If you're planning a destination wedding on your own, consider hiring a wedding planner based in that area to help you out. While a planner can be worth every penny you pay her when you plan an in-town wedding, she can be absolutely priceless when you're planning an out-of-town wedding in an area that you aren't all that familiar with.

A good wedding planner has several vital tools to work with:

• She knows which vendors are good, which are reputable, and which are difficult to work with.

• She may be able to work out some sweet deals for you because of her previous relationships with particular vendors. (She brings them business; they give her clients a break.)

• She has the time to talk with these people; this is her job.

• She may also know of some talented, inexpensive start-up companies (for instance, someone who has worked with a particular florist for years and is now in business for himself).

• Because wedding planners see all kinds of ceremonies and receptions, they know their stuff. Her ideas might be right up your alley, or they may inspire you to come up with some creative notions of your own.

A well-connected planner is often worth her weight in gold. How do you find this miracle worker? You can check out the Association of Bridal Consultants (www.bridalassn.com), which requires its members to have formal training in the field of wedding planning. That way, you know you're dealing with someone who has experience and not someone who woke up last week and decided that this wedding planning business is easy! If you have your heart set on a particular reception site and you've already contacted the person in charge there, you can ask for a recommendation for a good wedding planner.

What Does She Do, and What Does It Cost?

You can usually hire a wedding planner to do as much or as little as you want her to do. Some couples feel as though they really only need someone to help with the ceremony; others want someone to run the reception; and some couples like to hand over everything to someone else.

Typically, if she plans the entire ceremony and reception, a wedding planner is paid a percentage (usually 15 to 20 percent) of the final bill of the event. For that kind of money, she gathers pertinent information about vendors and passes it along to you; she advises you on how many flowers the reception hall will need and what type of arrangements will work best; she'll contact the musicians and make sure they know what they're supposed to play and when. In short, she'll take care of business. She'll be present during the ceremony and reception, leaving you to concentrate on looking pretty and having a smashing time.

How to Interview a Wedding Planner

If you're thinking of hiring a planner, make sure you ask her these important questions:

• How many weddings do you take on each weekend? One full wedding per weekend is plenty; any more than that, and some bride is going to get the short end of the stick.

• Do you have an assistant? If she says yes, ask who will attend your wedding — the planner or her partner?

• What happens if you get sick? It's a good idea to know that she has someone who can pick up the wedding ball, so to speak, and run with it in case of an emergency.

• How much or how little are you willing to plan? Some planners will only take on full events; others will do à la carte services (such as planning only the ceremony or reception).

• How do you charge? By the hour? Flat fee? Percentage?

• Can you provide me with referrals from past clients? If she's eager to get you in touch with her past clients, and the clients give glowing reports, chances are you've found a keeper.

Also ask her if she can work with your budget! Most planners are incredibly knowledgeable, creative people who can put on a beautiful event without going way over cost. If you get the sense that a particular interviewee is not thrilled with your budget (because she groaned when you told her the monetary amount you're working with), save yourself from months of anguish — arguing over which dinner to serve, which flowers to choose, which musicians are best. Find someone else.

A Perfect Match

It's very important for you to get a sense of how well you and a planner will work together. Most wedding consultants are wonderful, open-minded people who truly find joy in their clients' wedding-day happiness. As you well know, though, personality types differ wildly. Just because you're paying someone to do a job for you doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to be the boss.

This is why it's so important to check those referrals! An out-of-control planner may feel as though she's putting herself on the line by striking a deal that's going to cost her a favor with a vendor; the bride, who didn't want this particular deal in the first place, then becomes the object of the planner's ire when she turns it down! On the other hand, brides can drive consultants crazy by constantly changing their minds on major issues, whining about almost everything, and treating the consultant as though she's under contract to be a personal servant.

Most bride-consultant relationships do not turn out badly, thank goodness, but the key to preventing hard feelings is finding someone with whom you can speak freely, someone you aren't intimidated by, and — perhaps most important — someone who is going to listen to you. Now turn all of those good qualities around and make sure that you are as open-minded with your consultant as she is with you, treat her as respectfully as you expect her to act toward you, and the two of you will be a match made in wedding-planning heaven.