Planning Tips, Your Event Career
6 Questions You’ll Hear as a Certified Wedding Planner
A career in event and wedding planning allows you to meet a wide variety of people. Clients will seek out your expertise to help them plan the most important day of their lives, and will want to get to know more about you to ensure that you’re the best fit for their needs!
So what questions can you expect to hear as a certified wedding planner? Read on for 6 of the most common queries you’ll receive from clients, and some helpful tips for securing that contract!
1. Is our wedding date available?
While every client is different, we’re confident that this is the first question you’ll receive from any newly engaged couple looking to secure their favored date. Clients will have a few dates in mind for their wedding day and will want to ensure that they can secure it ASAP.
Be prepared for this question by bringing along your handy agenda, as well as your wedding planning checklist. You’ll want to be on your toes when asked this question, as it can determine whether or not you’re hired by clients. If their desired wedding date is booked, they may need to look elsewhere both for a planner and venue.
During this conversation, it’s also important to share your expertise on potential issues that could arise. If your clients have chosen a month that, in your experience, has a lot of rain or snow, or is particularly difficult to book a venue, you should let them know. The couple will appreciate your honesty and guidance!
2. How many weddings have you planned?
Newly engaged couples are generally overjoyed and excited about the planning process, and likely have a vision of what their wedding day will look like. When hiring a wedding planner, they want to make sure that you can make their dreams come true, and that they can trust you with their needs over the next few months.
One of the first questions you’ll receive as a certified wedding planner, therefore, is directly related to your experience. Clients will want to know how many weddings you’ve planned, and will often ask when the last wedding was. Be candid with your answer, and provide them with some examples of the nuptials you’ve worked on. This will allow them to see you as a seasoned planner who can work with different personalities and budgets!
3. Can you create a style for our wedding?
Throughout your event planning career, you’ll often meet clients who are thrilled to be getting married but have no idea what they want. Perhaps they have not given it a great deal of thought, or are simply not the creative type. No matter what the situation is, they need your expertise to plan their wedding from the ground up!
The best way to navigate a meeting with clients who need guidance and advice is to prepare ahead of time with some ideas for colors, themes, and menu items. Be ready to brainstorm with them and offer concrete suggestions around décor and venue options.
By offering specific advice, and taking the time to get to know your clients, you will have a much better chance of being hired to create a beautiful wedding. After all, you’re the expert!
4. What is your refund or cancellation policy?
While you and your clients should be excited and optimistic about their upcoming wedding, you also have to be professional and responsible. Your clients will want to know what your policy is on refunds or cancellations, regardless of how loving and happy they are as a couple. Cancelled weddings are extremely emotional and stressful for clients, but they can also be damaging to your business as a certified wedding planner. It is essential for you to be on the same page with your clients regarding your policies before any contracts are signed in order to protect your business and put your clients at ease.
Pro tip: Include a cancellation policy in your contract, of course, but also expect your client to ask about it in advance of hiring you as a wedding planner. Have your explanation ready to share with them early on in the process. They will be impressed at your organization, professionalism, and ability to anticipate problems during the planning process.
5. Do you provide discounts?
The chances of hearing this question from your clients are extremely high, so be prepared! Newly engaged couples typically do not know how wedding planning works, and putting together a budget for the first time can be a shocking, sometimes upsetting process. When they meet with a potential planner, they’ll want to know if you can work your magic to secure a discount on one or more vendors.
Offering discounts as a certified wedding planner may seem like an enticing way to gain new clients and build a great reputation, but be careful. You value your services as a planner, and you want to make sure that your clients do as well. Once you have a good idea of their wedding day vision, you can take items such as photography, stationery, and florals into consideration and see where costs can be cut or reasonable discounts given.
Just keep in mind that you and all of your suppliers need to make a living, so offer discounts sparingly and try to stretch your client’s budget as much as possible.
6. What was the most challenging wedding you planned and how did you handle the issues that came up?
While this question is straight out of a job interview, don’t be surprised at all if you hear it from couples. They are entering a special time of their lives and although they are hopeful and optimistic, perhaps they’ve heard horror stories about event and wedding planners in the past. Asking difficult questions about your past experience, and receiving clear, specific examples will allow them to understand how you handle conflict. They’ll want to know how you deal with difficult guests and vendors, and how you manage stress.
The best way to answer this question is to be as honest and positive, while also preparing ahead of time. Just as you would with a job interview, have a few examples ready to share that demonstrate that you know how to plan events and that you can handle whatever challenges that come your way.
