The Questions to Ask Every Wedding Supplier (Printable Checklist)

Every supplier meeting goes the same way: they show you beautiful work, you fall a little in love, and you forget to ask about the deposit, the backup plan and what happens if it rains. This is the list to bring with you. It's organised by supplier, with the questions that apply to everyone first.

Download the printable PDF (two pages, tick boxes included), or work from the list below.

Ask everyone

1. Is our date available, and will you hold it while we decide? For how long?
2. What exactly is included in the price, and what costs extra?
3. What's the deposit, when is the balance due, and what's the cancellation policy, in writing?
4. Who will actually be there on the day? (Studios, bands and florists send associates.)
5. What happens if you're ill or can't make it? Is there a named backup?
6. Do you carry public liability insurance?
7. Have you worked at our venue before?
8. Is travel and accommodation included, or charged?
9. Is VAT included in the quote?
10. Can we see reviews, and can we speak to a recent couple?

The venue

1. What's the minimum and maximum number of guests, and does the minimum change midweek or off-season?
2. What's included per head, and what's the drinks package?
3. Is the venue exclusively ours, or could there be another wedding or event the same day?
4. Where does the ceremony happen if it rains, and when do you need the decision?
5. Is the venue approved for civil ceremonies? (See our legal guide.)
6. What time is the dinner bell, and can it move? What time must the music stop?
7. What's the microphone and PA for speeches?
8. Are there noise limiters that affect bands?
9. How many bedrooms, and is the bridal suite included?
10. Where do photographers and videographers go for portraits when it's wet?
11. Are there restrictions on confetti, candles, fireworks, drones or dogs?
12. Is there a corkage charge, a cake-cutting charge, or a charge for speeches before the meal?

Our top venues guide and castle guide cover the questions specific to the big houses.

The celebrant or registrar

1. Are you on the Register of Solemnisers? (If not, the ceremony isn't legal.)
2. Can you conduct the ceremony outdoors, and on our chosen day?
3. How long will the ceremony run?
4. How much can we write ourselves: vows, readings, rituals?
5. Will you do a rehearsal, or a run-through on the morning?
6. Will you wear a microphone for the videographer? (Say yes.)
7. What's your fee, and does it include travel?

For the three-month notice, the €200 fee and the difference between civil, Humanist and religious ceremonies, see getting married in Ireland: the legal bit.

The photographer

1. Can we see two or three complete galleries, including a dark winter wedding and a wet one?
2. How would you describe your style, and how do you handle family formals?
3. How many hours of coverage, and when do you leave?
4. Is a second photographer included, and are they a professional?
5. How many edited images, and how long until we receive them? Do we get previews?
6. Do we get high-resolution files and the right to print them?
7. Is an album included? How many pages, how many revisions?
8. How do you work alongside a videographer?
9. Do you back up on the day (dual card slots)?
10. How long do you need for the couple session, and do you direct us?

The full version is in how to choose a wedding photographer in Ireland.

The videographer

1. Can we see two full films (not just highlights), including one shot in winter or in the rain?
2. What's included: teaser, highlight film, full ceremony and speeches, feature or documentary edit, raw footage?
3. How long is the highlight film, and when will we receive each deliverable? Is the date in the contract?
4. How do you record audio for vows and speeches? (Lapel mics plus a PA feed is the right answer.)
5. Is a second videographer included or available, and when would you recommend one?
6. Is drone footage included, and what happens if it can't fly?
7. How is the film delivered, and in what resolution? Do we get downloadable files?
8. How do you handle music licensing, and can we request a style?
9. How many rounds of revisions are included?
10. What time do you finish, and what does it cost to stay later?
11. How do you work alongside a photographer?

Details in our videographer price guide, ten tips for picking a videographer and what you get and when.

The content creator

1. What do we receive: how many reels, raw clips, in what format?
2. When do we receive it?
3. Who owns the footage, and can you post our wedding on your own account?
4. Will you post to our account during the day, and what gets approved first?
5. How do you handle guests' privacy?
6. Have you worked alongside a photographer and videographer, and where will you stand during the ceremony?
7. How do you back up, and what's your plan if the phone fills or dies?

More in how to choose a wedding content creator.

The band or DJ

1. Can we see you play live, or a full video from a real wedding?
2. Who exactly will play on the night? How often do you use substitutes?
3. How many sets, how long, and is a DJ included until 2am?
4. Will you learn our first dance?
5. What do you need from the venue: power, space, load-in time, a meal?
6. Can you provide a radio mic and PA for the speeches?
7. How do you handle a noise limiter?
8. Will you MC the key moments?
9. Can we send a do-not-play list?

More in wedding bands and DJs in Ireland.

The florist

1. Can we see photographs of real weddings, not just styled shoots?
2. What's in season on our date, and what will substitution look like if something isn't available?
3. Can the ceremony flowers move to the reception?
4. What time will you deliver and set up, and will you be there to place everything?
5. Who takes the arrangements down, and when?

Hair and makeup

1. Is a trial included, and when?
2. How many people can you do, and how long per person?
3. What time will you start, and will you be finished 90 minutes before we leave? (The bride should never be last done; our timeline explains why.)
4. Will you stay for touch-ups, and until when?
5. How do you plan for rain and wind?

The cake

1. Can we taste it?
2. How many portions, and is that dessert or evening portions?
3. Delivery and setup time, and does the venue need to refrigerate it?
4. Is the stand included, and when is it collected?

Transport

1. How many vehicles and trips, and is the timing realistic for the distance? (Ask the venue how long the journey actually takes on a Saturday.)
2. Will the car wait at the church and bring us to the reception?
3. What happens if the car breaks down?
4. Is there a guest shuttle option, and what time does the last one leave?

The planner or coordinator

1. Full planning, partial planning or on-the-day only, and what each includes?
2. How many weddings do you run a year, and how many on our weekend?
3. Who is our point of contact on the day, and will it be you?
4. How do you charge: flat fee, percentage, or hourly?
5. Can you share a timeline from a recent wedding?

Print it

The PDF version fits on two pages with space to write answers. Bring it to every meeting, and compare the answers side by side before you book anything.

If you're still finding the people to ask, start with our recommended Irish wedding videographers, our recommended photographers, and the county guides for Dublin, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kildare and Meath, Wicklow and Northern Ireland.