Do I really need a Wedding Planner or can I do it all myself? Well that's the big question (after the obvious big question... to which I'm sure you would have already answered "Yes!")
There are many brides that like to plan every aspect of their wedding day, such as searching for the perfect wedding venue, accommodation, transportation, DJ/Band, to even the finer details like the size and style of your wedding invitations and the specific colour and theme of the tableware and linen. On the other hand, there are many reasons why some brides may not be able to plan all of these things.
A wedding/event planner will use their expertise in order to find what is best suited for your big day! time management, supplier/vendor relations and budgeting to list a few; to make suggestions to a bride and provide informative information, inspiration and to most importantly relieve you of as much stress as possible by managing all of your supplier contact including administration of invoices etc.
You can typically expect a wedding planner to either plan your wedding day in full, or in part so you could simply delegate certain aspects of your wedding day to your wedding planner.
Wedding Planner Amae Weddings & Events | Filmed by Capturedit Films
A 'wedding planner' is not to be confused with a 'wedding coordinator' - who is usually an employee of a wedding venue that will take care of everything within the venue and suggest a selection of recommended suppliers that they have worked closely with over the years. You should still expect to have to manage all communication directly with each recommended supplier, so this is something to keep in mind.
Which one are you?
I Have No Time
We all have responsibilities of some sort. But you may have more than some brides; little people running the house wild for example, or you could be a career driven person with a lot of work pressures and stress which leaves you little time to search for suppliers or gather ideas for decor. Infact you may even be both! If you're struggling to find time in an already busy life, a wedding planner might just be the lifesaver you need! As much as we like to think we can do it all ourselves, it is particularly important to reach out to others for help if we are over stretched with life responsibilities.
What Day Is It Again?
Do you struggle to keep track of time and get your days in the diary jumbled up? In other words if organisation is not your strongest asset, a wedding planner could really be your best friend here; literally. Typically you will have at least 8-10 individual suppliers; Venue, Caterers, Band/DJ, Hair, Makeup, Photographer, Videographer, Creative Stylists, Florist to name but a few. Every supplier will need to speak with you and even put dates into the diary to meet with you before they can even sometimes provide initial quotes. With conversation happening with serval parties, things can get a little confusing and if you're the forgetful type you wouldn't want to forget to schedule in your 14:00 appointment with your dream venue to then only be heartbroken to hear they no longer have your wedding date available as you missed the appointment!
I Spent How Much Over The Weekend?!!
Most wedding planners will help you get the best value for money. They will assist with keeping track of your expenditure and source suppliers that are within your budget and also negotiate discounts where possible to save you a few pennies. If you struggle to keep track of your finances, your wedding planner will have this covered for you!
I'm Getting Married Abroad
If you've decided on a Destination Wedding then it would be very sensible to hire an experienced wedding planner, specifically a planner that has experience in destination wedding planning and preferably experience of planning in the country or region you have chosen for your big day.
With a destination wedding there is much more back and forth communication and more time is needed to ensure that communication is delivered and understood correctly.
You may not understand or have the knowledge of any legal requirements or restrictions of your destination so it is crucial that you hire a planner that knows the local laws. Fore example; some countries prohibit the consumption of alcohol.
In many countries you are not able to legally wed according to UK law but there are a handful where the marriage is recognised also here in the UK.
So there it is. There's a few reasons why you might want to consider hiring a wedding planner for your big day! It's really important that you enjoy the process of organising your wedding, whether you choose to go down the route of hiring a planner or not. Lastly remember if you do choose to book a planner, you must be able to get on well with them which is so so important!