Skylar is a Texas-based wedding planner & designer sharing her sanity-saving processes & templates.

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3 Questions Every Email Should Answer

If you’ve received one of my freebies (psst… you can find them here) or bought one of my email template packs (me again… those are here), you’ll have seen my list of 3 questions every email should answer. 

1. What is it?

2. Why should they do it?

3. What next?

These questions are the litmus test I use to review all my email templates or fresh emails I’m writing. They ensure that I am clearly and effectively communicating what the recipient needs to know, as well as ensuring I receive the response I need. 

Let’s break down each of the questions: 

1. What is it? 

This may seem like a “duh” answer, but it’s important to know what you’re actually trying to say to the recipient. And if you’re trying to send a large chunk of information, it can direct how you format your email (i.e. using bullet points or highlighting key sections). 

Start by creating a goal for your email. For my example, my goal is to two-fold, set up my client initial coordination meeting and ensure they’ve completed the paperwork we require ahead of the meeting. 

This goal needs to be clear & concise within my email. If I’ve added too much “fluff” or am dancing around the topic, all I’m doing is annoying the reader making them therefore less likely to actually read and absorb the information I need them to have. This doesn’t mean you have to cut our pleasantries, but make sure that everything you write guides them to the goal. 

“Just four short weeks until we reconnect to gab about your plans and start tying together all the details! I wanted to give you a friendly reminder to fill out the page called “Coordination Questionnaire” in your Notes tab.”

Notice, I like to bold key details & action items I need from my clients. If there are more than 2-3 of these, I break this out into a separate bullet point list to avoid an overly-wordy email. 

2. Why should they do it?


For the same reason little kids ask the endless question of “why,” we connect to what relates to us. If we don’t make the reason clear, it’s easy for someone to overlook it an unimportant or routine. You may find some requests might not need an explanation (for example, our coordination couples know there are two meetings – an initial coordination meeting and a final details meeting – in their package and they know the round about time those happen so when we request they set up that meeting I don’t need to provide more info.), but if you frequently have couples not completing tasks you ask them to, this can serve to help cut down on this issue. 

“This coordination questionnaire will bring our team up to speed on your wedding plans and will serve as a guide for your initial coordination meeting.”

3. What next? 

Now that they know what you want and why – what do they need to do? Provide a specific call-to-action and let them know what they can expect from you. For us this means they need to book their meeting time and and we’ll be looking forward to meeting up with them then. 

Also, take a look at your calendar for some free dates for us to meet the week of [[WEEK OF PLANNING MEETING]] for our in-person coordination meeting. You can book this meetings through this link:

[[insert your own link]] 

Can’t wait to see all you + [[FIANCE’S NAME]] have planned!  

Remember, It’s not about writing a lengthy emails that no one wants to read. It’s about getting to the point efficiently and inspiring action that keeps you looking like the planning queen you are.

© 2018 showit template BY WITH GRACE AND GOLD.

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Photography by Smith House Weddings