Want a Stress-Free Day? Consider Hiring a Wedding Planner
Amy E. Lemen
One of the top reasons most brides and grooms hire a wedding planner is the most simple: to reduce the stress of planning a big event. After all, when you take away the romance, intentions and vows, a wedding is really event planning to the nth degree.
Yes, it’s a big party celebrating you, your beloved and your new life as a couple, but every detail must be perfect with impeccable timing and – perhaps most importantly – your expectations must be met. It only makes sense to ask for help, and a wedding planner could be just what you need.
Planning a wedding is a job, so it’s important to ask yourself if your job or college classes and projects allow you the flexibility of adding another 60 to 70 hours for planning your wedding.
Consider that most couples allow 12 to 15 months to plan a wedding – that’s a lot of time. Although not all weddings take that long to plan, the time spent doing so is significant. There are churches, hotels and caterers to book, invitations to order, dresses to choose and guest lists to plan. It’s a lot of work and can seem daunting for a newly engaged couple to handle themselves.
One other thing: parents are great, but they have a funny way of injecting their wedding ideas into your event – and it’s probably not what you or your beloved want (Spanish dancers at a traditional wedding, anyone? Not!). Besides handling all the details, a wedding planner can also serve as a neutral third party when you let off steam about family disputes (no dancers!), or simply someone to trade ideas with who isn’t emotionally connected to the wedding.
Most wedding planners have seen it all and can probably offer a solution that’s just right for your situation – whether it’s where to seat feuding family members, how to accommodate the vegans in the crowd or how best to incorporate your two-year-old nephew into the wedding.
Budgeting for a Wedding Planner
Once considered a luxury reserved for the rich and famous, wedding consultants can actually be a smart move economically. They should be considered part of your budget, not an additional expense.
As with any other product or service, the cost of a wedding consultant varies depending on the level of service. Full-service coordination averages 10 to 20 percent of your total budget, while consultations and wedding day-only services are often offered at a flat fee or hourly rate.
Most wedding planners provide packages for each bride to choose from, depending on their needs and thoughts on which services they will require.
Choosing a Planner
Seek out bridal consultants who have been certified by an accredited professional industry organization.
This indicates the consultant is continually learning, growing and keeping aware of changes and trends in the wedding industry.
Couples are also advised to ask for referrals from the planner or from other wedding vendors. Word of mouth from other brides and vendors is always a good resource.
Set up meetings with a few planners and see which one you felt really listened to you and understood your personal interest in your wedding.
Remember, you will spend a lot of time with your planner, so you need to feel you can trust her and count on her during this special time.
Make Sure You’re on the Same Page
Communication is also critical. The couple and the planner should be able to communicate comfortably and also feel that they are on the same page.
Couples need to know that the planner is not going to dictate the decisions, but is merely the researcher and person with many resources to help them make wise decisions.
The bottom line is that wedding planners have information and resources that would take the average bride and her mom a lot of time to research – and they still may not have covered all the bases.
The bridal consultant’s only purpose is to make the bride’s plans come true, to make her day run smoothly and to help make both the bride and groom look their best.
And isn’t that the point?