The story, from a real bride in a GTA wedding group this week: she hired a wedding planner, paid for two planners on the day, and only one showed up. She was still charged for both. She was promised full-day planning and did not get full-day coverage. She ended up booking 90% of her own vendors. The content creator she paid extra for turned out to be the planner's sister, showed up for part of the day, and a month after the wedding the promised videos still had not arrived.
We are not naming the business. One account, however detailed, is not a verdict. But the pattern in her story is worth learning from, because every one of these problems was preventable with the right questions before signing.
Not "your team." Names. She paid for two planners and got one. Ask who is contracted to be there, what happens if someone is sick, and whether a substitute of equal experience is guaranteed. Get the names in the contract.
"Full-day planning" meant one thing to her and another to the planner. Ask for start and end times, what is covered in each phase of the day, and what costs extra if the night runs long. Vague packages hide vague delivery.
Her content creator was the planner's sister, a fact she discovered after the fact. There is nothing wrong with hiring family. There is something wrong with not disclosing it. Ask who else will work your wedding, how they were chosen, and whether the planner takes a cut of their fee.
A month after the wedding, no videos, despite repeated follow-ups. Every deliverable, photos, video, or anything else, should have a delivery date in the contract, with a remedy if it slips. "As soon as possible" is not a date.
She paid for a planner who never arrived and was not reimbursed. Ask upfront: what is the refund or credit policy if contracted staff do not show, or services are cut short? If the answer is uncomfortable now, imagine it after the wedding.
Her planner's website had nowhere to leave a review. Testimonials on a vendor's own site are curated by the vendor, so look for reviews on platforms the vendor does not control too. A business with no independent review presence anywhere deserves extra questions before you book.
Her planner claimed experience with cultural wedding rituals and, in the bride's words, lacked the knowledge she had promised. If cultural or religious traditions matter to your wedding, ask for specifics: which ceremonies have you planned, what did you learn, can I speak to a past couple from that tradition? Claims are cheap. Details are not.
Get everything in writing. Her closing advice, and the best line in her post: confirm who will be working at your wedding and exactly what services you are paying for. A planner who resists putting things in writing is telling you everything you need to know.
A good planner is worth every dollar. The wrong one is the most expensive vendor you will ever hire. Ask the questions.