SO — As you get ideas together for your Big, Big Day — should you actually get help? If so, why? Why hire a Wedding Planner?
(We do NOT offer this service, so the following is only our opinion for your best interests. We have no dog in this race, but we DO wish you great success.)
Really? Do you need professional help to plan your wedding?
Great question. There are several reasons why having a Wedding Planner on your team may be a terrific idea. For instance —
SAVE A BUCK — Give your wedding planner your target budget and he/she will assist along the way to help you stick to it (or come close). AND suggest goods and services that will fit within your price range.
CONSULTANT — Good wedding planners will advise you when things are getting out of control. If you’re going over budget or adding an item that really does not work in your theme, they will try to talk you out of it. Not family, not a vendor, your Planner is a disinterested third party, a professional who is supposed to be looking out for your best interests.
VENDOR SEARCH — They will know lots of vendors in your area, and can help you weed out the list. Ain’t nothing like experience and they should come loaded with that from prior wedding ups and downs and occasional fiascos. Use their real-world know how to your advantage, since they have insider knowledge about the pros in your area, including florists, caterers, DJs, stationery designers, entertainers (like ME!), hair stylists, and photographers. Your Planner can recommend the best vendors for your specific needs, so you do not have to waste time sifting through endless Google search results. They may also be able to get better deals for you, since they likely have ongoing relationships with lots of local vendors.
BACKUP PLANNING — The caterer is having a crisis?? Sudden weather concerns? Where do we GO?? What do we DO?? The planner has to think in those terms, too. A good Planner should have backup plans for almost every aspect of your day.
THEME IDEAS — Forget Pinterest and bridal magazines— a first class Planner will brainstorm concepts that fit YOU, your style, your group, your budget and your venue. They’ve done this before, and should know the ropes.
TIME MANAGEMENT — However hard you try to keep things rolling, it is WAY easy for things to start running late at a wedding. Good Planners usually create a detailed timeline (minute to minute) to help things stay on schedule.
GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK — Your Planner will take responsibilities off your plate. He or she can schedule appointments, deal with vendors, and work through fine-detail issues of your day. Instead of trying to deal with a dozen different entities, you will have ONE go-to person for almost any issue.
And that last may be the best reason of all. It’s a HUGE day for you, obviously, and anything that helps you enjoy your Wedding Day has got to be a good thing!
(For what it’s worth, Diane and I had a fantastic wedding day and we wish even more of the same for you two. Along the way I have drawn caricatures at many, many, many weddings — from very modest to WAY over the top — and having one person in charge like a Wedding Planner ALWAYS seemed to be a great idea. You can find me at www.DRAWME.com.)
