What to expect at your initial consultation.
When deciding that you need to enlist the help of a wedding planner to bring your dream wedding to life, you would usually have a consultation before booking to get to know each other better and talk all things wedding. All planners have their own way of conducting consultations but below is a step by step of what would happen in a consultation with me. From initial enquiry to sending your contract, this is what to expect in your first consultation with One Oake.
Initial Enquiry
In my response to your enquiry email I will usually check I am available on your date (if you have yours set) and then suggest booking a consultation with you so that I can get to know you both better and really get to grips with the ideas you have for your wedding day. I would usually arrange to do the consultation via Skype as this can be done from the comfort of your own home and at pretty much anytime! Unless you are local to me then we may venture to a local venue to have coffee and a cake or maybe even some fizz!
Once we have agreed on a date, time and location you are booked in the diary and I look forward to meeting you!
The Consultation
The meeting would usually start with me introducing myself and letting you know how the consultation is going to run and give you a quick run down on the types of things I am going to be talking about with you.
Then it is over to you….
I have a consultation questionnaire that I work my way through with you and it has about 20 questions that will go in to details on every bit of your wedding. From guest numbers, venue style, stationery designs, anything you do and don’t want and of course budget. No one likes to talk about money but it is a subject that needs to be talked about at this consultation. I will have an honest conversation with you about how much you realistically want to spend on your wedding day and we will work out what is really important to you and what you are willing to compromise on. I provide all my couples with a budget spreadsheet that is kept updated and sent you continuously through out the wedding planning process so you always know where you are at!
Once my questions are finished I then let you take a break and I explain to you a little bit about my background in the industry, how I work and what happens next. You are then able to ask me any questions you may have!
The overall meeting shouldn’t last too much longer than an hour.
The Proposal
After the consultation I then go away with all my notes and get to work on your proposal. The proposal is a document that I put together with everything we have discussed at the consultation, wedding ideas and the service that I think would suit your needs the most. With this proposal I would send full details of the service including cost and terms and conditions for you to read over. I then email this all over and wait to hear from you...
If you decide you want to book then all that is left to do is sign the contract and pay the deposit and then the planning can begin!
