Whenever you hear the term ‘wedding planner’, how many of you immediately think of Jennifer Lopez? You know, in the film where she runs off with the Groom? Reality check, that’s actually not what we do! The term wedding planner can still be thought of as quite an American expression/occupation but in today’s blog I am going to give you a whole host of reasons for why you should hire a wedding planner, regardless of which country you’re living in, or getting married in for that matter.
1. Often, a misconception of a wedding planner is that they are an additional investment for couples, (an extra supplier to pay out for as such, although they have no real product to show for it). Ouch that hurts, but it’s true and don’t worry if you’ve thought the same thing; I’d now like you to think about them in another way. When it comes down to the ‘money-talk’ of planning your wedding, it is often planners who are keeping you on the straight and narrow in terms of your wedding budget. They have resources that help with budget management and a whole host of expertise when it comes to recommending suppliers that are in-line with your budget. Who wants to be recommended someone who’s work that yes, you may have seen on Pinterest, but that costs 10x more than what you want to pay? You see, planners network and build relationships with numerous of suppliers across their career, so that when you get them on board in your wedding planning journey, they actually save you money because they know what you’re willing to pay and will more than likely have worked with someone within your price range.
2. Wedding planners are a great sounding board. We are called a number of things – an extra bridesmaid; a friend, but to put it simply we are a listening ear and a helping hand to create the wedding day you deserve. What happens if my bridesmaid’s don’t all agree on a dress? Do I need a microphone for the speeches? Whatever your woes, we’ve probably heard them before and that doesn’t remove the fear of what could possibly go wrong but believe us when we say we’ve got you covered…where there’s a will there’s a way, and one thing’s for sure, wedding planner’s have will.
3. Hiring a wedding planner will save you time. On average, a couple can expect to spend 200-300 hours planning a wedding but with a planner in your corner the workload will seem a whole lot more streamlined. Being organised is what we do, we have a plan and we have a timeline. We are able to gage an idea of how long dress-finding is going to take, we know how couples can ‘um’ and ‘ah’ through the decision-making process for a number of things, caterers and their menus in particular. Although we can’t and won’t make those decisions for you, by having an idea of the time-frame in which certain suppliers need to be confirmed, you may just feel like there is a little fairy sat on your shoulder gently nudging you to make your decision at a time that eliminates any stress further down the line.
4. They allow you the chance to fully enjoy your day. When your special day finally rolls around and the hours of thought you have put into your wedding are shown to your guests, your wedding planner is still working away behind the scenes to ensure your dream day is achieved. For you, the planning is done, it’s time to have fun – you’re about to get married! But, your planner will be there on the day to ensure the smooth running of events on the day that matters most. Some may say “well all the hard work is done by the day itself” and that’s true, but would you want to be interrupted while eating your wedding dinner because the supplier providing the fireworks doesn’t know where to park? That’s what we’re there for. We have spent the lead up to your wedding day getting to know the both of you and your plans so we know them back-to-front by now, we’re the middle (wo)man on the day so you can sit back and relax one of the biggest milestones of your lives.
5. They open a whole new world of opportunity when it comes to styling and designing your wedding day. Some couples may not feel they have the imagination to create the wedding they have always wanted and that’s ok, planners are the creative kind, we work in an industry where we are always very hands-on in the work we do. Whether that’s (and this list is not exhaustive), moving chairs from an outside ceremony to an inside reception; styling the tables where your guests will be seated for your wedding breakfast, or perhaps drawing a floor plan for your marquee wedding.
