How to Find a Bilingual Wedding Planner Near You

You and your partner may speak the same love language—but that doesn't mean you speak the same primary language. For multicultural couples or those planning a destination wedding in another country, hiring a bilingual wedding planner (as well as a bilingual officiant and other pros) is highly beneficial, allowing your families to come together, build your bond, and ensure everyone is on the same page. Here, we dive into what to look for in this crucial vendor, what questions to ask and how to find a bilingual wedding planner in your zip code.

In this article:

How to Find a Bilingual Planner | Benefits | What to Look For | Questions to Ask

How to Find a Bilingual Planner Near You

It's okay if you don't know where to start sourcing an expert who doesn't just speak one language but two. Take a deep breath and begin your search by plugging in your requirements at The Knot Vendor Marketplace. It's the go-to spot to find a bilingual wedding planner, allowing you to filter by city and state, pricing and find both full-service and day-of coordinators. You can read through reviews of previous couples who hired this vendor and even request a quote, all in one place.

Benefits of a Bilingual Wedding Planner

When you're trying to map out the budget for your big day, you'll likely have to make tough choices on what's most essential and what can be compromised. For couples who are blending two backgrounds, a bilingual wedding planner should fall high on your must-hire list. Here's why:

Provides peace of mind.

The saying "lost in translation" is incredibly applicable when it comes to planning events as a bilingual planner, says Deliece Knights-Barnett, the founder and CEO of Dhalia Events. That's why utilizing this resource can provide the necessary services you need and, perhaps more importantly, peace of mind.

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"The ability of bilingual planners to fully comprehend not just the generally articulated language but also the jargon and colloquialisms that exist within a particular language and culture ensures that the wishes and expectations of the couple are well understood and managed," she says. "It is less likely that topics will get lost if no language barrier is present during the planning process."

Improve communication and connection with guests.

While not all bilingual weddings will involve out-of-state or out-of-country guests, more likely than not, at least one-half of the guest list will be traveling. "If you have friends and family attending whose primary language is something other than English, a bilingual wedding planner and travel specialist is beneficial so they can still communicate with the guests to ensure their travel plans are secured accordingly," says Jen Avey, the Vice President of Marketing at Destination Weddings Travel Group. "They can also assist in translating your wedding website and any other communications with essential information to ensure all important information is communicated effectively to each guest."

In addition to written or spoken language, hiring a bilingual wedding planner will ensure multicultural couples' families feel equally comfortable taking part in the planning process, says Samuele Gallorini, the founder of Gallorini & Giorgi Events.

"A multicultural wedding planned by a bilingual wedding planner will benefit from a deeper connection between important family members and friends involved in the planning," he says. "Families speaking different languages will feel equally comfortable being part of the planning process and equally represented and listened to by the planner."

Help you source bilingual vendors and avoid mishaps.

Another benefit to hiring a bilingual wedding coordiantor is opening up a more comprehensive network of connections to find hidden local gems like unique wedding venues, caterers and local restaurants where you can celebrate as the locals do, Gallorini adds.

Along the same lines, cultural sensitivity is vital when you're getting married abroad or bringing two families together with different beliefs and languages. And by hiring a bilingual wedding planner, you avoid miscommunication and mishaps. "Cultural traditions are readily understood with ease and minimal explanation that could be deemed disrespectful in some lands. And menu selection, for example," explains Jacqueline Vizcaino, Tinted Events Design and Planning owner. "Intertwining the menu selection so that it's seamless and done to the appropriate level of presentation is key."

What to Look For in a Bilingual Wedding Planner

Once you've decided to hire a bilingual wedding planner, you may have a handful or dozens of options. When determining who is the best fit for your relationship, big-day vision and culture, take these considerations to heart.

Prioritize the preferred language.

There's a difference between a wedding planner who took some language classes in college—and one who has lived and breathed the words and culture of the native tongue. While formal education and training in a particular language can suffice for most translation needs, Knights-Barnett says planners who have been fully immersed in the use of that language are more likely to understand the desires of the couple/client truly.

"Any experience a planner has with living in the language will likely be helpful to their couples and will ensure that they are fully prepared to plan and execute against the couple's expectations," she adds.

Look for someone with great reviews.

Knights-Barnett says proof of work with other bi-lingual couples/clients will be really helpful when hiring a bilingual wedding planner. " It is important to ensure that a planner who lists themselves as bi-lingual can show proof of couples/clients they have worked with who needed to utilize their bilingual capabilities," she says. "Couples should ask their planners to share evidence of their work with multilingual couples and seek referrals to ensure that they are fully prepared to support them and their language needs."

Seek a local.

While it might not always be a possibility, if you can find a bilingual wedding planner who comes from the destination where you want to get married (or visits frequently), that can be beneficial to ensure they are well-versed in not only the nuances of the language but also the destination's culture, Avey explains. For instance, if you want to get married in Cabo, finding a wedding planner who speaks Spanish and visits Mexico often can help you navigate the planning process and cultural traditions, so no detail is missed when you start planning the big day with your onsite event team, she adds.

Questions to Ask a Bilingual Wedding Planner

When making the final selection of who you will hire for your big day, it's best to come prepared with a list of meaningful questions that will, hopefully, produce thoughtful responses. Here are a few recommended questions to ask when you're interviewing potential bilingual wedding planners.

What languages are you fluent in, and how have you learned these languages?

Gallorini says this question will get to the heart of understanding the planner's linguistic abilities, and whether they have really experienced the culture and lifestyles of the countries involved is crucial to ensure that they are a good fit for your wedding.

How will you ensure all guests understand our plans?

Another way to phrase this is: What strategies do you usually recommend to ensure that all of our multilingual guests can understand the proceedings and other aspects of our big day? Knight-Barnett says couples should ensure that the planner is not just prepared to solve or assist with language needs between them as the couple and the planner. Rather, they should also be able to recommend solutions for guests with a similar need for language translation.

Are you connected with other vendors who also speak the same language?

Likely, couples will also need their other vendors to understand the second language, so confirming whether the planner has those connections will go a long way towards ensuring that the event is well planned and executed, Knights-Barnett adds.