How to Build a Wedding Planning Intake Form

A couple reaches out: "We're getting married next October and need help planning!" Great. But where do you even start? How many guests? What's the budget? Indoor or outdoor? Do they need a planner for everything or just day-of coordination?

Without a proper intake form, you're looking at a 45-minute discovery call just to figure out if you're a good fit. Multiply that by every inquiry, and you've got a serious time problem.

A good wedding intake form solves this. It collects everything you need before the first conversation, filters out couples who aren't the right match, and makes your consultation calls dramatically more productive.

Here's how to build one that works.

The Essential Information

Every wedding intake form needs to capture certain basics. Without these, you can't even give a ballpark quote or know if the date is available.

1. Wedding Date

The most important field on the form. Everything else depends on this.

Use a date picker, not a text field. You want structured data, not "sometime in fall" or "October-ish." If they haven't set a date yet, give them a "Date not yet determined" option - but then ask for their target timeframe.

Also ask: is this date flexible? Some couples are locked in because they've already booked a venue. Others are still exploring. This affects how you approach the conversation.

2. Venue

Have they booked a venue? If yes, which one? If not, what type are they considering?

• Venue booked: Ask for name and location. You might already know the space, its limitations, preferred vendors.
• Still searching: Ask for venue type preferences - hotel ballroom, barn/rustic, outdoor garden, beach, vineyard, restaurant, etc.

The venue dictates almost everything: layout, logistics, vendor restrictions, even the overall vibe of the wedding. Knowing this early saves tons of time.

3. Guest Count

Don't ask for an exact number - couples rarely know this early. Use ranges:

• Intimate (under 50)
• Small (50-100)
• Medium (100-150)
• Large (150-250)
• Very large (250+)

Guest count affects every single budget line item: catering, rentals, invitations, favors, venue size. A 50-person wedding and a 250-person wedding are completely different projects - different venues, different logistics, different price tags.

4. Budget

The awkward one. Many couples don't want to share their budget upfront. But without it, you can't give them realistic expectations.

Make it ranges, not exact numbers:

• Under $15,000
• $15,000 - $30,000
• $30,000 - $50,000
• $50,000 - $75,000
• $75,000 - $100,000
• $100,000+
• Not sure yet

The "not sure yet" option is important. Some couples genuinely don't know. That's fine - it just means you'll need to have the budget conversation during the consultation.

5. Services Needed

What do they actually need from you? Options might include:

• Full planning (start to finish)
• Partial planning (already have some vendors)
• Month-of coordination
• Day-of coordination only
• Design and styling only
• Vendor sourcing only
• Not sure - need guidance

This determines your scope and pricing. A full planning client needs a very different conversation than someone who just wants day-of coordination. If you quote full-planning prices to someone who only needs day-of help, you'll lose them. If you assume day-of when they need full planning, you'll underquote and regret it.

Conditional Logic: Different Questions for Different Weddings

Here's where a smart form shines. Not every couple needs to answer every question. Showing 30 fields to everyone means most people see irrelevant questions and give up. Conditional logic shows only what matters based on their previous answers.

Based on Services Selected

Full planning clients need style questions: aesthetic preferences, color palettes, Pinterest boards, priority rankings. Day-of coordination clients need logistics: which vendors are booked, what's still missing, timeline concerns. The full planning client doesn't need to list their vendors (they don't have any yet). The day-of client doesn't need to describe their dream aesthetic (those decisions are already made).

Based on Venue Type

The venue type changes what you need to ask. Outdoor weddings need weather backup plans and lighting timing. Destination weddings need travel logistics - how many guests flying in, welcome party plans, site visit timing. Religious venues might have ceremony requirements or a separate reception location. Show only the questions that apply to their situation.

Based on Budget Range

Higher-budget weddings have different questions than budget-conscious ones. A $100k wedding might involve custom design, live bands, multi-day events, guest transportation. A $25k wedding might benefit from questions about off-peak date flexibility or DIY elements. You're not judging - you're being helpful by showing relevant options for their situation.

