In my first blog mini series, today we’re answering a question about something that is (obviously) very close to my heart: “DO I REALLY NEED A WEDDING PLANNER?”

Yes my friends- you NEED a wedding planner, you DESERVE a wedding planner and you should HAVE a wedding planner. Planning a wedding is stressful and takes a huge amount of time, ask any of your friends who’ve already ” been there, done that”.  I’ve yet to find a bride who, after an intense year of planning their wedding on their own, didn’t wish they had hired a professional.

Wedding planners are not just for daddy’s girls or movie stars (no offense ladies) anymore. Forget what you see in the movies and on TV. That’s not real life. The average wedding takes 250-350 hours to plan, so basically that’s 7 hours EVERY single weekend! With the dozens & dozens of items to choose, design and finalize, time is of the essence. Over the course of the next year you will have no time out for sick days, or family and bridesmaids who can’t ‘help’ after all, and plan on forgiving your amazing finance who instead of helping you shop, just wants to ‘catch the big game’ with his buddies. In truth, this is YOUR party, which YOU must plan. You may think me harsh, but I’m speaking true. Arm yourself with information and be honest with yourself about your time commitment and personal support, then choose what’s best for you! Only then will you be able to plan, execute and truly enjoy your next year and its culmination into your spectacular wedding day!

Most couples are well meaning, and wanting to save money try and forgo a wedding coordinator, when to the contrary, in the grand scheme of things, planners are not expensive and if their good, worth their weight in gold!  We planners know you are ‘on a tight budget‘, we know you want to ‘plan your own wedding‘ and we also know you have ‘a specific vision‘ and want to ‘execute it‘ yourself. We definitely know most of you have other commitments like jobs, children, family, friend, sports, church, etc. And we also know you have loving family and friends who ‘want to help’ but reality is, they have all the same commitments as you!  What I’m trying to say is, don’t go it alone, there is help you CAN COUNT ON and a wedding coordinator or planner is there for you when life moves on for everyone else.

If your thinking you can’t afford a planner/coordinator, most have various packages designed to fit in all types of budgets. But choose wisely (I don’t believe in the “Day Of Coordinator”) as no one can step in the last few days prior to your wedding and completely understand the vision you have poured your blood, sweat and tears into over the past year! Equally important, be kind to your wedding party and close family. There’s nothing worse than watching them upset trying to set tables, organize decor and deal with vendors (who just want to get in/get out) in an effort to please you, the bride. Your wedding party and parents, aunts, etc. want to have time to get ready and look pretty too and most importantly, they want to be with YOU!  It’s not worth a fight or hurt feelings, so think carefully before you assign them to the sidelines as free labor.  And rest assured,  if you have a wedding planner, you WILL still be planning your wedding and WILL still have control, it will just be with guidance, expertise, focus and personal support. And with a planner by your side, oh my goodness, on your wedding day, you WILL be able to RELAX, LET GO  and TRULY ENJOY yourself!!

You’ll breath a huge sigh of relief once you hire a wedding planner or coordinator. Besides taking the pressure off of you and your fiance ( and family, friends, co-workers, etc.), here are some of the perks you will receive working with a professional:

1. Do you know what that amazing venue costs or have experience negotiating complex contracts? Your wedding planner will educate you on what things cost and help you allocate your budget based on what’s most important to you. They will then help you with your contracts.
2. Your planner will score you discounts! Thanks to their relationships with vendors, they’re likely to receive industry discounts and pass the savings on to you. That’s money that gets to stay in your bank account! Vendor referrals! They will search out and recommend reputable and reliable vendors who meet your vision, style and budget.
3. You’re to-do list will be endless. Planners let you know what needs to get done and when you need to do it, like mailing invitations, scheduling a final fitting, and sending payments. They will keep you on track (a year may seem like an eternity, however, if you subtract work and other responsibilities out of your calendar, you actually have more like 50-60 days to do EVERYTHING) !
4. Contracts are frightening and BIG BUSINESS. Your planner will go thru them with a fine tooth comb and alert you to red flags, including any missing items (they know what you will need) as well as (hopefully) negotiate extras for you (like upgrading those white linens to your favorite color).
5. You know those DIY projects you’ve been working on? And the special items you want placed just so? You’re planner will set up small details for you on the wedding day like favors, escort cards, cake knife, and guestbook.
6. They have cool ideas you haven’t thought of and ways to save money on the ones you have! Many couples don’t want their weddings to be like ‘everyone else’s’ so planners keep up to date on what’s new and unique so that they can help you think outside of the box. They also have a trained ear to really ‘hear’ you and guide you to be true to your individual style, so your event is truly a reflection of YOU!
7. Around the clock problem solving. Planners and coordinators are problem solvers and will try to resolve mishaps without worrying you on your wedding day. When your girlfriend shows up unannounced with a ‘plus one’ to your reception, your planner/coordinator is behind the scenes hustling to get him a seat and meal.
8. They prevent a potential fall out with friends and family. I know of a DIY bride who (trying to save money) wanted her friend to be her photographer (I tried like heck to talk her out of it!!). Said friend was an ocean/underwater photographer with no experience shooting a wedding. Needless to say, the brides photos looked more like an episode of Netflix ‘The Blue Planet’ rather than a wedding album, and feelings were hurt 🙁  Before you ask friends and family to manage things for you on your wedding day, think about how your relationship would be affected if something big went wrong on their watch.
9. Finally, It’s nice having someone who cares just as much about your wedding as you do. Your bridesmaids love you, you mom and auntie love you, heck, your finance is IN LOVE WITH YOU, just the same, they cannot possibly understand the immense excitement you have thinking about and planning your wedding…and please know they really really want to…they just can’t.

So you ask “DO I REALLY NEED A WEDDING PLANNER”?  My friends the answer is YES, you NEED to have a wedding planner, you DESERVE and should HAVE A WEDDING PLANNER!

One last thing…It’s important for you to know we wedding planners love what we do and it is our pleasure to serve you! Allow yourself the joy of having an experienced, caring and personal advocate that’s on you side and with you every step of the way. Then relax and truly enjoy the next year 🙂