In order to ensure all of my clients receive the best experience possible, it’s important for me to be as prepared as possible. The easiest way to ensure I have all the details is by asking the right questions. There are three questionnaires I send to my wedding clients throughout the planning process. I like to send a timeline questionnaire, an engagement questionnaire, and a wedding details questionnaire. All of these are sent at different times and all serve different and very important purposes.
1. TIMELINE QUESTIONNAIRE
Shortly after a couple books me as their wedding photographer, I like to start working on a timeline. I send over a no pressure questionnaire to have them fill out to their best of their ability. Of course, details are often not set in stone yet and that’s totally okay. I just ask for their best guess. Using their answers I create a photography timeline that they can now use and tweak as they start to know more details.
The reason I send this early on in the process is because it gives me the opportunity to show them how much time we need for each part of the day in order to get the photos they are expecting. All they have to do if times change for the ceremony or reception, is shift the timing of each event. It ensures we have a stress free day and gives them an idea of when they need to be ready so they can coordinate times with makeup and hair stylists.
It helps me ensure I have the time I need, and it helps my couples out when they are trying to plan out other details for their day.
2. ENGAGEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
Once they have scheduled their engagement session with me, I like to send over a short questionnaire to get to know them a little bit more. Knowing more about them gives me the opportunity to suggest a unique idea for their engagement session. It also lets me know ahead of time if they are the type of couple that loves really adventurous playful poses or if they prefer a more quiet calm type of posing. I always ask if there are any injuries I should be aware of ahead of time as well! This way I don’t ask them to do something and they have to awkwardly tell me they can’t or worse, they try to do it and end up hurting themselves. Basically this just makes me feel well prepared for their session, giving them the best experience possible.
3. WEDDING DETAILS QUESTIONNAIRE
The final questionnaire I send over, is their wedding details questionnaire! I send this about 4-6 weeks before their wedding date and ask them to complete it 2 weeks before their wedding. This is a lengthy questionnaire that can take them about 30-45 minutes to complete. It includes everything from names of immediate family and wedding party, timeline details, exact addresses, important details I should be aware of, and a list of all their lovely vendors.
All of this information is crucial to delivering exceptional service on their wedding day. It allows me to go through the day knowing exactly where to be, who to talk to for certain things, and gives me a heads up on any sensitive subjects or situations I should avoid mentioning. It’s the best way to ensure I am as prepared as possible for their wedding day.
You can grab my exact wedding details questionnaire HERE. It has over 50 questions, is templated as a PDF in Canva, and also includes instructions on how to add the questions into a template of either Honeybook or Dubsado if you use either of those CRM’s.
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