Wedding Planner
Hiring a wedding planner can make the difference between your experience being smooth and stress-free and a hot mess. Wedding planners are experts in the wedding world and know all the ins and outs of planning a wedding and can foresee and prevent many issues that would otherwise arise if you were planning on your own without any previous experience.
Should I hire a wedding planner?
For many couples, particularly those on a budget, hiring a wedding planner may seem like an unnecessary expense. In reality, there are many aspects of the wedding when a planner can use her expertise and connections to save you significantly. Most wedding planners have strong connections with local wedding vendors and can negotiate with them to get you a discount that you would not otherwise be able to. Furthermore, as a result of much experience, wedding planners can predict and help you avoid many costly mistakes, as well as find creative solutions to save on other parts of the wedding. Whether or not you are on a tight budget, a wedding planner can really help you keep from going over your budget.
In addition, having a wedding planner involved can take a lot of stress off all of the individuals involved in planning the wedding. The planning process can get very overwhelming and stressful at times, and having someone who is able to keep everything organized and on track will make a huge difference down the road. Wedding planners will keep a wedding checklist to make sure that everything gets done on time like booking your wedding location, organizing your wedding party and booking all your other vendors like caterers, muscians, and officiant. Whether you need someone by your side as you discuss contracts with caterers, or just a day-of coordinator to make sure the show runs smoothly, a planner will let you enjoy the planning process and most importantly have a stress-free wedding day.
If your wedding will be particularly unique or out of the ordinary, then hiring a wedding planner may be a life saver. This is the case for destination weddings, especially if the wedding is in a foreign country or you are not able to travel often to the wedding destination beforehand. Also, large weddings of over two hundred people may need a wedding planner since the more wedding guests, the more work and the higher likelihood that mistakes will occur. If your wedding is in an uncommon location or you have a particularly extravagant theme, and you have a lot of rentals to coordinate, a wedding planner could be essential in making sure that everything gets done correctly.
A wedding planner could also be a huge help if you have an extremely busy schedule and cannot commit the time to plan your wedding, or if you are particularly unorganized and event planning is not your thing at all. Planners will do all of the nitty gritty work so you can enjoy the process without having to worry. In addition, wedding planners have a lot of experience working through difficult family dynamics. The wedding planning process can bring out a lot of emotion in individuals and having someone to consult with and even mediate between family members can allow you to work through some tough situations.
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What does a wedding planner do?
There is a wide range in the abilities and services offered by wedding planners. A full-service planner will do everything from joining you when meeting with vendors, corresponding with vendors and guests, creating a wedding day schedule, booking your honeymoon, picking up your wedding cake and decorations, and deal with any issues or emergencies that come-up on and before the wedding day. If you are a busy couple, have little knowledge of what is necessary to plan a wedding, or just want someone by your side as you plan every detail, then hiring a full-service planner will be your best option. The planner can even help with planning the bridal shower and honeymoon.
A wedding planner's role can also be the go-to person for all of the vendors and wedding guests. They will communicate with all of the vendors such as the officiant, caterers, DJ or musicians, and location to make sure that all of the vendors are prepared and organized for your big day. The planner can also be the go-to person for your wedding guests and wedding party.
If any wedding guests need help find your wedding registry, directions to your wedding location, or questions about bringing their children then the planner can answer any concerns they have. Especially if you have a large wedding party, the planner can help organize everyone in the wedding party. This includes the bridesmaids and groomsmen, >maid of honor and best man, and the flower girls and ring bearers.
A day-of coordinator is a wedding planner that is hired primarily to assist throughout the wedding day to manage all of the wedding vendors, direct wedding guests as needed, and deal with any emergencies or surprises that are sure to happen on the day of the wedding. If you are a do-it-yourself bride or have a relative who has planned a few weddings and will do most of the planning yourself, then having a day-of coordinator can allow you and your loved ones to relax knowing that there is someone working hard to make sure everything goes off without a hitch. You will probably meet with your day-of coordinator a few times before the wedding to discuss all of the details of the wedding and should be present for the rehearsal in addition to the wedding. At the ceremony, the day-of coordinator will make sure that all of the bridesmaids and flower girls have their bouquets, meet the officiant, and cue the DJ or musicians when to play the music. During the reception, the coordinator will make sure the caterers serve the food on time, the centerpieces are all in place, the wedding cake is cut on time, and more. Many wedding planners will offer services in addition to coordinating the wedding that contribute to other aspects of the wedding. Many planners are also event designers and can help with decorations and truly transform your space. Often wedding planners do floral bouquets and centerpieces and can do double-duty as the wedding florist, and some can also help with creating the welcome bags and wedding favors.
Questions to ask when hiring a wedding planner
1. How long have you been planning weddings? How many weddings do you plan a year?
Some planners do weddings as a side job, while others may be full-time wedding planners. This should not be an indication of their quality, so you should always ask for references.
2. Will you be present at my wedding or will you have an associate there?
Not all wedding planners are available to be at your wedding and will have a colleague of theirs at the wedding instead. If this is an issue for you, then make sure the contract states that the wedding planner will be present at the wedding.
3. Will there be other staffers at the wedding to help with coordinating?
For particularly large or extravagant events, the wedding planner may need to bring assistants to help keep everything running smoothly. Check if your planner has staffers she can bring to the wedding and if this is included in the contract.
4. How much does your service cost and what is included in this amount?
Event planners have a variety of ways to charge for their services. Many will charge a percentage of the total wedding cost. Others will charge a base fee for a number of hours and then a per hour amount after those hours are exceeded. A day-of coordinator will likely charge based on how many hours her services are needed.
5. What exact services are included in your services?
If there are any particularly tasks that you want your wedding planner to complete (i.e. communicating with vendors, mailing invitations, attending the rehearsal) then make sure these are clearly spelled out in the contract.
6. Do you have other vendors that you can refer?
Most wedding planners have a significant network of wedding vendors that they have worked with in the past and trust to do a good job. Often, a wedding planner can get you deals or discounts with wedding vendors that she refers to you.
7. Are you familiar with _______ customs?
If you and your fianc are going to include any particular religious and/or cultural wedding traditions in the wedding, then having a wedding planner that is familiar with these customs can make a big difference.
