Questions to Ask Your Wedding Planner
Hiring a wedding planner for a destination wedding in France is one of the most consequential decisions you will make, and most couples do not ask enough questions before signing. The right planner transforms a logistically complex cross-border project into a weekend you actually enjoy. The wrong one creates problems that cost more than doing it alone. This guide gives you 30 specific questions to ask, organized by category, so you walk into every planner consultation knowing exactly what to evaluate. It sits within our guide to hiring a destination wedding planner, part of our complete planning series for destination weddings in France.
Key Takeaways
- Ask about insurance, backup plans, and contract terms before discussing aesthetics or design vision.
- France-specific questions (TVA, vendor commissions, mairie coordination) separate serious candidates from generalists.
- Request references from couples with a similar guest count, budget, and cultural background to yours.
- Clarify exactly what is included in the fee and what triggers additional charges before your first meeting.
- The questions a planner asks you in return reveal as much as their answers to yours.
Before You Hire: Background and Experience
These questions establish whether the planner has the right experience for your specific wedding. A planner with 50 weddings in Paris is not automatically qualified for a rural Dordogne celebration. Specificity matters.
- How many weddings do you coordinate per season, and how many have you done in our target region? A planner handling more than 15 weddings per season may not give yours the attention it needs. Regional experience matters because vendor networks, venue relationships, and local regulations vary significantly between Provence, the Loire Valley, and Bordeaux.
- Can you share three to five examples of weddings similar to ours in guest count, budget, and cultural background? Generic portfolio images tell you about aesthetics. Specific examples tell you whether the planner has solved problems like yours before.
- How many international or destination weddings have you planned? Destination weddings involve visa logistics, multi-day coordination, guest accommodation, and cross-border vendor communication. A planner whose clients are primarily local French couples may not anticipate the specific challenges international couples face.
- Do you carry professional liability insurance (assurance RC Pro)? This is standard in France for professional event planners. If the answer is no, or vague, move on.
- What happens if you are unavailable on our wedding day due to illness or emergency? You need to know their backup plan. Will a trained associate step in? Will they refund part of the fee? This should be in the contract.
Costs, Fees, and What Is Included
Pricing structures vary widely in the French wedding market. Some planners charge a flat fee, others take a percentage of the total budget (typically 10 to 15%), and some use a hybrid model. Each approach creates different incentives. Understand the structure before comparing prices.
- What is your fee structure: flat fee, percentage of budget, or hybrid? Percentage-based pricing means the planner earns more as you spend more. That is not inherently bad, but you should be aware of the incentive. A flat fee gives you cost certainty.
- Is your quoted fee HT (hors taxes) or TTC (toutes taxes comprises)? French service providers sometimes quote excluding TVA. At 20% on planning services, that is a meaningful difference. A planner quoting €8,000 HT will invoice €9,600 TTC.
- What specific services are included in your fee, and what triggers additional charges? Get this in writing. Common extras that catch couples off guard: additional site visits, travel expenses, overtime on the wedding day, and design production (mood boards, floor plans, styling elements).
- What is the payment schedule? Most planners require a deposit (30 to 50%) at signing, with the balance due in instalments. Understand when each payment is due and what happens if the wedding is postponed.
- Do you receive referral commissions from vendors you recommend? Commissions are standard practice in France. The question is not whether they exist but whether the planner is transparent about them. A good planner will answer directly and explain how commissions affect (or do not affect) their recommendations. For more on how the commission system works, see our guide to wedding planner costs and types.
Communication and Working Style
Planning a destination wedding involves hundreds of messages over 12 to 18 months. How a planner communicates during the sales process is the best predictor of how they will communicate once you have signed.
- What is your primary communication method: email, WhatsApp, a project management platform? Some planners use dedicated tools like Aisle Planner or Trello. Others rely on email and WhatsApp. Neither is wrong, but you need to know what to expect.
- What is your typical response time during the planning process? If they take five days to reply during the sales conversation, they will not improve after you book. Expect 24 to 48 hours on weekdays as a reasonable standard.
- How often do you schedule check-in calls, and will these be video or phone? Monthly video calls with a shared agenda keep planning on track. Ask whether these are included in the fee or billed as extras.
- Who will be our day-to-day contact: you personally, or an associate? In larger planning firms, the principal planner may handle the sales process while a junior associate manages the actual planning. Know who you will be working with before you sign.
- How do you handle disagreements between the couple about planning decisions? A good planner has navigated this many times and will have a diplomatic, practical approach. The answer tells you about their interpersonal skills.
Vendor Network and Sourcing
A planner's vendor network is one of their most valuable assets. The depth and quality of that network directly affects your wedding.
- Can you name three traiteurs, two photographers, and a florist suited to our budget and region right now? A planner who has to check and get back to you may not have strong relationships in your target area. Immediate, confident answers signal real market knowledge.
- Do you have existing relationships with venues in our target region? Venue relationships can mean better terms, priority dates, and honest assessments of a property's strengths and weaknesses.
- Will you present vendor options across our full budget range, or primarily at one price point? If every recommendation is at the top of your budget regardless of category, the commission structure may be shaping the shortlist. A strong planner presents options at multiple price points with honest assessments of each.
