Imagine arriving at your wedding venue on the morning of your wedding and the doors are locked and no one can get a hold of the venue management team. People are standing around waiting to start setting up for your wedding and every moment that passes is a moment that affects your wedding day timeline. You feel a wave of panic starting to rise up. You should be enjoying a mimosa while having your hair and makeup done, not worrying about how to get access to the building.
Minutes later the florist arrives with a bright orange bouquet with diamond and pearl accents. This is not the bouquet you had discussed or imagined; your style is bohemian. At this point, you are edging ever so close to becoming the dreaded bridezilla we’ve all heard stories about and your family and friends are doing everything in their power to keep this from happening. You should be enjoying your wedding day and none of this should be a single worry on your mind.
This scenario is an example of exactly why it is so important to hire a wedding planner because these are the types of situations a wedding planner deals with on a regular basis. Hiring a wedding planner doesn’t mean that nothing will go wrong on your wedding day, it just means that you will have someone there to handle it and either fix the issue or make the best of the situation without adding unnecessary stress or worry to your wedding day. A wedding planner helps take off the pressure of coordinating and problem-solving so you can show up and enjoy your wedding day to the fullest!
Undoubtedly, you are going to have a multitude of ideas for how to make this day an expression of you and your fiancé. A wedding planner is there to discuss these details with you at length. Maybe there are ideas you want to keep as a surprise for your guests, or maybe you have an idea in your head but need to flush it out with someone and get a professional opinion. A wedding planner excels at wedding details and brings an invaluable amount of expertise to your wedding planning process because they have many weddings under their belt. They know how to provide the best tips and advice for not only planning your wedding but also for creating a smooth wedding day experience for everyone.
Let’s talk about the budget. Every wedding has one and whether it is large or small there are expectations that need to be met and a budget that needs to be adhered to. A wedding planner knows all the ins and outs of the business and can help provide a realistic idea of what your dream wedding may cost, where you can save money or where you can splurge. They know how much decorations cost, how much food you need to plan for based on your guest count, and what vendors to recommend that will work with your budget and aesthetic. Because of their expertise in the wedding industry, a good wedding planner can help you save money that you might have otherwise spent without them.
Not only do wedding planners save you money by being industry experts, but they can also save you money because of their vendor relationships. Because planners have a list of preferred vendors they usually work with, they are considered repeat customers to those vendors and can often get discounts or adjustments that you as a couple would not be able to get on your own. Vendors benefit by working with a wedding planner because they bring them repeat business and the planner gets to build a trusted relationship with the vendors, allowing the wedding to go much more smoothly. So consider the cost savings a planner may be able to provide, not only on their services but also on your other vendor services as well.
Another commodity that wedding planners can help you save is your time and, as they say, time is money. Maybe you find yourself researching wedding planning websites high and low searching for the best wedding tips. All the time spent looking up information on your own could be saved by hiring a wedding planner that is already familiar with the industry. So instead of spending hours researching on your own, hire a wedding planner and use that time to celebrate and enjoy your engagement.
Think of hiring a wedding planner as hiring a little black book of the best wedding vendors you can find to fit your style and budget. Wedding planners are essentially the matchmakers of the wedding industry. They know all the best florists, caterers, photographers, videographers, and event locations to pull together a wedding that truly speaks to who you two are as a couple. They know which vendors are the best to work with; ones who show up on time and produce quality work, so ask your wedding planner for their recommendations and trust them. Your vendors are the backbone of your wedding day and you want to be sure that you are hiring vendors you trust and that all starts with finding the right wedding planner.
There are so many great resources out there now and, with Pinterest, wedding planning can seem like an easy feat to do on your own. But then, months into planning, you may start to notice that the vision you have is scattered and does not have a cohesive feel to it. This is where a wedding planner can help by streamlining that vision and curating your wedding style from the very beginning of your planning process. They listen to you and ask questions to help ensure you are both on the same page regarding the vision you have for your wedding day.
When it comes to the day of your wedding, your planner will also be focused solely on your day and since you will have talked and shared your vision they will know exactly what you are looking for so when something starts to happen on your wedding day that does not fit the vision, they will know how to adjust it.
In addition, many venues will offer an in-house coordinator and while that can be a great additional option, hiring a wedding planner who is dedicated to your day is still a great investment. An in-house coordinator will only be focused on the details regarding their specific venue, so by not hiring an outside wedding planner there may be details missed going from one venue to another, or you may miss out on implementing details that make your wedding day unique and special.
So your getting ready location is different from your ceremony location that is also different from your reception location. Talk about a lot of running back and forth on the day of your wedding! As a wedding photographer, just thinking about the amount of work that goes into planning multi-location weddings makes me dizzy. There is no way that on your wedding day you will be able to help address questions at all of your locations, nor should you need to; that’s what wedding planners are for. Professional wedding planners typically have a team of people on your wedding day to help out with all the preparation at each location. They are skilled in navigating both large and small weddings and they (and their team) will be there to make sure each thing is happening as it should be at each location.
And just in case you’re thinking you might not need a planner because your wedding is taking place at one venue, a planner or coordinator is still a great idea as they will be able to orchestrate the flipping of the venue between ceremony and reception, which is no small feat!
This is the most important reason by far! Simply put, on the day of your wedding, you should not be thinking about how the ceremony site is looking or how far along the reception decorations are until you see it as you walk down the aisle or through the door for your reception. You should be relaxed and enjoying the moment all day long! This is a once-in-a-lifetime event and you should be 100% present, soaking in all of the love surrounding your wedding day.
It’s not a pleasant thought but just think about all the things that could go wrong on your wedding day and consider that a wedding planner has experienced those situations before and knows how to properly plan to avoid them from occurring in the first place. Or, if a situation does arise, that they know how to best handle it so it has a minimal impact on your wedding day, providing a seamless wedding day experience for you and your guests.
Another way a planner can help reduce stress is they will work directly with your vendors. As your wedding day approaches, vendors may have last-minute questions and rather than bother you with and cause potential stress, they can contact your planner directly and they will be able to navigate those questions because they will know what your vision is for the day.
Wedding planning is stressful enough as it is, so why not make the experience as simple and stress-free as possible by hiring a wedding planner?
As you can see I am a huge advocate for hiring a wedding planner for your wedding. I believe a wedding planner is worth every penny and if you need help finding a great wedding planner please reach out on my contact page or send me an email!
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