THE question has arrived. The answer is: YES. You celebrate your engagement, dreaming of THE very special day. So one of the evenings, you get down to work. Things need to be planned.  You write them down. You want something special. And it might become overwhelming, either because of the number of guests or the services needed… suddenly you realise that you can’t make it on your own. Especially when you decide to get married abroad.

You need someone onsite, someone who will take care of all the arrangements to the tiniest detail, someone who will manage it, making sure everything is perfect, just as you imagined.
Someone who will assure you everything is going to be fine when you become anxious, because this person, unlike you, has done it before. Not just once, but many times. You need a professional wedding planner.

You type the key words in the search engine and you find yourselves with tens of matches. Take a deep breath and take a look. Visit their websites, look at the photos – places, style, colours, settings – is there something astonishing, something that makes you smile? Can you imagine yourselves in their shoes? Can you RECOGNISE yourselves? Could it be YOUR wedding that you are looking at? Good. Now take a closer look.

What information can you find there? Venue, ceremony, services that include transport, photo&video, flowers, table settings, legal advice? Are they able to provide you with all you need? Can you tick off all the things you have put down on your list? Last but not least, look for testimonials and feedback. You can check the photos, you can check the business details, etc but you cannot be sure if still this people you have never met before are trustworthy, responsible, dedicated… organising a wedding is one thing, making all work perfectly and according to your wishes, is the other.

At this point you have added a few agencies and their websites to your favourites file. Get in touch!
Make an inquiry. The first answer you get shouldn’t be a ready-made package just ideal for you.
A professional wedding planner will first try to understand what you are looking for. They will suggest to you couple of options according to the number of guests you have, the budget, whether it is low or high season, taking into consideration all things that need to be considered. Also, the time it takes to deal with all the legal part. You might get some tips or be advised against something.  A proficient wedding planner will ask themselves if they are able to provide you with what you need before signing the contract. Their reputation is at stake if they are a serious agency.
And at this stage it should be free. Only after the initial ideas have been discussed and agreed upon, you can sign the contract and make the advance payment.

Final piece of advice: surprising as it may seem, “yes” is not always the right answer. Not in terms of wedding planning. A professional planner might say “NO” to you, to some unrealistic ideas, to things that will not work. In the end, once you decide to have a wedding planner, there will be the THREE of you getting ready for the special day. And all of you need to be sure of your choices.