If you’re new to the whole event planning concept, you may have a few questions about what planners do, how they are paid and what kind of commitment to expect from us.  For the cautious among you, here is a basic primer:

1. Why should I hire a wedding planner?

MTM FAQs: Weddings take a lot of time and energy to plan – time and energy you could be spending on other things, like enjoying yourself with your groom/bride to be!  A wedding planner can frequently find you better deals than you could get on your own and can come up with creative ways to allow you to achieve your dream wedding within your budget. As a wedding client, you are a one shot deal, but a wedding planner is a repeat customer,  so vendors have an incentive to do a better job.  The average wedding takes over 250 hours to plan and includes 22 different vendors!  This includes such elements such as designing invitations (do we want a leaf motif or celtic symbols?), planning decor, selecting music for the ceremony and reception, booking venues, ordering the cake, selecting the menu, planning your guest list, contacting and following up with guests, and finding and choosing numerous suppliers, such as your transportation, make up artist, photographer/videographer, and floral designer.  At MTM, our job is to decrease your stress by taking care of these innumerable details for you in a timely fashion, while coming up with creative ideas to make your wedding amazing!   Most busy people in today’s world like the idea of planning their wedding in theory, but quickly find it becomes an enormous task that begins to feel like a second job, unless they are getting assistance from others.  In this case, you’ll not only be gaining assistance, but experience.

2. What qualities should I look for in a wedding planner?

MTM FAQS: You should find someone whom you mesh with personally, and who has a high degree of organizational skills and is professionally certified.  You do NOT want someone who is working on commissions or who has a vested interest in you working with a particular supplier.

3. Is wedding planning cost effective?  I thought it was only for the wealthy.

MTM FAQs: Event planners can save you both time and money, and don’t cost as much as you think. Contrary to the image portrayed in popular films, wedding planning is not the exclusive domain of the wealthy.  In fact, hiring a wedding planner can save you both time and money.  You’ll save time on having to vett quality suppliers and vendors for the various aspects of your wedding and meeting with each one individually.  An event planner can save you money on the suppliers themselves, by negotiating on your behalf; we are also often entitled to special pricing rates which we can pass on you and suppliers are most willing to be more flexible on their pricing rates.

4. What if you cancel out on me, or get sick?  Who will help me then?  I don’t want to relinquish control of planning my wedding, because I might not be able to pick up the pieces if you don’t come through.

MTM FAQs: We are committed to our clients both in word and written contract, and we always have a contingency plan. We have several team members who can be present at any time for your wedding.  Furthermore, as members of the WPIC (Wedding Planner’s Institute of Canada), we are actually able to summon replacement wedding planners, in the event we would be severely incapacitated in some manner, so you’ll never be in the position of having to find a new wedding planner halfway through the planning process, or not having a planner present on your special day.

5. Wouldn’t it be better just to plan everything with my partner? After all, we’re so in love, it should be easy for us to work together on this…

MTM FAQs: Hire a wedding planner and save your relationship! Wedding planning is extremely stressful, and probably not the best way to start out your relationship.  Weddings contain a minefield of explosive topics, such as guest lists, expectations of in-laws, money issues, cultural traditions, and aesthetic preferences.  A good wedding planner can act as mediator, helping you to smooth out these problems.

6. I’ve got a lot of friends and support from my family I could ask to things for me… why don’t I just ask them?

MTM FAQs:  You have a lot of friends and you should try to keep it that way.  Everyone will want to know your plans, and everyone will have an opinion on every single details on your wedding at the end you would want to please everybody but at the same time you have your own ideas on how your wedding would look like. Your friends and family might not  necessarily have the experience or organizational skills to plan a wedding.  If things go wrong, this can lead to bad feelings or conflicts later.  Even if your friends do have the expertise, wouldn’t you rather have the people closest to you and your loved ones enjoy your wedding day and be a guest of honor, rather than worrying about all the details we’ve listed above? On your special day a wedding planner can take on many of the duties that will free your friends and families, leaving just the pleasant tasks for them… things like giving a toast or speech or posing a picture with you.

7. I don’t like being told what to do… I don’t like the idea of putting a wedding planner in  charge of my wedding day… wouldn’t I be better off doing this myself?

MTM FAQs: If you like performing your own brain surgery or changing the furnace in your home  by yourself, absolutely.  If you’ve got great organizational skills, you can surely plan a wedding by yourself.  Everyone will enjoy your wedding– except you, because you’ll be too busy running around trying to plan everything!  The amount of money you’ll spend on a wedding planner will be well worth the time, stress, and money you save.  As for issues of control, we are there to guide you and consult with, but we never tell couples what to do.  All the final choices and decisions are yours.  We are simply there to offer great ideas, solutions to problems, great negotiating and organizational skills, and moral support when needed.

8. Let’s get to the heart of the matter– how much do you charge for weddings, and what are your terms of payment?

MTM FAQs: Since every wedding is different, we would like to treat your inquiry with as much attention and consideration as we do all aspects of the weddings we handle.   Our prices are extremely competitive and affordable, and you won’t find a better professional certified planner for the money.  As such , please contact us for details  regarding rates and charges.

Terms of Payments:

30%  non-refundable retainer fee upon signing of contract

50%   of the total fees due 90 days after signing the contract

20%  due on ten (10) days before the wedding date