Rent insurance to cover any water damage that might occur during the event. Check in with the fire department. They may provide you with a certificate, which can come in handy at time of reporting the damage. Don't wait too long to report the damage. The longer you wait, the more likely the claim will be denied. If you plan on having caterers at your wedding, make sure they have general liability insurance and a kitchen equipment insurance policy. If you have a private caterer and you are using any supplies not owned by the caterer, you need to insure the items. What You Should Expect from a Professional Wedding Planner There are a few things to consider if you hire a wedding planner. The main one is what kind of cost and experience you will get. The most important thing a wedding planner will do is advise you and make suggestions on how to make your wedding one to remember. He or she will check your plans to make sure everything works, provide an idea of what you can expect your wedding planner to do and be available to answer any questions you may have. Wedding planners are extremely knowledgeable about the venues available and the services offered by each one. They will know what are the best times to book a certain location. They will also know about possible discounts and will have connections with vendors who can get you a lower price on your decorations, flowers and music. They may also have connections with local churches, which can offer you a discount on the officiant's services. The average fee for a wedding planner is $25-$125 per hour. That may include several hours or a few hours for planning your wedding. Some wedding planners also charge a per-diem for meals. What Types of Wedding Planning Experience is Available? Each wedding planner has a unique style of doing business. Some planners are very particular about what style of wedding they will work with. This means the style should match their personal tastes. If you want to have a very simple wedding, your wedding planner may not be a good match. There are many things to consider when finding the perfect wedding planner. The first thing to consider is how much input you are able to give them. Do you want to work with a planner who does things your way or do you want to have a more custom wedding? Are you able to give your planner any ideas you have about colors, flowers, music and decorations? Are you looking for a wedding planner to walk you through the process from start to finish or are you happy with just having a point person in the plan? If you need help picking the right wedding planner, consider the following questions when interviewing them. What style of wedding do you prefer? Are you looking for a planner who will have input or will it be more traditional? What is your fee structure? Where did you get your license to plan weddings? How long have you been doing this? Do you work alone or are you part of a company? How many weddings will you plan in a year? Does your company have a special event coordinator who does the job alone, or are there multiple planners in your company? Are your other planners in your company also experienced in this area of wedding planning? Are you planning a wedding for a family member, a friend or a close acquaintance? Does your planner have experience planning your type of wedding? Some places to find wedding planners Local Yellow Pages Community College Library Bridal Industry Supplies and Retailers Wedding Magazines Your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and other contacts who may know of someone who has had success with a wedding planner Other Locations to Get Help City, county, state and/or community page Find a local or county planning agency, library, or state agency. This is the place where all the local information will be located. It may also list who to contact locally to find a wedding planner. These are government sponsored listings, not advertisements. City Halls, Community Centers City Hall and government buildings often have a room dedicated to information about wedding planning. While there, you can try to find a receptionist who may know a planner or can direct you to someone who does. Check the phone book, Yellow Pages and internet listings. Many local small businesses have websites, but most don't have their own phone numbers listed. Make a list of the names of the ones that have a website and use the web address to contact them. It may be helpful to go through the Yellow Pages to find local businesses that can be in their area and/or cater to the theme of the wedding. Contact your local or county extension office or a community college. They may have information on local planners or who to contact in that particular area. For the city that you want to get married in, call the city hall and ask if they have information on local planners. They may be able to point you to an agency in the area that they feel would be the best to contact. For help getting to the right agency, contact the main government building in the city where you will be getting married, such as the county courthouse or state government office building. These buildings have information on local wedding planners that can help you start planning your wedding. Local Health Department or Family Planning Agency While looking for a wedding planner, you may have noticed in the list of places to find wedding planners that it often includes "local health department." The local health department often gives out information on bridal and baby planning as well as helping people who may need help with planning a wedding. They may also have information on local planners. What About Fitness Competitions? There are a few things you should know if you are considering getting married at a fitness competition. The first thing to consider is who you plan to get married to. This will determine what type of ceremony you want, as well as how far in advance you want to get married. The next thing to consider is if there is a time during the competition that the local community will be available for the wedding. Will it be during the day or the night when the event is held? Is the night the best time for you? Will there be any time in the day when this will be more convenient for you? Does the club have a fitness event coordinator or a wedding planner? While there are places with many members in their facilities that will hold special events such as birthday parties and retirement parties, these events are typically booked directly by the members without a wedding planner. You will need to contact the club to find out about wedding planners they have or if there is a receptionist who can help you find a planner. Some clubs do have a wedding planner and wedding coordinator. In that case, you should speak to the wedding coordinator for the date of your wedding. Find out how long it will take for him or her to start the planning. If you are looking for a wedding planner to start before your wedding, find out how much preparation time they will need to have for your wedding before you can start planning it. Some clubs also hold events other than fitness competitions. If you are having your wedding at a non-fitness club, you may be able to find wedding planners who can provide general event services. For more information on local wedding planners, you may also consider using our Wedding Planner Directory. Planning Your Wedding with the Help of a Wedding Planner One thing that may be very helpful when planning a wedding is to have a professional to help you. A good wedding planner will have experience working with brides and grooms on their wedding and is able to help in making sure your wedding runs smoothly. The biggest advantage of hiring a wedding planner is having the extra set of eyes to check things out and make sure your plans are going to work. If you have many areas of concern or you have a unique wedding, you will be able to share these concerns with your wedding planner. This is important when dealing with all the details you will need to take care of. A wedding planner is able to go over the many details of your wedding and will often give you their input and suggestions on things to consider. If you need help with these things, you can start planning things with them right away. You should consider asking a wedding planner if you can work with them for one or two months in the future when there is no one else they are working with. This will give you some peace of mind knowing they are going to be there when it comes time to plan and will handle anything that may come