CHOOSING the Right Wedding Planner For You
Planning a wedding in Japan is a lot of work and it’s one of the biggest milestones of your life together. So having the right person by your side is perhaps one of the most important decisions you’ll be making.
This is probably the number one thing you should always have in the back of your mind while interviewing planners—am I comfortable with spending the next twelve to six months talking to this person every week? If you’re looking for the best wedding planners in Japan, or the most experienced planners, that’s great. But what it really comes down to is ensuring that your personalities connect.
At the end of the day, you want to hire a wedding planner you’ll truly enjoy working and collaborating with. And that means that the ‘best wedding planner’ will inevitably be different for everyone. And that’s a great thing.
There are a lot of experienced and qualified wedding planners in Japan. All with hundreds of weddings under their belt. All with similar prices and services. So how do you choose between them all? (One thing to note we’re talking about freelance planners. Venue wedding planners work for the venue, not for you. Freelance planners work for you. We always recommend freelance wedding planners in Japan.)
Every couple needs someone reliable to lean on when it comes to planning a wedding. This is someone you’ll be spending a lot of time with leading up to your day, so make sure it’s a good fit on both a professional and personal level.
We’re just here to help. Give a little guidance. So here’s our checklist of how to find the best wedding planners in Japan for you and your vision.
Compatibility
You want your planner to be a beautiful fit for your personality. They can work with your style (you never need to feel like you need to fit to theirs). But the key to finding the best wedding planner in Japan for you personally, comes down to compatibility.
It's super important that you find someone whose personality clicks with yours. Someone you feel comfortable with from the start. Think about how much you'll be communicating with and seeing this person throughout a potentially stressful wedding planning process. You want your planning time with your planner to be something you’re looking forward to. Not feel like a chore. You truly want to enjoy your time with your planner. They're going to be a part of your life in a very saturated way for a very intense amount of time.
So you'll want to be sure you're very comfortable with your wedding planner and feel good about how they listen to you and speak to you. There should be a solid rapport and a huge element of trust there. Especially if you’re planning a wedding in Japan. You need to trust that your planners have a deep knowledge and understanding of all cultures. Your planner doesn’t always need to feel like your best friend, but a supportive guide and comfortable companion on your wedding journey.
Experience matters
Nothing’s impossible. But experience is the key to that. The more weddings a planner has been a part of, the more problems will have arisen and the more knowledgeable they are on what to do and how to work around challenges. Experienced and seasoned enough to fully execute the type of event you want at the level you want.
We’re fortunate to have the experience of weddings in more than 20 different countries. And a huge take-away from that is, Japan does things differently. Weddings here are just different. They’re run differently. They have commissions and corporate structures and sometimes limited experience in the expectations of international couples. You need to find a wedding planner in Japan who can bridge all of that international expectation with what’s possible here in Japan. Not a planner who is asking Japan to change. But someone who can find a way to embrace the intricacies of this magical country and work out a way that your vision can fit in with how things are done here.
This stops disappointment on both sides. You’ll want your wedding planner to have wedding knowledge from a multitude of countries to avoid cultural misunderstandings and to advocate your vision on your behalf. Perhaps one of the top things to look at when hiring a planner in Japan, is not how much experience they have… but how much experience they have abroad. How much diversity they have. This will translate to a smoother planning process for both you and them. And alleviate any misunderstandings and expectations.
Research Their Online Presence
When you’ve found a wedding planner who might be a good fit, start your research. Check their website, portfolio, blog, and social media. This is a great opportunity to get a solid grasp of their aesthetics and style, who their past clients have been and get a feeling for their style of communication.
Has their work been published in any blogs or magazines? Are they recognized industry leaders. Do they speak at wedding conference and conventions. This is all a way to gauge their standing in the world of weddings and the events industry. And if you’ve found a planner who’s really in touch with social media, you might even be able to sneak a live peek at a client’s wedding day on their Instagram or Facebook stories.
Meet either in person (or virtual consult).
While email is a perfect starting point, a face to face meeting (either virtual for overseas couples or in-person for those in Japan), is essential before moving forward. If you’ve thoroughly vetted their work online, a virtual or in-person meeting is the next step before booking. A face-to-face meeting will give you a much better sense of their personality and give you a chance to ask great questions.
Check this list after each consult with prospective wedding planners in Japan:·
Did we feel heard?
Do I get a sense that the planner understands us and what we’re looking for?
Did we get a strong sense they can work within our budget?