- Can we bring our own vendors for certain categories, or do we have to use your network? Some planners require couples to use their preferred vendors. Others are flexible. Know the policy before you discover it mid-planning.
- How do you handle vendor contracts and negotiations on our behalf? This is where a planner's value shows clearly. They should review every vendor contract, flag unfavourable terms, and negotiate on your behalf. For details on what to expect in French vendor contracts, see our guide to contracts and deposits.
France-Specific Questions
These questions test whether a planner truly understands the French wedding market. Generic answers signal a generalist who happens to work in France. Specific, detailed answers signal someone embedded in the industry.
- Can you walk us through the mairie process for a legal ceremony in France? The answer should include specific steps: publication of banns, the certificat de coutume, required documents with apostille, and the typical timeline. Vague answers like "we handle the paperwork" are a red flag. For the full process, see our guide to getting married legally in France.
- What is the difference between an acompte and arrhes in a French contract? This is a fundamental distinction in French contract law. An acompte is a binding partial payment: if you cancel, the vendor can pursue the full balance. Arrhes allow either party to walk away, with the forfeit limited to the deposit amount. A planner working regularly in France should explain this clearly without hesitation.
- How do you handle TVA on vendor invoices, and do all your recommended vendors quote TTC? Some vendors quote HT (excluding tax), which means 10% or 20% gets added on top. Your planner should ensure every quote you receive is presented consistently so your budget is accurate.
- What regional regulations should we know about for our venue area? Noise curfews, outdoor ceremony permissions, drone restrictions, and alcohol service laws vary by commune. A planner embedded in a specific region will know these details from experience.
- Do you coordinate with the mairie and officiant directly, or is that our responsibility? Full-service planners typically liaise with the mairie on the couple's behalf. Day-of coordinators usually do not. Clarify the boundary.
The Wedding Day and Timeline
- Will you personally be present for both the rehearsal and the full wedding day? Some planners attend the rehearsal and delegate the wedding day to an assistant. Others do both. This should be explicit in the contract.
- How do you build and manage the wedding day timeline? Ask to see a sample timeline from a previous wedding. This shows how detailed and realistic their planning is. French weddings typically run later than UK or US weddings, with dinner starting at 8pm or later and dancing continuing until 4 or 5am.
- How do you handle problems on the day: a late vendor, a weather change, a family crisis? Ask for a specific example of a problem they solved at a past wedding. The answer reveals their crisis management skills far better than a generic "we handle everything."
- What is your team on the wedding day: just you, or do you bring assistants? For weddings above 80 guests, a single coordinator is rarely sufficient. Ask how many staff will be on-site and what each person's role is.
- When does your role end on the wedding day? Some planners leave after the first dance. Others stay until the last guest leaves. Some charge overtime beyond a set number of hours. Know the terms.
What to Watch for in Their Answers
The questions above give you the raw information. But how a planner answers matters as much as what they say. Watch for these signals.
Specificity versus vagueness. A planner who says "we work with several great photographers" is not giving you useful information. A planner who says "for your budget and region, I would start with these three photographers, and here is why each one works differently" is demonstrating real knowledge.
Honesty about limitations. No planner can do everything well. A planner who admits "I have less experience in that region, but I have strong vendor contacts there" is more trustworthy than one who claims expertise everywhere.
Questions they ask you. A strong planner will ask detailed questions about your priorities, your family dynamics, your budget comfort level, and your stress points. If the consultation feels like a sales pitch rather than a conversation, reconsider. The best planners are trying to determine whether you are the right fit for them, not just closing a deal.
References and follow-through. Ask for references from three past clients with a similar profile. Then actually call them. Ask those clients what went wrong, how the planner handled it, and whether they would hire them again. This ten-minute conversation is worth more than any portfolio review. Browse our directory of wedding planners in France to start building your shortlist.
Related Articles
- Hiring a destination wedding planner in France: the complete guide
- How to brief your wedding planner: what to prepare before your first call
- Wedding planner costs by region in France
- Wedding planner in France: costs and how to choose
- The complete guide to wedding costs in France
- Best destination wedding venues in France
Frequently Asked Questions
How many planners should I interview before choosing?
Interview at least three. This gives you a baseline for comparison on pricing, communication style, and market knowledge. More than five becomes diminishing returns. Focus on planners whose portfolio and region match your wedding, and use the questions above to evaluate each one consistently.
Should I ask about their cancellation policy upfront?
Yes, always. Understand what happens to your deposit if you cancel, postpone, or change the date. The contract should specify whether deposits are arrhes (forfeit-limited) or acompte (binding). Post-COVID, most reputable planners include clear postponement and force majeure clauses.
Is it rude to ask about vendor commissions?
Not at all. Commissions are standard in the French wedding industry. Asking about them signals that you are an informed client, and any planner who reacts defensively to the question is raising a red flag. A confident planner will explain their policy clearly.
What if a planner cannot answer the France-specific questions?
That tells you they may be a generalist who occasionally works in France rather than a specialist embedded in the French market. For a destination wedding, you want a planner who can explain mairie procedures, TVA implications, and contract terminology without pausing to look things up.
Explore Every Guide in This Chapter
Deep-dive into each topic covered above.