Choose wedding planning help by the work you want someone to own. A useful proposal connects each task to a person, a start date, a deliverable and a fee. Begin with your unfinished decisions and the hours you can realistically give them, then compare services against the same brief.
Start with the work you need done
Make three lists: decisions already made, decisions you want help making, and tasks you want someone else to run. Include your date or date range, locations, approximate guest count, spending ceiling, cultural or religious requirements, and any access needs that affect the event. Share booked suppliers and their agreements so a prospective planner can see the actual starting point.
Service names are a starting point for discussion. Ask for the written scope behind them. For example, Sage & Oak Events’ service descriptions place advance preparation inside a package called day-of coordination, while broader packages add planning work. That is one provider’s offer, not an industry-wide definition.
| Possible scope | Useful starting situation | Question to settle in writing |
|---|---|---|
| Full planning | You want help developing the event and choosing suppliers. | Which research, appointments, design decisions and bookings will you manage? |
| Partial planning | Some arrangements are booked; particular decisions still need help. | Which remaining projects are included, and what stays with us? |
| Coordination or event management | You can make the arrangements and want someone to prepare and run their delivery. | When do you review our plans and take over supplier communication? |
| A consultation | You need a focused review or a decision resolved. | What written advice will we receive, and who implements it? |
Separate design from administration and event-day management. Choosing linens, tracking replies, sourcing a caterer and supervising load-out are different jobs. A beautiful portfolio can show aesthetic range; a sample timeline and explanation of responsibilities help you assess how the work gets done.
Ask questions that reveal the working relationship
Meet the person who would lead your wedding, and establish whether that person is the one presenting the proposal. Bring one real complication: a ceremony at another location, an early venue closing time, or relatives who need help moving between rooms. Ask how the planner would investigate it, who they would consult and what you would need to decide.
- People and coverage: Who attends the rehearsal and wedding? How many team members are included, where will they be, and what happens if the lead is unavailable?
- Communication: Which channel holds decisions? What response times, meeting limits and periods of availability should you expect?
- Approvals: Who can authorize spending or a change of supplier? How will an approaching deadline reach you?
- Recommendations: Are suppliers suggested because of experience, venue rules, commissions, referral arrangements or another business relationship? Can you bring your own choices?
- Experience: Ask about comparable event logistics and request references who can discuss communication and problem solving.
Ask the venue coordinator and independent planner to describe their respective jobs. Put overlapping tasks in a shared list: room access, ceremony cues, supplier arrivals, personal decorations, belongings and the final venue check. Assign one lead to each task, with the other person’s supporting role recorded.
Compare complete proposals
Use a common list of deliverables for every candidate. Record the service fee, payment dates, included hours, additional staff, travel, accommodation, overtime, extra meetings and any separately purchased services. If a fee depends on event spending, ask exactly which costs enter the calculation and when it is recalculated. Clarify what cancellation, postponement and replacement arrangements the proposed agreement actually provides.
Keep unanswered items visibly open. “Setup included” needs an object and a limit: placing guest cards is different from moving rented furniture or assembling a large installation. Ask which tasks need another supplier and add their quotes before comparing totals. For the broader spending plan, use the wedding budget guide.
Example: two locations expose a coverage gap
Imagine a ceremony ending at 4:00 p.m. while reception suppliers need access at 3:30 p.m. One coordinator cannot supervise both locations at once. Ask each candidate to name the reception contact during that overlap, explain the transfer plan and include any additional staffing in the proposal. Compare the resolved plan, including its cost, before choosing.
Save the agreed scope with the signed documents and the contact information for the business you are hiring. Confirm any insurance documentation required by the venue directly with the planner and venue; a package label supplies no evidence about coverage.
Make the final handoff usable
Choose a date for the planner to receive the final supplier contacts, agreements, floor plan, guest arrangements, ceremony order and reception run sheet. Keep one version number and a short change log. Agree who may change the plan after that handoff and who tells affected suppliers.
Walk through the day from the first delivery to the last collection. For each transition, identify the person making the cue, the person receiving it and the backup contact. Give the planner a decision ladder: what they may resolve, what a designated contact may approve, and what must reach you. Record a spending limit wherever someone has authority to approve an extra charge.
Download the planner comparison brief to collect interview answers, unresolved questions and final responsibilities in one editable text file. For the sequence of planning decisions, continue with planning a wedding.