I know what you might be thinking, "You're joking me right? How can I possibly afford a wedding planner on top of everything that this wedding is costing me?".
Before you go one step further, take a sip of a cool beverage and have a seat while I tell you. The secret of having a great wedding in our fast paced, need to know everything right now world is no longer counting on friends and family to do your dirty work.
It's Just Life
Life has become more intense and therefore often I read about and hear from brides that feel that their families aren't as excited or can't dedicate themselves to take part, plan, and pay for the activities surrounding a wedding ( I referenced this in the previous bridal shower post as well). Also brides themselves have taken on a tremendous amount of stress trying to DIY themselves into oblivion and work their full time jobs to create an amazing experience that tops the last wedding that they attended. I'm not saying don't do any DIY, but it's a good idea to just pick a few things and select a planner or designer that can do the rest. What you end up spending in DIY project fails or running around getting the items, storing them, delivering them to the venue and picking them up is worth hiring someone else to deal with.
Lack of Understanding
Welcome to the classroom of weddings! I'll be your instructor, Mrs. Minks. (wink wink)
Seriously... you hire a CPA to do your taxes, you hire a plumber to do your pipes, a mechanic to fix your car,etc... So why wouldn't you hire a planner or designer to handle the logistics of your most important day? Now I know most people's response to this one. "Because I love the movie The Wedding Planner and have wanted to do what JLO does in the movie" or "I'm pretty crafty and resourceful". I can tell you that what you saw in that movie is not exactly how it goes. Planners don't often spend their time driving in Napa or horseback riding with their clients, or even bossing around a large staff of people. We are worker bees that have done lots of weddings and worked with a plethora of vendors to know how to match the right couples style and budget with the right ones.
You might be resourceful, good at entertaining but entertaining 200 or 300 guests at once and selecting or knowing the way to go about that is a whole other ball game. Things like selecting a venue that allows you to choose a caterer that wont add on unforeseen charges, getting the guests to file into an area at once to see a special cake cutting, making sure people don't miss a choreographed first dance, or the particular detail that you put into each and every place card holder. It really does become overwhelming to most. A planner and designer helps you with the logistics of taking your vision and making it come to life. A great planner will not and does not want to take that over and will help you achieve the things you want without making you go broke in the process.
It is a fact that on average a planner will save you about 10% - 15% on your wedding based on recommendations vendors alone. As a planning and design firm I often save couples even more because I throw in a lot of extras when a couple books a design or planning package. More times than not what you pay for a planner or designer will end up being a wash as to what you saved in vendors. Some brides think they can find all of their vendors from my friends or on Facebook. While there are some good vendors ( myself included) on Facebook, price shopping based on what everyone else liked or paid isn't always the best idea. Your wedding should be unique to you, right? What was important to a few brides in a group page on Facebook or even your best friend does not always mean it's the same for you. Say Susie Q hires a photog she met on a group page on Facebook and recommends them to other brides because she only paid $500. What she might not be telling you is out of the 1500 photos that her photographer shot on her wedding day, 15 are useful photo for albums or printing. Is that $500 well spent then? It's in the eye of the beholder. I often try to show brides through my experience and client references that I may not be the cheapest, but I offer value in other areas that do save you money and you receive the utmost quality in work.
It's 5 days til the wedding and I'm so stressed I can't stand it!
This is the third most common post I see from brides planning their own wedding. You can and should be in the glow of love at that point and not freaking out over last minute stuff. I feel so sad for brides that felt they could not have help and couldn't get enough help before the wedding to allow themselves to relax. If you take into account all of the good things that come with having a planner / designer, this doesn't have to be you and you will be less stressed on all of the days leading up to and on the wedding day. This also goes for not just you but parents as well. Parents will be the first to walk up to me at weddings or rehearsals and say "Thank goodness our daughter (or son) hired you". For once your parents hosted an event where they could actually talk to guests and family. It makes for a more relaxed day and evening all around. Plus you getting professional experience and pampered like a celebrity on the day. How great is that!?
In the case that this article has enticed you, Adore offers all different types of services from the hands of owner Kat Minks. A wedding professional of 14 years. Don't count on Kat's pricing to reflect her years of experience however. Adore Productions offers design help, planning, rentals and beauty services at a cost effective price for todays bride. See info here or contact Kat with Adore.