As I look at our almost 1800 current client enquiries, it's clear that finding out about a wedding planner is high on the list when it comes to researching your wedding and pulling together your budget.
These days, planners are more affordable than you think, and booking one early on, can help you make better decisions from the start. For example, booking your planner before finding your venue means bringing along your planner to help negotiate! Or even have her look at the venue from a logistics point of view. Your planner can also steer you in the right direction to suppliers that have been tested and are reputable- some will even offer exclusive discounts to planners that you just can't get direct.
If you are still on the fence, here are 9 reasons why you should hire a wedding planner.
1. Saves money
While hiring a wedding planner may seem like such a costly thing to do initially, the amount that you can save with their help is going to be well worth the investment. Since many vendors already have a good relationship with the planner, that can mean discounts and special negotiations for you.
2. Reduces stress
Getting a wedding planner to deal with some things will help to ensure that you’re not stuck doing all of the heavy lifting. For one, they’re an expert in the business, which means they know the vendors who offer the best deals as well as which ones are reliable. Also, they’re used to handling logistics, which means that you can relax instead of worrying about everything last minute.
Not only do wedding planners reduce the stress of the people getting married (and their friends and relatives), they ease the mind of vendors as well. Since they aren’t overwhelmed in the same way as the people directly involved in the wedding, they can stay level headed when dealing with the vendors. It makes things easier for everyone involved, and helps avoid any stressful confrontations.
3. Budget management
“Wedding planners can help you stick to your budget and, at times, even save more than you expect,” says Jac Bowie from Darling Don't Panic. She also explains that wedding planners know how to make the most of your budget. Because wedding planners have come across just about anything that could be wanted in a wedding, they know what works and what doesn’t. They know which items should be given priority because of the impact they will have in the long run.
4. Saves time
Hiring a planner will help you save time so you can think about more important things concerning your wedding. Instead of canvassing and choosing vendors on your own, wedding planners often have recommendations you can check out to limit your search. Plus, they can handle the small details while you are given more time to deal with more important things.
5. They'll have a handle on things
Wedding planners will help you achieve your visions of your wedding day, and they know all the ins and outs to wedding planning. They’ll be doing their best to stick to your vision and to make sure that everything goes smoothly for it to become a reality. They can handle the sticky details like legal contracts, and you can be assured that they will handle things from start to finish. They’ll be able to foresee most of the things that can go wrong and be able to deal with them at a moment’s notice.
6. On the day co-ordination
As opposed to simply coordinating one aspect of your wedding, wedding planners are trained to plan out the entire day from pre-ceremony to post-reception. While some venues have an in-house coordinator, they usually only manage the events related with the venue like scheduling and catering. They don’t really help manage all the details, from the most consequential ones to the tiniest ones that hold importance to you. An external planner will be able to take care of it all.
7. After party
There’s going to be a lot to cleaning up after all is said and done, and luckily your wedding planner can deal with that as well. You won’t have to worry about a thing as they can do final sweeps to make sure that nothing is forgotten or left behind at the venue, and they’ll make sure to let you know if that happens. You’re probably going to be tired after the day and cleaning up is the last thing on your mind, so your planner will deal with it for you. They’ve got your back from start to finish.
8. Venue management
If your wedding and reception venue are one and the same, your wedding planner will likely be equipped to flip the venue to accommodate the shift in a short time. It also helps if the recommended vendors are ones who are familiar with the setup of the place, so that they know exactly what they’ll be doing to set up everything in time.
9. Custom packages
Wedding planners have different packages depending on the amount of help that their clients need. Some couples have event planning experience of their own, or some of their friends may be able to handle most of the major details, but need help smoothing them out as the wedding date grows near. That’s fine. Wedding planners can offer custom packages that accommodate each couple’s needs.
A good wedding planner can relieve a lot of the stress of planning the big day, and help make your wedding something truly special.
