Your big day is upon you, and you can’t wait to get started. Planning a wedding is certainly no small feat, what with selecting the perfect venue, decorations, foods, and entertainment for the occasion. Odds are you might require a little help bringing it all together. This is why so many brides hire wedding planners to make their dreams a reality. But do you actually need one?
The Ultimate Wedding Planner Checklist
One of the best ways to determine whether you need someone to help you out is to go over your list of to-dos. If you’re early in the process, you have plenty of time to strategize and create a plan broken down into monthly increments. The more you handle during these stages, the more comfortable you’ll feel as you approach the wedding date.
- Narrow down your budget
- Make some style choices
- Determine your guest list
- Choose the perfect date
- Find a preferred venue
- Start designing the invites
- Select your wedding party
- Begin shopping for dresses
- Hire the necessary vendors
- Book a rehearsal location
- Reserve vehicles for guests
Of course, this isn’t anywhere near an exhaustive list — and broken down piece by piece, you’ll find that there’s so much that goes into each step that you very well may benefit from having someone in your corner who can handle those details for you.
The Pros & Cons of Hiring a Wedding Planner
Unless you’re planning a very small-scale affair, you’ve got a lot to consider. It can seem overwhelming even when you go about it in your usual organized fashion — a binder before you, colored pencils ready to tick off each box on your wedding planner checklist, lists of vendors to call and guests to invite. Before you know it, though, you’re losing control. Could a wedding planner help you after all?
The Pros:
They tackle the nitty-gritty details.
The main reason most people hire wedding planners is that they are wedding professionals. They know how to handle the intensity of planning a large event that requires tapping into the expertise of people all over town. They’ll work closely with you to bring your vision to life while remaining within the constraints of your budget so that you don’t go overboard or lose sight of the final outcome. They stay clear-headed and focused during those moments when you may feel like tearing your hair out.
They have a ton of connections.
Think of your planner as your concierge for all things wedding. They can make the seemingly impossible happen by making a quick phone call. Tapping into that power can transform your ceremony from fabulous to phenomenal (and isn’t that what you really want for your big day?). Planners have access to everyone from affordable vendors to restaurants that fall within your budget’s parameters. If you have a specific cuisine in mind, want to hire a videographer, or are seeking a makeup artist who can create a certain look, you can trust your wedding planner to provide you with the right options.
The Cons:
They will add to your overall wedding budget.
Of course, expertise comes at a cost. You’ll need to consider whether it’s worth the additional expense to have somebody plan your wedding. In many cases, they can save you a pretty penny where you might otherwise pay top dollar. Their insider information and connections put you in a great position to plan your dream wedding, but the more you need from them, the more you will pay for it. You might instead opt to hire a day-of wedding coordinator, who can seamlessly execute the elements of your big day so that it flows without a hitch.
They inevitably take control.
Another point to consider is that you’re no longer in the driver’s seat when you hand the wheel over to your wedding planner. You may have to capitulate in areas where you envisioned being in complete control. That’s the point of working with a professional, however, and what you sacrifice in authority may be well worth the end result if it means achieving the wedding you’ve always wanted.
How to Go About Hiring a Wedding Planner
So you’ve decided that you want to hire a professional for the job. That’s awesome — you can already revel in the relief of knowing that many major responsibilities will be in someone else’s hands. In order to find the right person for the role, you need to do some serious research. Start by asking friends if they used anyone to plan their weddings. Word-of-mouth can go a long way in providing you with a reference you can trust.
Don’t stop there, though. Once you have a few prospects in mind, prepare some notes and questions so you can provide your potential planner with your goals and plans for the day.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Wedding Planner
- Do you have a minimum budget?
- Are you available on my wedding date?
- How long have you been in business?
- What types of venues have you planned weddings in?
- How many people on your staff will be at the wedding?
- Do you have favorite vendors that you prefer to work with? Will you go outside of that list?
- Do you handle professional services, contracts and payment processing?
- Do you do destination weddings (if applicable)?
- What are some ideas you have for pulling off our vision?
- If you do both design and coordination, what is your main specialty?
Feel free to bring along pictures and mood boards that more vividly express your ideas. The entire purpose is to determine if they can help bring that dream to life! If you feel like it’s a great fit and you’re confident that they can make your vision a reality, it’s time to get started.
From Weddings to Tech, our Zazzle Contributors are experts on a wide variety of topics and information. We hope their advice and ideas will help you be inspired!
