I’ve heard it before and I’m sure I’ll hear it again. It’s a big expense. When you’re already spending all you can (and more) on the wedding of your dreams, it makes sense to cut costs when possible. But what does not make sense is increasing your stress level in the process. At the end of the day, if you’ve saved money but you’re ready to lose your mind by the time you get to the altar, did you really save anything at all? The truth is a good wedding planner minimizes stress and maximizes your vision. That is exactly what the cost covers.
Often times I hear brides compare planning a wedding to adding a part time job to their (likely already full) plate. It all adds up: cultivating a budget, calls to the vendors, hashing out contracts, forming a guest list, tastings, fittings, pre-wedding events like engagement parties, showers, and bachelorette parties, assembling favors and centerpieces, picking floral arrangements, the trial hair run, creating a seating chart...I could go on forever! Like any job, it requires your consistent time and attention.
But say you’ve got the skill set and time to handle the work involved with planning yourself. Do you really want to be responsible for keeping everything from falling apart the day of? Sure a photographer or videographer can keep things moving. But who is going to make sure the caterer arrives on time while you’re doing your first look? Who will tell grandma when to walk down the aisle while you’re having a moment with your dad alone? Who will be responsible for securing the gifts and cards (read: cash) while you’re being whisked away to the best night of sleep you’ll likely ever have? Again, I could go on forever!
If you don’t want to stress over any of these things, then hiring a wedding planner is definitely for you.
Still not convinced there’s room in your budget? Consider this: There is more pressure on brides today than there ever has been to create an atmosphere and experience for their guests. In a culture of having everything customized, many women feel that there’s a certain expectation for them to hand-craft every piece of their wedding day. Once I had a groom tell me that he had no idea that every single aspect of a wedding was a decision the couple had to make. The color of the napkins, how they’re folded, the verbiage on the invites, where to put the gift table...Again, I could go on forever! Not only do all of those decisions have to be made, now they each have to uniquely reflect the couple.
But you’re in luck! Wedding Planners have seen it all. When we’re not at an event, we’re thinking about events. We’re in networking groups so we can all talk about events; we’re reading each other's blogs; we’re checking for great ideas on Pinterest. We’re a bunch of visionaries who are dying to create and share our ideas and discoveries with future brides! My favorite part of planning a wedding is the first official meeting where I ask the bride for three words that best describe the wedding she envisions. Nothing gets my creative juices flowing more.
Still not sure where to find the extra pennies? My number one trick is to skim a little off each item in your budget. You shouldn’t have to compromise one thing for another. Take a little here and there to make room for minimizing your stress and maximizing your vision.
All actions of wedding planners can be traced back to minimizing stress or maximizing your vision, if not both. Wedding planners love to create, plan, and execute. This passion along with dedication to taking that part time job under their wing is the cornerstone of a happy, stress-free engagement for any bride.