Ten Questions to Ask Any Destination Wedding Planner

Choosing someone to plan your wedding abroad is a bit like choosing a co-pilot. You want to know, calmly and clearly, who is actually flying the plane. A good set of questions early on will tell you far more than any glossy brochure — so before you commit, here are the ten we think matter most. What exactly is included in the package price This is the question that saves the most heartache later. Ask for a full breakdown of what your package covers — the ceremony, legal paperwork, venue, coordinator on the day, and any extras such as flowers or music. Our own packages, for example, range from £3,735 to £13,459 across all our destinations, and it matters enormously to know whether a quoted figure is a starting price for a basic package or a realistic reflection of the wedding you actually want. Ask what typically pushes a couple from the lower end of a range to the higher end, so there are no surprises. Who will be with you on the ground Some planning companies work entirely from a UK office and hand you over to a local agent once you land. Others, like ours, have a dedicated on-island team who know the venues, the registrars and the suppliers personally. Ask who will actually be present on your wedding day — will it be the person you have been emailing for months, or someone you are meeting for the first time at the rehearsal? Continuity matters more than most couples expect, particularly if anything needs adjusting at short notice. How do you handle the legal paperwork Every country has its own requirements for marrying abroad, and these can vary by municipality as well as by nationality. A good planner should be upfront that they will confirm the current requirements in writing with you once your destination and date are set, rather than reciting rules from memory or from an old blog post. If a planner gives you a confident, specific answer about fees or timings without checking, that is worth noting — the honest answer is usually "let us confirm that with the registrar for your exact wedding". What happens if the weather doesn't cooperate Even in a destination that enjoys over 300 days of sunshine a year, such as Cyprus, it is worth asking what the contingency plan is for your ceremony and reception. Is there a covered or indoor alternative at your chosen venue? Who makes the call on the day, and how late can that decision be made? You are not looking for a guarantee — nobody can promise the weather — but you do want to know that a sensible plan exists and that you won't be the one scrambling to find it. How do you support guests who are travelling with us A wedding abroad is not just about you and your partner; it is about the friends and family who are booking flights, finding accommodation and rearranging their lives to be there. Ask how the planner supports your guests directly — do they help arrange group accommodation, offer a range of price points, or provide a point of contact for guests with questions? We handle guest accommodation and concierge as a matter of course, because a wedding abroad tends to run more smoothly when your guests feel looked after too, not just you. Can we see real examples of weddings you've planned at this venue Photographs and testimonials are one thing, but ask specifically about weddings the planner has delivered at the venue you are considering, ideally at a similar time of year. This tells you whether they understand the practical realities of that particular spot — where the light falls in the afternoon, how many guests it comfortably holds, whether there is a plan B space nearby. A planner who knows a venue well will answer these questions with specifics, not generalities. How much flexibility do we have to personalise the day Some packages are quite fixed; others allow you to bring in your own touches, from music choices to menu tweaks to personal readings. Ask directly how much room there is to make the day feel like yours, and what it would cost to add or change elements. You are not obliged to want a wildly bespoke wedding — plenty of couples are happy with a beautifully organised, more traditional package — but you should know from the outset how much room you have to move. What is your communication style once we've booked Ask how often you can expect updates, who you contact with questions, and what the typical response time is. Planning a wedding from another country involves a lot of small decisions over many months, and mismatched expectations about communication are one of the most common sources of frustration. A planner who sets this out clearly at the start is signalling that they take it seriously. What happens in the final weeks before the wedding The last month before a destination wedding tends to be the busiest for both of you and your planner. Ask what that period actually looks like — when final numbers are confirmed, when payments are due, how travel and rehearsal details are communicated to your guests. A planner who can describe this stage in specific, practical detail has clearly done it many times before. Why should we choose this destination over another Finally, it is worth asking a planner why they would recommend one destination over another for your particular wedding, rather than simply pointing you towards whichever one they sell most of. We are honest that Cyprus is our flagship destination — it offers exceptional value, with our Cyprus packages running from £6,299 to £10,900, alongside a dedicated on-island team and reliably glorious weather — but we also plan weddings across Greece, Malta, Spain and Italy, and a good planner should be able to talk you through the genuine differences between them rather than steering you towards one option regardless of what suits you. If you would like honest answers to any of these questions, and a bit of guidance on which destination might suit the wedding you have in mind, we would be glad to talk it through with you. Get in touch for a free consultation, and let's start with a conversation, not a sales pitch.