for the first call
ask these Before You Sign
Sixteen questions for your first call with any planner. The answers in this guide come from what planners publish, and the last few are the ones your photographer will thank you for.
before the call
how to use These Questions
Pick the four or five that matter most to you and ask them on every first call, in the same words. Answers to the same question are easy to compare, and you will hear quickly which planner has thought about it before.
Have your date, or the season, a rough guest count and the venues you like in front of you. Planners price and book by those three things, so the call goes further when you have them.
Write the answers down straight after the call. By the third planner the conversations blur together, and a short note on each makes the choice much easier.
Part 1
Before You Book
- Which level of help is this, really?
Ask what happens in the first month and the last month. That answer tells you more than the package name.
- How far ahead do you book?
Full planning books early. Two planners here say 12 to 18 months for full service.
- Who will be there on the day?
Ask for names. Several packages in this guide promise two team members or more on site.
- How many weddings do you take a year?
Some planners keep a small calendar on purpose. One in Bluffton says it works with 12 couples a year.
- How do you price?
A flat fee, a starting price or a share of the budget. One planner here says its fees are typically 20% of the total wedding budget.
Part 2
About Your Vendors
- Do you book the vendors or do we?
Some planners negotiate and sign contracts on your behalf, others send a list and let you book.
- Will you be the point of contact for every vendor?
If yes, your photographer, florist and band all get one schedule from one person.
- Can we bring vendors you have not worked with?
If you already love a photographer, a florist or a band, say so at the first call.
Part 3
About The Day
- When will we see the timeline?
Ask when the first draft comes, and make sure photo and film have their own blocks in it.
- Who gathers family for the formal photographs?
This is the question most couples forget. One package in this guide includes help for the photographer with exactly this.
- What is the rain plan?
Ask for the indoor ceremony plan and where portraits move to if it pours.
- Who looks after the final payments and tips?
Some month of packages hand them out for you, so you are not signing checks during the toasts.
listen for
good Answers
A clear answer on who will be there on the day, with names. A planner who can tell you when the first draft of the timeline arrives. A rain plan that names a real room, not a promise to figure it out.
Questions back to you about the light, the family and the travel between places. Those questions mean the planner is already building the day in their head, and that is the planner your photographer will be glad to work beside.
If an answer is vague, ask it again in a different way. If it is still vague, that is your answer.
Then ask your photographer the same thing. Who is on the day, and when do we see the timeline?
from the photographer
who wrote This Guide
I am Vitor Lindo. I have photographed and filmed 450 weddings in 14 years, about 400 of them here in the Lowcountry, from my studio at 1918 Howard Street in Savannah.
Photography and film are available together or separately, with one team planning both. That means one set of blocks on your planner's timeline, and nobody standing in the other one's shot.
the photographer's guide
Your Photo And Film timeline, built with your planner
Sunset, family photographs, travel time across the squares and twenty quiet minutes in the last light. Seven plain steps to hand your planner at the first meeting.
keep reading in
The Guide
Photo And Film
Ask me too. I answer myself.
Tell me your date, your venue and your planner, if you have one. You will hear back from me, or call or text (404) 826-4156.