has a terrific sense of humor.

How are you going to find out so much about a planner in that one hour meeting? Here is what to expect and to ask:

• When you call a planner to set up an appointment, be prepare to tell the consultant about the date, location, number of guests and an estimated budget of your wedding
• Find out how long the planner has been in this business
• Find out about the prospective planner's average wedding budget, and see if that matches with your own
• Ask for venues he/she has experience of and show you some pictures of their work. You will likely find out here if a planner is an experienced one
• Find out how the planner charges. Hourly, flat fee, or a percentage of your total budget
• Ask if the planner can work with the venders you choose
• Ask if they will have both female and male coordinators on your wedding day to closely take care of the bride, the groom and any gender specific issues
• See if the planner tells you in detail how exactly he/she will make your dream wedding into reality rather than just telling you "don't worry, leave it to us, we will take care of everything"
• To the contrary of many people's conception about wedding planners, hiring a good planner will not add a lot of loading to your wedding budget. While they make your wedding better in every possible way, they can often help you save a lot of money, often enough to cover the cost of a planner or even more. Ask how they can achieve this
• Where did the planner study or with whom he/she apprentice? (This may not apply as Hong Kong does not have any well established wedding planning institution)