We'd rather a family choose the right planner for them, even if that's not us, than choose the wrong one because a portfolio looked good. Here's what we'd genuinely recommend asking anyone you're considering.

Ask Who Will Actually Be On-Site

A beautiful pitch deck can be presented by senior leadership and still be executed on the wedding day by a team you've never met. Ask specifically who your on-ground point of contact will be, and whether you'll meet them before the event.

Ask How They Handle Things Going Wrong

Every wedding has at least one unexpected problem — weather, a delayed flight, a vendor issue. A planner's answer to "walk me through a time something went wrong" tells you far more than their answer to "what's your design style."

Ask for References From Weddings Similar to Yours

A planner who's excellent at 100-guest intimate weddings isn't automatically the right fit for a 500-guest multi-day celebration, and vice versa. Ask for references from weddings closest in scale and style to what you're planning.

A good planner should welcome every one of these questions. If a team gets defensive answering them, that's useful information too — before you've signed anything, not after.