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Destination Wedding Planning 101 - Canada & Abroad
Congratulations! You have decided to have your wedding in another city or country, set the date and possibly even booked your well thought out venues. Although the location may not be that far away, you should treat is as a destination wedding, how your guests will get there, where they will stay etc.
Most warm destination properties will have their own in house Wedding Planner to assist you with your choices, upgrade options and local customs. In the northern states especially as well as the growing popular Canadian destinations such as the Okanagan Wine country and the Rocky Mountains there are people to assist you but they have their limitations. It is advisable to ask as many questions to the venue as possible such as if they have a preferred vendor list or who would they recommend for this or that.
Many busy couples choose to hire a local Wedding Planner to assist them with their plans to help take the mystery out of who is best suited to their style and budget. Since you may not meet the Planner in person until you arrive for the wedding week it is essential you ask some very pointed questions. The list will help you identify who is a true professional and who is not. Explain that you have a list of questions in front of you that may take a few minutes to get through and it is polite to ask if they have a few moments to chat.
- Do you live or is your office located in the town/location of my venue?
- How long have you lived in the area?
- How long have you been in business?
- Have you had some sort of formal education regarding weddings; if so ask to see a copy of their certificate?
- What do you offer your clients that others do not?
- How many years have you had exposure to weddings either hands on or planning?
- Can you provide 2 bridal references that have paid you your published rates?
- If you have a venue booked – How well do you know the property and the venue contact?
- Are you certified or belong to a professional organization?
- How does the above organization benefit me?
- Whom can I approach if ever I should have a complaint against your company?
- Please tell me how you keep up with the trends for weddings.
- Can you provide an online portfolio or PDF portfolio?
- Are you covered for liability insurance that includes errors & omissions?
- Do you accept commissions or add on a fee to other vendor services?
- Please explain your fee structure.
- Packages – do I have a selection of each service to choose from? (A good Planner will always give you at least 2 options for photographer, musicians etc. to avoid the cookie cutter feeling).
- Who will be our onsite contact when we arrive? (Your Wedding Planner may not actually be your on site Coordinator; you should know this ahead of time to be mentally prepared).
- Will my Coordinator have another ceremony or reception on the same day as us?
These are a few difficult questions that will help you identify which Wedding Planner may be best suited to you. There are not any right or wrong answers to the above questions; however you must feel comfortable with the responses. The Planner must make you feel comfortable and if all goes well assured that you will be taken care of throughout the planning process and on your wedding day.
This Article was provided by: Elegant Occasions located in Banff, Alberta, Canada. Connie Grace is a Certified International Wedding Planning Professional and a local resident of Banff for more than 9 years. If you are planning a Destination Wedding to the Canadian Rockies please contact Connie for your wedding planning event needs at (403) 762-2171 or visit her site at www.banffweddingplanner.com
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