Photo Credit: Luke Middlemiss Photography After the initial flurry of the proposal has worn off, you may find yourself a little dizzy with the numerous steps you’ll need to take to get this ‘wedding thing’ off the ground. It may even start to dawn on you and your fiancée that what you need is a wedding planner. In fact, choosing the right wedding planner is likely to be the single most important decision you will make when organising your wedding.

The key is choosing the right one. You see wedding planners are supposed to be on top of it all: highly professional, experienced and organised, and many planners purport to be these things, but unfortunately you might only find out the truth once it’s too late! Remember, it only takes a small miscommunication to derail the entire event, and we’ve seen this happen numerous times – even with some moderately experienced planners! We don’t want to scare you, but these days, unprofessional planners are a dime a dozen – there are ‘ wedding experts’ out there who are willing to take someone’s most important day into their hands and then drop the ball when it most counts!

So, to make sure this doesn’t happen to you here’s a little list of ten things to look for when choosing a wedding planner. With so many options out there, it’s crucial to be very prudent and selective before committing. Don’t hesitate to take your time and really ‘feel your planner out’ for as long as you need. After all, it’s one of the most precious events in your life, and you don’t want something disastrous to happen just because you selected someone inept! With the right wedding planner, the whole process should be seamless, joyous and stress-free. Here are ten assets we look for in every wedding planner we hire at Botanica. There’s something very calming about knowing your wedding planner has been pre-approved by experts so just click here if you’d like to have a chat with one our team who can match you with a wedding planner to suit your personality.

1. Your wedding planner should have experience

This one is a little obvious, but it needs to be mentioned first and foremost. When selecting a wedding planner, please make sure that they have sufficient experience with planning all sort of different weddings. You might be able to gauge their level of experience by talking to them, but make sure that you take a good look at their portfolios and ensure that they have planned weddings similar to yours in the past. If you want to have a lavish celebration, make sure that they have experience planning big parties and can deal with the logistics of increased guest numbers.

Photo Credit: Iconic Bride Photography

2. Your wedding planner should have shining testimonials and references

Any planner you consider should be ready to provide you with a large list of great testimonials and references. Of course, their references are going to give them good reviews – that’s why they’ve chosen them. So also remember to ask those references specific questions like “How were they most helpful on your wedding day?” and “What did you like best about them as your planner?” to really get a feel for who they are. You can also look up your company of choice on Trip Advisor and other review sites to get a good, unbiased idea of what they’re like. Try asking friends and family if they’ve ever heard of the company and seek out other trusted, first-hand opinions.

3. They should have strong relationships with suppliers and vendors

A good wedding planner has been through this song and dance many times before and has formed good relationships with numerous vendors. The vendors they’ll use should be of great quality, highly reliable, and sometimes, be willing to give a good discount because of continued business interests. If your wedding planner is experienced, they’ll have a long list of tried and tested vendors that are perfect for every budget and theme.

Photo Credit: Luke Middlemiss Photography

4. They should have good problem-solving skills

You’ll know you’ve snagged a great wedding planner if they can provide examples of their problem-solving skills. A wedding planner should be very “solution-focused” since there are myriad of issues that could pop up in the planning process. A good wedding planner doesn’t panic, flounder and fall to pieces at the first sign of trouble – they rise to the challenge and find creative ways to solve the problem. They also ensure that you stay calm in the process!

5. They should be flexible

A good wedding planner will be willing to change plans when needed and do everything in their power to make your dreams come true (within reason of course). If your wedding planner is exhibiting an unreasonable unwillingness to accommodate changes or “go with the flow”, you might need to reconsider your choice. Wedding planners need to be accommodating and flexible to ensure that the whole course runs smoothly.

6. They should be reliable and punctual

This one goes without saying - anyone, you’re doing business with should be both reliable and punctual. But especially when you’re arranging online meetings or waiting to hear back about vendors and suppliers, it’s incredibly important that your planner shows up ready and on time. If your chosen planner is showing signs of unreliability early on (such as forgetting about or turning up late to meetings), consider what that will mean to the entire wedding planning process.

Photo Credit: Iconic Bride Photography

7. They should have a good personality that meshes with yours

A wedding planner doesn’t need to be your BFF, but since you’ll be spending a considerable amount of time with them leading up to the wedding, it’s important to have someone on board who you like. Having someone with a similar personality or at least a compatible one will mean that the time spent together is enjoyable and fun – like it should be.

8. Communication Skills

Great communication skills are of utmost importance for a wedding planner. Not only do planners need communicate with you about exactly what you want, they also need to communicate your ideas to the various vendors you’ll be using. Wedding planners are constantly on the phone and in meetings with people, so good communications skills across the board are a must.

9. Empathy

We understand that planning a wedding and getting married can be incredibly stressful. There may even be times when you get close to having a little meltdown but a good wedding planner can empathise with you provide support to get you through the tough times. If your wedding planner is empathetic, they’ll know how important this day is to you and won’t judge you for that little meltdown. It’s important to have a good listener on the other end of the phone so when you get to your big moment, you're completely ready.

Photo Credit: Iconic Bride Photography

10. Passion

A great wedding planner loves what they do and does it with passion. This will be evident from the moment you meet with them to speak about your wedding. They’ll probably have a great vision and be able come up with lots of creative ideas during the planning process. When someone is passionate about their job, they do it with joy and gusto. Working with someone that’s passionate about weddings will make the whole process much more enjoyable as you’ll be able to share your excitement with them. A wedding planner that’s passionate will be a die-hard romantic themselves and will love making your big day as special as they can.

At Botanica, we take weddings very seriously and understand how important it is to select the right person when planning your wedding. Every wedding planner at Botanica has been selected from hundreds of applicants. We employ planners with an unbeatable service ethic as well as a genuine passion for the job. Our staff undergoes a meticulous pre-selection process that requires profiling their personality type and ensuring that they have undergone extensive training. Our planners understand your needs and are ready to respond to them.

This rigorous process is part of why we’ve achieved a sought after reputation as the best service providers in the Australian and Balinese wedding services. We’re proud to own this title, and we guarantee that planning a wedding with us will be as joyous and stress-free as you can imagine. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like the help of an expert. We love planning weddings and we’re happy to take some of that stress of your shoulders.