8 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner

Wedding planners have a bad rap for being reserved for high budget, elite weddings. While that may have been the case in the past, it is most certainly not the way things are now.

Wedding planners may be the best thing you spend money on when it comes to your wedding. Not convinced? Here are 8 reasons to think again:

8. Pinterest templates and guidebooks from Amazon are not enough

In life, more often than not, you will get what you pay for. All those free templates for seating arrangements and wedding day timelines might look really nice on your “Dream Wedding” board on Pinterest, but do they cover everything you really need? Can you be absolutely sure that the person who created those templates is a professional and that everything it says is accurate? Are those wedding planning binders and guidebooks you buy online customized to you and your fiance’s wedding planning needs? The better question is, do they provide a real, professional person to help you through them and assist in carrying it all out?

Wedding planners know the wedding industry. They can tell you what you really need to plan the best wedding, which tools will actually help you, and they can even provide you with their own templates & worksheets. Better yet, they can help you complete those worksheets and carry out their tasks for you!

7. Sounding board for your wedding visions and ideas

Unfortunately, family and friends don’t always want to talk about every thought you may have about your wedding. As excited as they are for you, they have their own awesome things happening. Sometimes, they may want to talk about other things going on in life than your upcoming nuptials. They also most likely do not have a lot of professional knowledge about the wedding industry either, so any ideas you run past them for advice will probably not be met with the most experienced, professional response.

Want to know who wants to talk about every single little thing that has ever crossed your mind about your big day? You guessed it - your wedding planner! They are a wedding planner for a reason: because they LOVE weddings and bringing others’ fairytale dreams and visions to life (that is, if they are good wedding planners). Your wedding planner is there for you, whether it’s an email, phone call, or talk over coffee, to work out all those thoughts. They are your enthusiastic and judgement-free outlets for any and all things weddings. Consider them your wedding therapist.

6. The big picture - venue coordinators are NOT wedding planners

A lot of ceremony and reception venues offer you the convenience and assurance of a venue coordinator on site - someone who you believe at first glance will help you plan out and execute your big day. However, more often than not, the person who carries this title is most likely a sales or catering manager for the venue. Their main priority is to maintain all matters involving the venue, not to coordinate all of your wedding planning efforts.

The same applies to your wedding photographer, as well as your DJ, florist, cake artist, and any other vendor associated with their wedding. On average, a wedding will incorporate about 20 different vendors. Each one is responsible for one aspect of your wedding. It is not their responsibility to coordinate with other vendors, help you with a day-of timeline, help set up and tear down decorations, answer questions from your guests or bridal party about your big day, or or performing other major wedding tasks.

Wedding planners are what brings all these separate professionals together and keeps them organized. They handle all the planning aspects to help bring everything together. Your other vendors will be able to focus on what is most important to them and on following through with their contract - ultimately loving you as a client.

5. Be a guest at your own wedding

This reason is one I am immensely passionate about - it is at the core of why I became a wedding planner.

The day you’ve been counting down to and working so hard to make perfect finally arrives! You’ve coordinated with all your vendors, created somewhat of a wedding day timeline, crossed your t’s and dotted your i’s. With the epitome of a type A personality, you should be able to handle coordinating your own wedding with ease, right? Unfortunately, it is impossible to be in two places at once (come on, science!).

It is difficult to enjoy all the special moments of your wedding day, both big and small, without having a day-of coordinator to handle all the logistics. A day-of coordinator will make sure all vendors arrive on time and know where to go, help set up decorations and arrangements, keep your wedding day timeline running on schedule, answer questions for guests, and ultimately make sure the ceremony and receptions run smoothly. You deserve to be fully present on your wedding day - to enjoy, savor, and remember it

4. Saving your relationships

There is no doubt that planning a wedding can be stressful, but commonly overlooked are the arguments and bad blood that can stem from all that anxiety and worry. Wedding planners have the experience and know-how to avoid altercations before they arise and resolve the conflicts that do. Wedding planners also take on tasks that would be otherwise be assigned to bridal party members or family so that every person can enjoy the wedding day. Remember, you still want a relationship with your Maid of Honor and your mother when the day has come and gone!

They are also the perfect resource for navigating the tricky family dynamics that are only illuminated by events such as weddings. While you and your fiance have visions and expectations of your wedding day, so will members of your family. A wedding planner is the ideal objective resource in situations like this. While they won't be able to break out some brass knuckles and break up a brawl at your reception, professional wedding planners can ensure that guests who dislike each other are seated further apart, diffuse tense situations without involving the newlyweds, and even take blame for wedding planning decisions that may upset a family member.

3. Saving you time

While planning your big day can be fun, it can also become cumbersome and overwhelming when going at it alone. There are so many minor details to consider, from the color of your linens to tracking RSVP’s as they come in. The average couple spends about 200 hours during their engagement planning their wedding. Wedding planners take on responsibilities and act out tasks you don’t have the time or patience for, allowing you to enjoy your engagement to the fullest. They can research and refer vendors, come up with creative ideas for your wedding, and maybe even help out with some of those big DIY projects.

2. Saving you money

Wedding planners have experience in the wedding industry, knowledge of how much certain aspects cost in your area, and a trusted vendor network. While you will end up paying your wedding planner for their services, they will absolutely save you money in other areas of your wedding - possibly even enough to cover the cost of hiring them! Wedding planners are also experienced in helping couples set budgets for the wedding and sticking to them.

1. Don't worry, be happy! Minimize stress and maximize the fun

You deserve to enjoy not just the day of your wedding, but your entire engagement. This is a time in your life that you will never get back. You are about to marry the love of your life! This should be a time filled with excitement, relaxation, and fun. Why stress when you don't have to? Let the wedding planner handle all the hard work while you enjoy each and every moment of this special time.

There you have it! They may not be all of the benefits to having a wedding planner on your team, but they are reason enough to consider having one. If you would like to know more about how a wedding planner can specifically help you with your wedding plans, please contact us for a free consultation. We would love to meet you!

Happy planning!

XO,

Courtney