Prepare yourself with this list of important questions to ask when you're hiring a wedding planner who will best fit your vision and understand your wants and needs.

1. Are you available on my wedding date?
2. How many years of experience do you have and how many weddings have you planned?
3. Do you have liability insurance? (Many venues require that all of your professionals have liability insurance.)
4. May I see a portfolio of weddings you have planned?
5. Do you have client and vendor references that I can call?
6. What's the size and cost of the average wedding you plan?
7. What is the minimum budget that you work with? (Look for a planner that understands and meets your budget goals; don't try to make your budget fit the planner.)
8. How many weddings similar to the size and budget of my wedding have you planned?
9. Have you planned any other weddings at our site?
10. Have you worked with the vendors I have in mind? Can you present the pros and cons of your work experience with them?
11. During the planning process of my wedding, how many other weddings will you be working on? How many weddings will you be working on my wedding date?
12. Will you be available on hand on the day of my wedding?
13. How many people do you have on your staff and how many of them will be present at my wedding?
14. How long have you worked with your staff members and what are their qualifications?
15. How will you and your team be dressed for the wedding?
16. What happens if there is an emergency and you are unable to show up on the day of my wedding?
17. Do you require meals to be included?
18. Do you mind traveling, if necessary?

1. What do you charge for your services? Is it an hourly rate, flat fee, or a percentage of the total wedding cost?
2. What is your overtime rate?
3. Will there be additional expenses on top of your base fee?
4. What is your cancellation and refund policies?

1. What are the different services that you offer? Day-of coordination, full-service or a la carte planning?
2. What exactly is included in your services and what are the services that you will not handle?
3. Do you have an overall vision for the wedding, or do you prefer coordinating and bringing in an event designer? Do your services include event styling?
4. If you handle both design and coordination, which would you say is your specialty?
5. Do you handle vendor contract negotiation and payment processing?
6. Do you have a preferred vendor list? What is your process for selecting and hiring vendors for my wedding? How would we be involved in the selection process? Do any of these vendors you work with offer you client discounts?
7. How will you help me stay within my budget?
8. How many meetings will we have in person? Do you come with us to all of our relevant meetings with other vendors?
9. How often will we communicate, by phone and by email? What is the best way to reach you?

1. How many hours do you work on the wedding day, and what time will you begin and end?
2. Will you coordinate delivery, arrival, setup, and breakdown times with the florist, the caterer, the musicians, the rental company, the cake vendor and so on?
3. Will you create a wedding day timeline that informs all those involved in the planning process (other vendors, wedding party, bride, groom, and their families) of what to do and when to do it? How will you make sure everyone sticks to the schedule?

Featured Photographer for Featured Image: Allison Kuhn Photography