wedding planner woes

iheartbutters

Hello everyone!  Just got engaged a few months ago so I'm new to the site and this is my first post! I have a wedding planner question.  We're doing a destination wedding in Hawaii, and decided on a local wedding planner who I found lots of recommendations for on several sites.  Really good vibes at first and for a few weeks afterwards.  The problem though is that I haven't heard from her in 6 weeks!  She hasn't responded to my last few emails or a voicemail.  The wedding isn't until next year, but the lack of response is getting stressful.  It's summer so she's probably super busy, or maybe she's on vacation, but I feel I should get some response.  Should I start looking for another planner??  Thanks for reading this!

carrieoz_76

You might go to Yelp.com to see if others have had similar problems, or share her name here if you're comfortable with that, to see if others here have had similar problems.  If they haven't had similar problems, I'd probably chalk it up to the fact that you're really early still for a wedding a year away and she's doing stuff on upcoming weddings.Also, have you clearly communicated the urgency of a response?  Are they just informational, seeking general ideas, or are they time-limited?  If they are time-limited, have you let her know that?  I find that it's helpful to let people know how quickly I'd like a response and what I need from them so that they're clear on what I'm asking for and how soon I need it.You're early enough that you really can switch, but I'd give it a little more time and clear communication first.Carrie

kaesha

I found the same thing when I started dealing with some planners. I figure if they don't want to respond, then I'll dump them. I ended up switching florists for that reason.

peachmango

Our WC's repsonse time was always fairly good and would get better as the wedding became closer.If you're really concerned, perhaps you could try calling and conveying the urgency of the issue... sorry you ahve to deal with this..

ETweet

I went through something similar and I found it much easier to get in contact with my WC via phone. If you've left more than one voice mail and she hasn't responded and she continues not to respond to your emails then perhaps I would make one last attempt to let her know that good communication is important to you. If she still doesn't respond then I would maybe start looking elsewhere. I started planning a year and a half in advance and I found myself very eager to start booking vendors through my coordinator right away. Later I realized that it isn't completely necessary to book that far in advance and, compared to the mainland, islanders tend to be much more relaxed and laid back than us. So, I think, for awhile I misinterpreted my coordinator's laid back style for laziness, which isn't the case. This, I have found, has been challenging for me to get accustomed to but has all worked out. Good luck and I hope it all turns out for the best! If you need some recommendations for a new WC, the knotties have great advice!

destiny1108

sorry to hear that!   Our WC was great, she did get busy at times but would send a quick note to say she got my e-mail or gave me a date when she could get back to me.    You may want to send another e-mail and follow-up with one more phone call and she can put you at the top of the list

lindasuk

I feel your pain. I had the same issue with my wedding coordinator. She didn't respond to any of my emails or phone calls. After a month of not hearing from her, I took that as a hint and cancelled our contract. I would just be patient with your WC. The other girls are right, vendors in Hawaii are a lot more laid back. I would give it some time. Email her and just let her know how you would like to communicate.

iheartbutters

Thanks everyone for your feedback!  Nothing is time-sensitive, it’s just stuff like she had emailed me vendor options, and I replied with preferences and asked about pricing, and asked for info on other stuff.  I’ll email her again, ask for a quick note that she got my message.  I’m not looking for immediate answers, I think it’s that I don’t want to feel ignored.  It’s weird, I almost feel nervous to contact her again, like I don’t want her to get mad at me and quit!  Thanks again for all the advice, this is a great site!

bulin

your wedding planner sounds exactly like the one I ended up firing.  Email me at lint001@hawaii.rr.com and let me know what her name is.  I think a WC needs to be someone you can trust and depend on.  This is one of the most important days and you need to be able to rely on her. 

azulskies

I'm curious, too, if we have the same WC. I posted a few weeks ago voicing my concerns as well. I understand that they're more laid back in Hawaii, but I've never planned a wedding before and I hired a WC to make the planning from faraway as stress-free as possible. Just as a pp said, I was hearing from her almost daily and then as soon as I sent a deposit, I didn't hear anything from her for a few weeks. But I've seen many recommendations for her so I'm trying to just stay positive and I feel that in the end, everything is going to turn out great.

stacibu

Hey ladies,I'm from Hawaii and yes some people are more laid back but NOT that laid back.  You shouldn't have to wait that long to get a response.  After firing my old WC, I am now with Dianna from Hawaii Weddings and Events and she gets back to me in less than 24 hours.  Most of the time, she gets back to me within an hour.  My wedding isn't until next June so I don't think that should be an excuse.  Don't make excuses for your WC.  Sorry, I may sound harsh but I went through it too and now that I have a WC that is responsive and helpful, I know that it doesn't matter when your wedding is they can at the very least acknowledge your existence.

MauiWedding08

Lack of response is stressful - and it seems like uncalled for (6 weeks?).  If she is on vacation or having some personal issues she should have given you a heads up.However, it could depend on what type of communication you are having.  At 10 or so months out I didn't expect check ins, so to say, but if I had a timely request (i.e. we have made up our mind, please book a certain vendor and confirm with me) I expected an immediate response within a week.  At that far out I noticed that smaller "what if" or minor logistic type questions that didn't need to be answered right away would sometimes pend for a while - but whenever I did catch up with her on the phone she always had those answers ready to go, so she was taking notes, or at least preparing before the calls.As it got closer there was less big things to do, but more communication on small topics like guest list, timelines, etc that had to get done but were not exactly top priority action items - my WC was actually the one contacting me.

iheartbutters

It's incredible how many people have to deal with this issue.  Can I ask on what island you planned/are planning your wedding?  Ours will be in Kauai, and it's a shock b/c the WC we contracted with seems so popular, all positive reviews. I'm going to send another email and politely ask directly for a reply, even just an acknowledgment. 

destiny1108

We were on Oahu and used Hawaii Weddings and Events without any stress.   She would send us a quick note to let us know she got the e-mail and when she could get back to us which was fine.  I can understand your frustrations though I would have felt the same way, especially if it was a month!

hulaomanini

who is your wedding planner? I am having the same issues and I wanted to see if we had the same person. Maybe we could tag team. LOL.