FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
GENERAL
Do we need a wedding planner?
Not only do you need a wedding planner, you also deserve one. It is a gift to yourself, to really enjoy your engagement and wedding. Hiring a wedding planner does not mean handing over everything, it just means that you can focus on the fun side of planning your wedding. Think tasting the cake, trying on the dress and choosing the right wines. We ensure that everything runs smoothly and take care of everything else, like the budget, sticking to deadlines, arranging the perfect locations, finding amazing suppliers and the daily communication about all the small details. In addition to this, we have already done all the research into locations and suppliers, which could save you hours and hours of work. We are not saying that it is impossible to plan your wedding yourself, but we do say that it can take a lot of time, which you could spend differently. A little help can go a long way, and there are options for every budget.
Feeling overwhelmed? Ask us for some advice to get you started!
How far in advance should we start planning our wedding?
It is often necessary to book a location 1 to 1.5 years in advance, especially on weekends. This is also important for your guests: the earlier in advance they know the date, the more likely that they can keep it free. It is certainly not impossible to plan a wedding less far in advance, but we do advise at least six months to a year in advance, to make sure that all your wishes come true. We have planned a wedding 5 months in advance, and it was beautiful, but then again, we are experienced wedding planners. Warning! Covid-19 has done its best to mess up everyone's timetable. Many locations, photographers and wedding planners are almost fully booked for the coming years, so we recommend that you start as soon as possible.
I already have a master of ceremonies, can I still book a wedding planner?
Often, a friend or family member is asked to act as master of ceremonies. This special person is familiar with the guests and, of course, with you. We are more than happy to work together with your master of ceremonies, and we will ensure that he or she is involved in everything. More importantly, we’ll ensure that they have time to enjoy your wedding, and won’t have to experience the stress that comes with planning and the day itself.
Do I need a wedding planner if I have already arranged all suppliers?
A wedding planner is often hired to reduce any form of stress. To not leave everything up to friends and family is a great feeling, especially if they don’t have to arrange anything on the day itself and can fully enjoy it. You can involve us at any time leading up to the wedding. If necessary, we will happily connect you to our favourite suppliers, but we also like to work with other suppliers. It is also possible to book us only as master of ceremonies on the day itself.
I want to get married at a location where there are no fixed facilities, is this possible?
Absolutely. We work together with experienced suppliers who can provide everything you need at a location without fixed facilities. No concept is too crazy for us!
COSTS & PAYMENTS
How much does a wedding cost on average?
In general, a wedding (excluding honeymoon) costs around €30,000 (for around 75 guests) . You are, however, in complete control of these costs, and they also depend strongly on the location and the number of guests you expect. We have organised beautifully intimate weddings for €25.000, as well as high-end weddings that cost more than €150,000.
The most important thing is to start by determining your budget for the entire wedding, and then dividing it into percentages for each part of the wedding. We have a number of useful frameworks and tools to keep track of your budget, and we are happy to share these with you. More information?
How much does a wedding planner cost on average?
This differs per wedding, due to depending on the number of guests, the location, specific wishes, and much more, but on average 10 to 20 percent of your wedding budget goes to the wedding planner. Some wedding planners are a lot more expensive than others, which comes from the time when hiring a wedding planner was a luxury option. Today, there are many more options, for every budget, to get help with organising your wedding. We spend 40 to 60 hours on planning a wedding from A to Z, whilst a couple themselves typically look at around 250 hours to plan their own wedding. This difference is mainly due to the fact that we have experience and knowledge of the entire process, have done lots of research, and have existing collaborations with suppliers in every area.
Do your prices include VAT and other extra costs?
The prices mentioned on the website include 21% VAT. This is because we think it is more transparent than mentioning a price excluding VAT. Ultimately, the VAT will be added to the invoice anyway. The prices mentioned serve as an indication, and no rights can be derived from them. We have drawn up these prices as a guideline, based on what we invest and the number of hours of work we put in. We take into account that no wedding is the same, and therefore always make a unique offer per wedding.