Did we feel that the planner had a good understanding of international weddings?
Was there a good connection and did our personalities mesh well?
Listen to yourself. You’ll know intrinsically if things are a good fit. If an interview doesn't feel right, you shouldn’t settle. Your wedding planner is the vendor you'll be spending the most time with, so it's important to choose someone who's compatible with you and your partner.
The Planner’s Personal Background
Each planner has their own unique skill set and some may be better suited to the type of wedding you're hoping to plan. Planners backgrounds vary and can be such a great way to know their strengths and how those strengths might align with your celebration plans. Some of the world’s top wedding planners started their wedding planning journey as vendors. Either as florists, or stationers, photographers and videographers. Florists and stationers will have a good sense of design. Photographers and videographers have a honed sense of story and vision (and how to best maximize your timeline). Some planners will have started their planning careers as venue planners so will perhaps have a more corporate style. Whatever fits best for you. You’ll feel it after your consults. Check their LinkedIn. Or just ask. Asking about their background and journey to planning is never an imposition.
So if you're very focused on colors and floral, looking for a planner with a background in that area would be good. And if story and guest experience is a priority, it would be great to have a planning team who’s very visual and experiential and whose background aligns with your needs. Perhaps if food is your first priority, then a planner who knows the ins and outs of the catering business or used to be a chef might be a good choice. Of course, many planners have a very diverse body of experience to draw from. And the best planners excel in most of these areas. But you should try to work with one who also emphasizes the aspects that you think are the most important.
(Here at 37 Frames we have a background in theater production and journalism and photography which we think is a beautiful combination of skill sets. From timelines and production, to visual storytelling and guest experience. We also prioritize the importance of historical memory-making, with an emphasis on the tangible. But everyone’s needs will be different and we only ever want couples to find their best possible fit.)
Honesty
Being polite is the Japanese way. And it’s a beautiful custom. Service and respect is important on every level. We love it. And it’s a big part of the reason why we’ve chose to live and work here for more than 20 years. However culturally this can sometimes run into small problems when couples need their planners to be direct. Find someone who will give it to you straight when it comes to everything from your creative ideas to your budget. Find someone you trust to not add hidden fees to the budget later. And a planner in Japan that you feel is an open book.
Are the photos on their social media and website of real weddings or just style shoots?
How can you tell if the planners photos are of real weddings, or just set-up style shoots? And why does this matter?
It’s common in the wedding industry to set up style shoots (not a real wedding or event but a commercial photography shoot with wedding details or models) to give planners a set of images for advertising their services and a portfolio of images. This is great. It lets you see some of their vision and style if you as clients aren’t directing them. It helps a range of vendors get images for their social media and websites.
However, the reality is, they’re not a real wedding. And functioning and performing under the pressures of a real wedding day is a talent. It’s important to know that your chosen planner in Japan has shown you a portfolio of real weddings and not just their commercial shoots. You will always want to see images from a real wedding day before making a planning decision.
(Here at 37 Frames, we just want to add, that everything on our websites and social media are from real weddings. In Japan and abroad. We don’t advertise style shoots, but are very proud of our portfolio of diverse real weddings. Please note that style shoots are common and very accepted. You’ll just want to see some real weddings from planners on top of any style shoots they might be advertising).
We know it’s a big DECISION
Of course there’s a lot more to consider: what their services include, the average response time to your questions, can they walk that balance of professional project manager with warm supportive care. But whenever in doubt, stop and do an honest gut check. Ask yourself if this is someone you want metaphorically (or even literally) standing by you during one of the biggest days of your life?
If the answer is an unmitigated yes then you’ve probably found the wedding planner who’s right for you.
We can’t stress enough… that the ‘right’ planner is different for everyone. It’s about fit. Not budget. It’s about comfort and experience. Searching the phrase “Best Wedding Planner in Japan” will give you an amazing list of talented planners all over Japan. But that phrase will have a different definition for every unique couple. However they will have one thing in common. Your planner will be your advocate throughout the entire process, they’ll understand your vision and priorities and work with you to polish and fine tune the celebration. They’ll offer guidance and expertise when needed and execute a wedding day that exceeds your expectations.
We hope you find the right fit for your wedding here in Japan. And always remember, whomever the best or top planner in Japan might be for someone else, might not be for you. But you’ll find someone who’s right. A planner who’s right for you. And that’s what matters.
Regardless of whether that’s 37 Frames or someone else, you’ll always have our support if you ever need it. Reach out any time.
