Making the decision to terminate the services of your wedding planner less than 90 days before your wedding is a huge decision. Never lose your temper and fire your wedding planner on the spot as it can only make your life more difficult. However, there are some certain signs that it may be in your best interest to deal with the problem now rather than right before your wedding.
First Sign
Did you have a contract in writing? Does it spell out the exact expectations and services to be rendered? Verbal agreements and vague services listed like “help plan your ideal wedding” are red flags that could spell out future problems.
Second Sign
Are vendors calling you to see if the wedding has been cancelled because they haven’t received their deposits? Have you had the opportunity to interview the various vendors and review their contracts yourself? Do you feel that the planner is not recommending the right vendors? Have you expressed to your wedding planner your concerns, and feel that the planner has ignore your worries and wants.
Third Sign
Most importantly, is the planner listening to you? Do you communicate with each other clearly? This is your wedding, not just a duplicate of another wedding she did last month.
Many to-be brides today have professional jobs with huge time commitments, and planning a wedding can be overwhelming. If you have hired a wedding planner that is not living up to your expectations, your first step is to reach out to the planner by writing a detailed email explaining why you are upset and what needs to be done. Calling her on the phone and ranting is probably not productive to solving the situation.
Before you make any rash decisions make sure your have the name, contact information and details for each vendor that has been employed, what does the contract say about when you terminate the contract – because sometimes you will be responsible for the entire amount if you’re within a certain time period out from your wedding, and most importantly, can you handle the details yourself or who will step up to the plate for you?
Remember to first attempt to reach out to your current wedding planner to allow that person to solve your problems and concerns, and then, if you are properly, and only then, go ahead and fire away.
In St. Louis here, most brides tell me that they would have never survived without their planner, and most planners in our area do a fabulous job.