Choosing an event planner is one of the most important decisions you will make. The right partner turns a stressful process into an enjoyable one — the wrong one adds to the chaos. Before you sign anything, ask these five questions.
They are not trick questions, and a good planner will not be defensive about any of them. The point is less about catching someone out and more about finding out, early, whether the way they work matches the way you want to be looked after.
1. Have you handled events like mine?
A planner who regularly delivers 300-guest weddings brings different strengths than one who specialises in intimate corporate dinners. Ask for recent examples that match your size, style and budget.
"Like mine" has three parts, and it is worth being specific about each:
- Scale. The jump from 100 guests to 400 is not a matter of ordering more chairs. Catering flow, seating logistics, crowd movement and timing all change shape. Ask what the largest event they have personally run was, not the largest their company has ever been involved in.
- Format. A traditional wedding, a corporate gala and a milestone birthday each have their own rhythm and their own failure points. Experience in one does not automatically transfer.
- Standard. Ask to see complete events, not a highlight reel of individual centrepieces. Anyone can produce one beautiful photograph.
Follow it up with the more revealing version: what went wrong at that event, and what did you do? Every event has something. A planner who says nothing ever goes wrong is either very new or not being straight with you.
2. What exactly is included?
"Full planning" means different things to different vendors. Get it in writing: vendor sourcing, budget management, on-the-day coordination, setup and teardown. Clarity now prevents surprises later.
The most common gap is between coordination and management, and they are genuinely different products:
- Event coordination picks up a plan you have largely made yourself and runs it on the day — timeline, vendors, setup, the running order, the hundred small decisions that would otherwise land on you while you are meant to be enjoying yourself.
- Full event management starts much earlier: concept, budget, venue, vendor selection and negotiation, design, and then the day itself.
Neither is better. Choosing the wrong one is what causes trouble — usually a couple who booked day-of coordination expecting months of vendor management, and discovers the difference three weeks out. Ask directly which one you are buying, and get the scope written down.
Specific items worth confirming in writing:
- How many planning meetings are included, and whether they are in person
- Whether the planner sources and negotiates with vendors, or only manages ones you have already booked
- Who handles setup and teardown, and whether teardown is billed separately
- Whether decor, furniture and tableware are supplied in-house or subcontracted
- What happens to your deposit if the date moves
3. How do you handle the unexpected?
Rain, a late supplier, a last-minute guest count change — things happen. A seasoned planner will calmly walk you through how they have solved real problems before.
Ask for three specifics:
- The backup for weather. For any outdoor element, there should be a real plan with a cost attached, decided in advance — not "we will see on the day". Ask when the call gets made and who makes it.
- The backup for power. Ask what happens to the sound, the lighting and the kitchen if the power drops mid-event, and who is watching for it.
- The backup for a vendor who does not show. A planner with genuine local relationships can usually replace a vendor at short notice. One working in an unfamiliar city often cannot.
The answer you want is boring and specific. Confidence without detail is a warning sign.
4. Who is on the ground on the day?
Sometimes the person you meet is not the person running your event. Confirm who will actually be there and how many hands they bring.
Worth asking:
- Is the person sitting in front of you leading on the day, or handing over to someone else?
- How many people are on the team, and what does each one do? For larger events, trained ushers handling guests and seating are the difference between a smooth arrival and a bottleneck at the door.
- How many other events is the company running that same weekend?
- Who is your single point of contact on the day, and what happens if they are unreachable for ten minutes?
That last question matters more than it looks. On the day you should have exactly one person to speak to, and they should have everyone else.
5. What does the payment schedule look like?
Understand deposits, milestones and what happens if plans change. A transparent planner is happy to explain every line.
Things to be clear on before you sign:
- The deposit, and whether any part of it is refundable
- When each subsequent payment falls due, and what triggers it
- Whether the fee is fixed, hourly, or a percentage of your total spend — and if it is a percentage, how that is kept honest when the planner also recommends the vendors
- What is billed separately: travel, overtime, extra setup days, teardown
- The cancellation and postponement terms, in writing
If costs are the part you are least sure about, our guide to what a luxury celebration actually costs walks through what drives the number, and our packages show how we structure it.
One more question, for you rather than them
After all five, ask yourself a simpler one: did they listen?
The most common regret we hear is not about money. It is about a planner who delivered a beautiful event that belonged to the planner rather than to the family. A good first conversation should spend more time on what you want than on what they have done before.
At Pleasant Jay Events, we welcome every one of these questions — because the answers are exactly why our clients trust us.
We have planned celebrations across Ibadan, Lagos and the rest of Nigeria for over sixteen years, from intimate dinners to events of several hundred guests. You can read more about how we work as event planners in Ibadan, or meet the founder who has led this work since the beginning.
Ready to talk? Book a consultation and let's bring your vision to life — or message us on WhatsApp with your date and guest count.