Should I Hire a Wedding Planner?

Should I hire a wedding planner?

Should I Hire a Wedding Planner?

Ah, wedding planners. Where would we vendors be without them? These behind-the-scenes visionaries are some of the most talented people in the industry, making sure that brides and grooms have a perfect wedding day from start to finish. Have you been asking yourself… should I hire a wedding planner? (hint: the answer is yes, yes you should!)

Let’s talk about some options!

If you are worried about letting go of creative control for all the details of your big day, hiring at minimum a day-of coordinator for your wedding is one of the best choices you can make! You can also check if your venue has a staff member dedicated to day-of coordination.

My favorite option for coordination, other than a full on planner, is when clients work with month-of coordinators. These coordination packages usually begin one to three months prior to your wedding and typically include a final planning consultation, ideally at the venue; detailed timeline and logistics creation; coordination with vendors and final contract review; floor plan and rental review; rehearsal and day-of onsite services; unlimited phone and email communication; a wedding emergency kit; and so much more!

You’ll spend countless hours and put in so much thought and energy into your wedding, so why not enjoy the once-in-a-lifetime experience with your loved ones? An event professional has the expertise and experience to answer those difficult and confusing questions that might come up about how the whole day is supposed to unfold. They will oversee setup and breakdown, coordinating with vendors, and dealing with any problems that arise. This lets you be FULLY PRESENT on your big day so that you can savor each and every second.

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Other than a coordinator, your photographer is the vendor that you spend the most time with at your wedding. Inevitably at some point during the day, there will be some kind of (figurative) fire that needs to be put out. Trust me, the last thing you would want on your wedding day is having me—your wedding photographer—dealing with these sorts of issues instead of taking your pictures… which is something that can frequently happen when there is not a wedding coordinator.

Most weddings without a coordinator or planner tend to run late because no one is in charge of keeping things on track; there was this one time…

The first look was about to happen when the bride found out the ceremony space hadn’t been set up. It was about an hour before guests started to arrive but there were no chairs, the aisle decor and flowers were in boxes and buckets, and the arbor was laying on the ground. TALK ABOUT A MESS. The bride, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and myself (not the groom though because they hadn’t done their first look) were rushing around setting everything up rather than using the time to capture important memories like the bride and groom spending time with each other during their first look and wedding party portraits—it was a stressful moment for everyone involved!

So why take the chance?

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If you are finding you do not have enough time to plan every last detail of your wedding, then a full or partial planning option may be a great option for you. Your planner will come on board after you hire them to immediately begin managing communications with vendors, vendor referrals, keeping you on track with your timeline, track your RSVPs, among other items and of course still has all of the month-of and day-of coordination items listed above.

If you want to check out some weddings where couples used a planner to bring their vision to life, check out these posts!

Special thanks to SRS Events and Alexandra Nesterak Events for their help putting this information together!

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