What are your costs based on?
We work with an hourly rate of €175, including VAT. We offer various services, and based on the average number of hours that we invest in this, we have calculated a starting price. After the first meeting, we will prepare a proposal based on your wishes and needs, in which our final costs are calculated. See our brochure to find out what we offer for each option.
Do you charge anything for the first meeting?
No, definitely not. The first meeting is just as important to us as it is to you. The connection must be completely mutual. We will start an intimate collaboration, in which we all put a lot of love, after all. This first meeting is completely free of obligation, and only after that do we make the choice whether we want to plan your wedding together.
What is your payment plan?
After approval of the proposal, a down payment must be made to secure the booking. For invoices above €1,000, we ask for a down payment of €1,500. Everything under €1,000 must be paid in one go.
We will coordinate further payments with you in whichever way suits you best. All payments are made before the wedding. Additional costs incurred will be charged at a later date. If desired, we can also arrange all payments with the suppliers. For more information about payments, you can consult our terms and conditions.
Wedding on a small budget?
This is absolutely possible! If the budget does not allow you to book a full service wedding planner, we also have other options to share our expertise with you. We believe that everyone (REALLY EVERYONE) deserves to fully enjoy his / her wedding. You can choose to book us for advice to get you started, reach out for our help in the middle of the process, or hire us as a wedding planner for a day. This way you can still use our expertise and ensure that everything is properly arranged, without the costs of a full service wedding planner.
TTWP
Why the name The Travelling Wedding Planner?
Our love for wedding planning originated 5 years ago on the island of Ibiza, where we both worked as event and wedding planners. After that, we met again on Bali, where our plans took concrete shape. Fast forward to another working weekend on Ibiza, with the necessary brainstorming sessions on the beach, and The Travelling Wedding Planner was born. Our mission is to celebrate love in as many places in the world as possible, and our name should represent this. Our base is in Amsterdam, but we are just as happy to spend a month or two abroad to work and plan weddings there, travelling around in search of the most beautiful places, fine suppliers and magical experiences to share with you.
Where is your office?
Good question! We started our office on a houseboat in the Houthavens. This was an amazing location to start our business a few years ago. We have now moved to an office in the centre of Amsterdam (Da Costakade). We often work together from there if we are in Amsterdam or from cafés, beach clubs or other remote locations.
Are you or would you get married yourself?
No we are not, but we love this question (and get it very often as soon as we start talking about our work haha)! We are not (yet) married.
Suus: “I really believe in love, and in celebrating it, preferably every day. I like weddings and parties where there are only people who really care about the couple, and where you feel the love all day / evening. It's an atmosphere you can't get at any other type of event. That is why I chose this profession. I, myself, am not convinced that getting married on paper or for the Church is necessary to be able to celebrate love. I also fully understand why you would want to do this, and the benefits it can sometimes bring, but for me, a love party, for example, would be enough. Maybe even every 5 years!” (Read all about this in the interview we did with the Dutch magazine Linda)
Nina: I very much agree with Suus. For me, it doesn't necessarily have to be for the law or Church, but I would like to celebrate love. I long for a multi-day party abroad, with only lovely people around me. It doesn't have to be on a tight schedule, and it's nice that everyone can do whatever they want. The perfect embodiment of cosy chaos. Perhaps a bit more traditional: I do want to be asked. How do you ask someone to marry them, if you are not officially getting married? I’ll leave that up to my partner, because yes, it needs to be a surprise too ;). About that love party… Can I have one of those every year, please?!
There are so many wedding planners. Why choose TTWP?
We will only know for sure after our first meeting. The most important thing for us is that the connection is there, that it feels good, and that not only you, but also we are sure that we are the perfect planners for your wedding. This first meeting is free and without obligation! For us, perfection is not about how everything looks, but rather about how everything feels. Especially how you and your guests feel. In order to always get the best performance from us, we always work as a pair. This way everything is always double checked, and we really get the best out of each other. Do you recognise yourself in beautifully styled, organised chaos? Where chaos stands for a relaxed atmosphere, whilst being together and enjoying carefree, warm and genuine cosiness? Then it is definitely time for a cup of coffee.
