Is it worth hiring a wedding planner? If you’re asking that question, you’re in good company — most brides and grooms debate the issue at some point in time. The short answer is simply yes, it’s worth it. Need a little more explanation? Here are seven vital things a wedding planner can help with:
- Getting Everything Right
Whatever your dream wedding looks like — whether that’s a lavish wedding or a simple beach ceremony — you deserve to get it. But the reality is that you probably have no experience planning such events, drawing together all the many things that go into making a wedding day perfect; a professional wedding planner does.
- Sticking to a Budget
This may seem counterintuitive, but hiring a wedding planner can actually help your wedding stay on budget. That’s partially because a professional planner will generally have industry connections that can result in savings being passed on to you, but also because a planner will have the experience to steer you toward options that contribute to your overall vision without costing a fortune.
- Finding Reliable Vendors
One of the biggest tasks any couple planning a wedding faces is choosing their vendors. Hire the wrong rental company, and you might not have chairs and tablecloths. Hire the wrong caterer and your food could be terrible. Hire the wrong DJ, and the dance floor could be a barren wasteland. Wedding planners typically have a core group of vendors they’ve worked with many times before, so if you take those recommendations, you know you’ll be hiring people you can trust.
- Working Long-Distance
Having a wedding planner is practically compulsory if you’re planning a wedding anywhere other than where you’re currently living — and that happens quite frequently, since weddings are often held wherever the bride grew up, even if the couple now lives in another city.
- Doing Only the Fun Stuff
When people talk about the “fun” of planning a wedding, they’re normally talking about trying on wedding dresses and tasting wedding cakes. Hiring a wedding planner doesn’t mean giving any of that up; while you are doing those fun activities with your fiance and/or friends, your wedding planner can be crunching numbers and making phone calls.
- Keeping the Situation Calm
While weddings are joyous occasions, sometimes drama among family and friends can create some tension. It’s often helpful to have a wedding planner in these situations so that there’s someone who’s removed from any past interactions to intervene and keep everyone calm.
- Enjoying Your Big Day
On your wedding day, you and your spouse-to-be should be enjoying the party, not keeping everyone on schedule or making sure there’s enough ice. By hiring a wedding planner, you’ll be able to spend time with your family and friends celebrating your brand-new marriage, knowing that someone you trust will be taking care of all the details.
Are you planning to hire a wedding planner for your wedding, or are you still on the fence? Join the discussion in the comments.