Style and Vision Questions

For full planning clients, understanding their vision early saves countless hours of back-and-forth later.

Wedding Style

Give them options to click rather than making them describe it:

• Classic/Traditional
• Modern/Minimalist
• Romantic/Soft
• Bohemian/Relaxed
• Glamorous/Luxury
• Rustic/Country
• Vintage/Retro
• Eclectic/Unique

Allow multiple selections. Most weddings are a blend - "romantic with modern touches" or "rustic but still elegant."

Priority Ranking

This is gold for planning. When budget gets tight (and it always does), you need to know what to protect and where to cut. Ask them to rank what matters most: photography, food, music, flowers, venue, attire, guest experience.

A couple who prioritizes photography over food will allocate budget differently than one who lives for great cuisine. When you need to trim $5,000 from the budget, this ranking tells you exactly where to look - and where not to touch.

Inspiration

Ask for links to Pinterest boards or saved Instagram posts. One image is worth a thousand words of description. A simple text field for URLs works fine here.

Vendor Status

For partial planning and coordination clients, you need to know what they've already booked. A simple checklist works: venue, photographer, videographer, caterer, florist, DJ/band, officiant, hair/makeup. For each selected vendor, optionally ask for the name - if you've worked with them before, you'll know their style and how to coordinate.

Timeline and Logistics

A few practical questions that help with planning:

How did you hear about us? Standard marketing question, but useful for tracking what's working.

Have you worked with a wedding planner before? First-timers might need more education about the process.

What's your biggest concern about wedding planning? Open-ended, but valuable. Common answers: staying on budget, family dynamics, finding good vendors, keeping it stress-free. Knowing their worry upfront lets you address it in your consultation.

Preferred contact method: Some people hate phone calls. Some hate email. Ask.

Building This With FormTs

Here's what makes FormTs work well for wedding intake forms.

Multi-level conditional logic. Show venue questions only when they've selected a venue type. Show destination questions only for destination weddings. Show vendor checklists only for coordination clients. It all chains together naturally.

Checkbox lists for multi-select. Wedding style, vendor status, services needed - all cases where couples might select multiple options. Clean interface, easy to process.

Budget calculator integration. You can embed a cost estimator right in the form. As they select options, show them a ballpark range. Sets realistic expectations before you even talk.

Multi-page forms. Wedding intake can get long. Breaking it into logical pages (Basic Info → Venue & Date → Style & Vision → Services) keeps it manageable. Progress indicator shows how far they've come.

Save and resume. Couples might start the form, need to discuss with their partner, and come back later. Multi-page forms can be saved and resumed.

Email notifications. Get notified instantly when someone submits. See their answers at a glance so you can respond with a personalized message referencing their specific situation.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Asking Too Much Too Soon

First contact isn't the time for a 50-question questionnaire. Save detailed questions for after they've committed to working with you. The intake form should collect enough to have a productive first conversation - nothing more.

Requiring Everything

Budget should probably be required (or at least strongly encouraged). Pinterest links? Optional. Detailed vendor list? Optional if they're not sure. Too many required fields = abandoned forms.

No Mobile Optimization

People browse wedding planners on their phones. On the couch. In bed. During lunch. If your form has tiny buttons or horizontal scrolling, you're losing inquiries. Test it yourself on mobile.

Generic Follow-Up

They just told you their date, venue, budget, style, and concerns. Don't respond with "Thanks for your interest! Let's schedule a call." Reference what they shared. "A fall garden wedding with a bohemian vibe - I love that combination, and your venue is perfect for it."

Putting It All Together

A wedding intake form isn't just a list of questions - it's your first impression. A well-designed form tells couples: "This planner is organized, professional, and respects my time." A sloppy form with 50 required fields tells them: "This is going to be painful."

Keep it to 15-25 fields total, spread across a few pages if needed. Use conditional logic to hide what's not relevant. Make the important stuff required, the nice-to-have stuff optional. And when they submit, respond fast - referencing the specific details they shared.

The couples who take time to fill out a detailed form are your best leads. They're serious, they're organized, and they've already invested in the process. Treat that investment with a thoughtful response.