There are many companies now advertising that they offer wedding planning services so it can be really confusing trying to work out which is the best company to choose and which ones are reliable.
Here are some questions to ask them:
How many weddings have you planned / how many years have you been in operation?
It takes many years to become a good and experienced wedding planner. Don’t just settle for their word on how many weddings they have organised, ask to see evidence. Do they have testimonials / photos?
Ionian Weddings has been in operation for 12 years now and organised over 2000 weddings in our destinations. You can read our testimonials dating back to 2008 here.
Has someone in your team visited the wedding venues that you are offering?
It is important that someone in your wedding planning company has been to the wedding venues in order to check them and know what to advise and recommend to you.
At Ionian Weddings we encourage our team of planners to visit our venues and rest assured that one of us has been to each and every venue!
How much will it cost?
A wedding can be a big expense and it is important to know how much you are committing to before you book your venues. It isn’t always possible to get suppliers to confirm prices for future years in advance but you should be able to get a confirmed price for the current year which will allow you to budget. Make sure you check for any hidden extras e.g. compulsory paperwork and local taxes.
At Ionian Weddings we will send you an initial enquiry, our proposals for your venues based on the current year. These include compulsory paperwork, local taxes and VAT so you can budget for your special day from the outset.
Do you have ABTA protection?
What happens if one of the wedding suppliers or your wedding planner goes out of business? Your wedding planner may suggest you take out wedding insurance to protect yourself but often wedding insurance doesn’t cover you in the event of wedding planner or supplier failure.
At Ionian Weddings we believe that it should be the responsibility of the wedding company and NOT the bride and groom to offer financial protection. This is why we are fully bonded members of ABTA. This means that all of the money you pay to us is completely protected in the unlikely event of supplier or planner failure.
Can we come to meet you / where are you based?
It is important to build a good rapport with your wedding planner and often the best way to do this is to meet them face to face.
We are offer personal consultations at Ionian Weddings to help you choose your initial wedding venues and to talk things over before you book. You can also meet us at the final planning stage. Our UK office (in South West London) makes it easy for you to visit and also avoid expensive overseas calls.
Do you have a local planning team?
Although it is helpful if the planners themselves are based in the UK or local to you, it is very important that they also have an in-resort wedding team who will be able to keep up to date with local changes and do regular checks on the wedding venues and suppliers.
Ionian Weddings is proud to have a highly experienced local wedding team in each of our destinations.