WEBSITE
What does the "more information" button on your website mean?
We want to keep our website as clear as possible, and therefore we have made a brochure with details about all the options we offer. The “more information” button triggers an automatic email to us, so that we can send you the information brochure.
Where can we find theTerms and Conditions?
We always send the general terms and conditions with our offer, and we also have them at the bottom of our website. Click here to view the Terms and Conditions.
Is your question not listed here? Feel free to send us a message!
WEDDING PLANNING
How does the process go if we hire you as wedding planners?
We have a very handy brochure in which everything is explained in detail. To sum up:
Introduction meeting: At your request we schedule a no-obligation, introductory meeting with you. This can be online, by telephone or at a specified location. During this conversation we discuss your vision, and we get to know each other a little better. The purpose of this conversation is to create a rough idea of the process and to get a feeling of what our collaboration will be like. We will see if there is a connection, and if we both feel like planning your wedding together!
Proposal: Are you enthusiastic? Is there a click? Then we will prepare a quote for you with a plan and a proposal.
Planning: If you agree with the quote, the planning can begin! (For payment terms, see our terms and conditions.) During the months leading up to the wedding, we will be busy planning everything. We start by determining the budget together with you, and from there go through all the possibilities for your wedding, and find the most suitable suppliers.
Wedding: During the wedding itself, we ensure that the styling and coordination are exactly as you envisioned it. We are the point of contact for all guests and suppliers and we ensure that everything is managed properly, so that all you have to do is enjoy yourself.
Do you have “standard” suppliers?
We have no “standard” suppliers. We do like to work with a team of suppliers that we have worked with before and of which we know that the results will be great. For each wedding it is always a matter of finding which suppliers suit your style, and then ultimately we make the choice together.
Do you host multiple weddings on the same day?
No, not even multiple weddings on the same weekend. Together, we focus on one and the same wedding.This way we are both aware of everything and we always have a double check. Due to the fact that we also do destination weddings, which involves a lot of planning, and is often spread over multiple days, we do not combine this with another wedding. We don't want to do as many weddings as possible in a year. We want to enjoy the wedding with you and make it a real party.
We live abroad. Can we book you as our wedding planner?
Hell, yes! It is possible to book us as your wedding planner from abroad. The meetings can take place online, up to the first location visit or tasting. If you want to get married in the Netherlands but don't live there, it is very handy to have wedding planners who can check everything on location, before the wedding. It is also possible to book us if you live abroad and want to get married in a country other than the Netherlands or your own place of residence.
Do you also do weddings in the Netherlands or just abroad?
We organise weddings in the Netherlands and abroad. Due to the fact that we have lived, travelled and worked in different countries (Ibiza, Paris, Bali, Miami, South Africa, Barcelona and Thailand), we have built up a large database of beautiful locations and cool suppliers. We are also constantly expanding this database full of contacts with new destinations and places. We are used to organising something at a different location from where it will take place.
What are we doing while you are planning our wedding?
Enjoying the bachelor party, looking for inspiration on Pinterest and in wedding magazines, and planning your honeymoon (unless you also want us to plan that of course). Depending on your wishes and the to-dos that we draw up together, you mainly have to deal with making choices between the options that we select for you.
It sounds fantastic, what's next?
To keep our website clear, we have briefly explained everything per service. We also have a brochure with more information that we would like to send you, without obligation of course. Here you can see exactly what we do and how we work. To get to know each other, we like to have a cup of coffee, discuss your wishes and explain our working method. If we then feel a connection from both sides and want to plan your wedding together, we will prepare a quote. After the down payment, we map out a concrete step-by-step plan and get started with the first to-dos. Happy planning :)