8 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner

He asked and you said yes.  Now that you are engaged you are trying to figure out what  your first step should be.  Should you hire a wedding planner or plan your wedding yourself?  Here are 8 reasons why you should hire a wedding planner to plan your wedding.

 1. A Wedding Planner can help you stay on budget

One of the biggest things wedding planners can help you with is manage and stick to your budget constraints.  They can help you decide which areas you need to spend the money on and where you can save.  Many of the wedding planner’s trusted vendors offer discounts that they pass onto you, so you save money!

Photo: Erich McV

2. A Wedding Planner can help you hire vendors you can trust

When you are looking for vendors, wedding planners can help you hire ones you can trust with your big day.  Wedding planners spend a great deal of time researching and vetting vendors so they are able to build relationships with them.  This benefits you because your planner can pair you with the perfect vendor who understands your unique needs.  Wedding planners do NOT take kickbacks, fee shares, or inclusion fees from any vendors regardless of the referral.  Their goal is to provide complete transparency and a financial breakdown on costs and expenses (vendors, site fees, etc.).  There should be no after-the-fact financial surprises for you from a great wedding planner!

3. A Wedding Planner can help you negotiate your contracts  

Wedding planners can help you negotiate your contracts.  These contracts are legal agreements that ensure that you are going to get what you paid for and all that you negotiated with your various vendors. Contracts protect you in case something goes wrong with a vendor or on location. In the unlikely event that something does go wrong, especially at the last minute, wedding planners have the experience, the relationships and the knowledge to step in, give you options and take charge of any problem solving while you focus on being with your future spouse, family and friends on your big day.

Photo: Sarah Murray Photography

4. The Venue’s In-House Wedding Coordinator is NOT Your Wedding Planner

 By hiring your own wedding planner, you are ensuring you will get what you need.  A personal wedding planner will fight for your vision, help talk down prices and make sure the venue has everything you need or arrange for it.  Some people think that the venue coordinator does the job of a wedding planner.  However, that is not correct, venue coordinators do just that they only coordinate what the venue is providing for you.  Your wedding planner is about YOU and will help you with every aspect of your wedding.

5. A Wedding Planner can help you figure out your vision 

As a bride-to-be, you’ll have a lot of very personal ideas about the wedding you have envisioned; and while your friends love you, they may not be the best source of advice.  Speaking of advice and the generation of fresh ideas, there is no reason to fall deep into the overwhelming trap that is Pinterest.  A wedding planner can help you brainstorm, refine your ideas, offer new fresh concepts and develop your vision for your wedding day.  Who better to help you discover your vision, research and develop your own wedding concepts than someone who spends their professional life planning them!

Photo: : Julina Marie

6. A Wedding Planner can help with problem solving

Wedding planners are expert problem solvers.  Whether it is weeks before, or on-location the day of your wedding, wedding planners are ready for anything.  They can also help you mediate and navigate family dynamics.  They can help you make tough decisions and they can make sure that you don’t have to worry about anything on the day of your wedding.  You shouldn’t notice a single thing that might go wrong with the right wedding planner in charge!

7. A Wedding planner will pay attention to the details for you

You can rely on your wedding planner to keep everyone and every detail organized. Wedding planners excel at keeping everything focused and managed, making sure all the little details get done.  They should be the point person the day of the wedding, and for your vendors leading up to the big day.  They will make sure there is a timeline for your wedding day and that everyone (vendors, guests, bridal party) knows where to be and when to be there, which allows for your wedding day to run smoothly.  They can help manage and implement important details such as seating arrangements, hotel room blocks, menus, figuring out the best way to communicate with everyone, and any other details you can imagine. Wedding planners can handle the ceremony-to-reception transition and will make sure that anything you need at the end of the night (bouquet, gifts, sign-in book etc.) is organized and gets to you.

Photo: Matthew Morgan

8. It’s Your Wedding Day

This is your wedding day so you should be able to enjoy the day and feel stress-free.  You and your friends and family can’t be in the wedding and running the day at the same time!  Wedding planners are able to keep everything on track, which allows you to be 100% present for your wedding day and allows your friends and family to fully enjoy the day.  Lastly, hiring a wedding planner will save your time and energy throughout the planning process.  Wedding planners know what needs to get done and on what timeline.  They can recommend trusted vendors and locations based on your budget and they can make sure your vision comes to life.  They do this for a living, so they know what they are doing, so why not hire a wedding planner!