Client questionnaires: what to actually ask

Every event-day surprise was once a question you didn't ask. The divorced parents who can't stand next to each other, the surprise proposal during the reception, the venue with no power on the lawn, the bridesmaid with a lily allergy, the ready-by time nobody told the makeup artist: all of it is knowable two weeks early, for the cost of a form.

TL;DR: Send three questionnaires per job, not one: a short qualifier at inquiry (3–5 questions), a planning questionnaire after booking (10–20 questions, due two weeks before the event), and a one-minute feedback form after delivery. Ask about people and moments, not just logistics. Keep forms under 20 questions; completion collapses beyond that.

When should questionnaires be sent?

Three moments, three different forms:

The post-booking form is the one that saves events. Send it about two weeks out, so answers arrive while the timeline can still change.

What belongs in the planning questionnaire, by trade?

The questions that change how you work:

• Photographers and videographers: who is in the immediate family, and are there family dynamics to know about; which moments matter most; family groupings with names; guests who should not appear prominently; ceremony start and sunset time; the day-of contact.
• DJs: the must-play and do-not-play lists; the first dance, parent dances and any surprises; who gives toasts and in what order; the venue's sound limits and end time; names and pronunciations for introductions.
• Planners and coordinators: every vendor with a contact and an arrival time; the ceremony and reception flow; family dynamics; the vendor meal count; who signs off on changes on the day.
• Florists: the final guest and table count date; colors and flowers to avoid, including allergies; the ceremony site and whether pieces move to the reception; delivery and install windows; what the couple keeps and what is rented.
• Lighting and AV: power at each location; ceiling height and rigging points; whether a site visit is possible; the run of show for cues; the venue's load-in rules and curfew.
• Rental companies: delivery and pickup windows; dock, stairs or elevator; who signs for the delivery; the final counts date; the damage and weather plan.
• Hair and makeup artists: the party size and who is getting what; the ready-by time and the first-look time; skin and hair sensitivities; the getting-ready room and its light; whether a trial is wanted and when.

How do you get couples to actually complete them?

Four rules: keep it under 20 questions, make it mobile-friendly, give it a real deadline tied to the event ("due March 3 so your timeline is final by March 10"), and send one automatic reminder. Completion is a system property, not a client virtue. A form that lives behind a login, or arrives as a Word attachment, will not come back.

How Booksui handles this

Questionnaires in Booksui attach to the job and the client portal: each trade's questionnaires come installed, answers land on the job record next to the timeline, unfinished forms remind automatically, and nothing lives in a separate forms tool you have to reconcile. See the FAQ for how questionnaires fit the client portal.