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Your wedding day is a very personal and exciting time in your life. And as a London wedding planner, it is an extremely exciting time for us too! It is one day that you will plan for months if not years, you have saved a lot of money for and you are extremely excited to celebrate the day you have dreamed of for so long.
So it stands to reason that you would want to work with a London wedding planner who you really like and trust. We have listed the top 15 questions to ask a London wedding planner, to simplify the process for you! Make sure the wedding planner is a good fit for you and your partner before making the decision to hire them.
@sammytaylorphotography
What to know before Hiring a London Wedding Planner
Do you work on all types of weddings?
Do you work abroad?
Are you insured?
What wedding venues have you worked at before?
Are our wedding meetings in person?
How long have you been working on weddings?
Our venue has a coordinator in the package, do we still need you?
What is wedding planning?
What is wedding management?
Do you have a minimum wedding budget you work with?
How much control do we have after we book you?
Do we have to use your recommended suppliers?
Can you help us stay on a budget?
How much do wedding planners cost?
Can we book you for our wedding this year?
1. Do you work on all types of Weddings?
Choosing a wedding planner in London who can cater to your type of wedding is important, so they can help you thoroughly to help perfect your ideal day.
At With Akilah and Co, we focus on weddings for under 150 guests. But through us, you can achieve the incredible wedding theme that you desire. During our zoom call, we will discuss everything from logistics to the theme of your day, to how many guests you plan to have.
2. Do you work abroad?
If are looking to make a destination wedding then you want to make sure that your wedding planner can help you with the country you plan to marry in. Remember that a destination wedding requires a lot of legalities and in general, can be harder to plan.
Our focus is on cool London weddings, but we would love a destination wedding to start off our bucket list...Johannesburg or Cape Town - we would love to help you!
3. Are you insured?
A vital question to ask a wedding planner is whether they are insured or not. Make sure your wedding planner is insured. If a mistake is made whilst wedding planning, unintentionally lose data or breaches copyright, professional indemnity insurance can cover legal costs and compensation payments.
At With Akilah and Co, we absolutely are! We are insured for wedding planning and on-the-day management.
4. What wedding venues have you worked at before?
This gives you an idea about what sort of venues they have worked at and love in London. For example, if you are looking to have your wedding at a venue that may be quite strict on certain things, and your London Wedding Planner has worked at a venue like this, you know that they will be able to handle the situation.
We have worked at venues such as Grand Connaught Rooms, Stanley Arts, Core Clapton, Dulwich College, Oakley House, RSA House, Morden Hall, Trinity Buoy Wharf and more. Working with wonderful wedding venues like this makes our job that little extra bit easier.
5. Are our wedding meetings in person?
This is a top question to ask a wedding planner as you want to make sure they are the right wedding planner in London for you. A good connection and relationship are key to a smooth running service.
Although it is a great way to get to know each other, it is not always possible to meet in person. But zoom calls are just the same! Getting to know your wedding planner is vital, so you know whether you get along with them, they understand your vision and your goals.
We find that most of our couples are so busy, so to drag them out to Croydon can be a bit of a killjoy. Therefore all of our appointments are held on Zoom - modern-day millennials we are!
6. How long have you been working on modern weddings in London?
It is important to know how experienced a wedding planner is, as this will determine how much they charge, how much they know about the industry and how long they have worked with suppliers etc. This does not necessarily mean the wedding planner has had to be in the industry for 10+ years, but it is crucial that they know what they are doing!
Our London Wedding Planning team have a range of experience within the wedding industry. However, Akilah our lead wedding planner has been an expert in the field since 2020. Read more about our team here.
7. Our venue has a coordinator in the package, do we still need you?
Absolutely! We could not scream this enough. Your venue coordinators are employed by your venue. The role includes them working really hard for their employers every day. So they become our good friends on the day for you.
We liaise with them closely and ensure we are following their rules whilst ensuring your wants are communicated clearly through all of your suppliers. You can read more here about the difference between a wedding coordinator and a venue coordinator.
8. Do I need a wedding planner in London?
There are all sorts of wedding planners in London available to you. There are fun wedding planners, luxury wedding planners, relaxed wedding planners and so on. The only thing is we allow you to maintain control with all of your choices from our incredible recommended suppliers.
Wedding planning is a professional service that assists with the design, planning and management of your wedding. Weddings are significant events in people's lives and as such, couples are often willing to spend a considerable amount of money to ensure that their weddings are well-organised.
9. What is wedding management and wedding coordination?
This is where your wedding team is managing the wedding day (including any risks or issues that arise).
This is a chance for you to plan your day, your way! But you understand the pressure that comes with the daily duties, so we created our wedding management service to give you your freedom from the wedding planning stress.
10. Do you have a minimum wedding budget you work with?
Knowing a rough idea of what your wedding budget is beforehand will help you London wedding planner out a lot, but we are always here to assist and guide you with this!
For weddings, we have worked with a £6000 budget which was for 12 guests. We are not against a challenge but we do work with you to decide your budget based on guest numbers and where you would like to have your wedding.
11. How much control do we have after we book you?
Be sure that your London wedding planner allow you the type of control you want throughout the process otherwise it could cause a lot of tension. This is a vital question to ask a wedding planner to avoid frustration and disappointment.
At With Akilah and Co, we give our couples as much control as you want. We help you plan your wedding flexibly. If you want less control, then no problem at all we love that too.
12. Do we have to use your recommended suppliers?
Be sure that your wedding planner is happy with your chosen suppliers or make sure that you are happy with their recommended suppliers before you go ahead with the wedding planner for your London wedding.
As much as our recommended suppliers are our most trusted, at With Akilah and Co, we had to meet them somehow. So, we are open to working and meeting new suppliers as long as we are confident they align with your wedding vision that you are hoping for.
13. Can you help us stay on a budget for an affordable London Wedding?
Choosing a wedding planner who can help you stay on budget is essential if you are unsure how to allocate your budget to certain aspects of your wedding. Therefore this is a top question to ask a wedding planner before signing any contracts.
At With Akilah and Co, we definitely can, however, if you are the type of couple that are planning to save time whilst planning your big day, sometimes a strict budget is not the best way. Our team ensure you are happy and informed the whole way in the choices you make.
14. How much do wedding planners cost in London?
Most London wedding planners charge a percentage of your total budget. The industry average is between 10 -15% of your total budget and normally there will be minimum fees that apply.
However, this is different for every wedding planner, so this is a top question to ask a wedding planner before choosing them.
15. Can we book you for our wedding this year?
Make sure that the wedding planner has the availability to fit you in when you desire.
We absolutely have availability for this year and 2024 for your intimate or micro wedding in London.
Are you ready to start Wedding Planning?
If you are ready to start planning the day you are extremely excited about, but slightly dreading the whole planning process, then you can avoid the stress by hiring a wedding planner in London who can do it all for you!
If you would like to enquire about our services at With Akilah and Co, then you can do here. We hope to hear from you soon!
Speak soon, Akilah xo
Photography by Sammy Taylor Photography