Should I Hire a Wedding Planner?

Planning a wedding can be extremely stressful and time consuming. Service providers must be located and interviewed, appointments must be made and remembered, specific items need to be selected and coordinated.....the list goes on and on. Most brides-to-be will at some point, ask themselves, "Should I hire a wedding planner?"

First, let's look at what a wedding planner will do for you. There are many variations to the duties of a wedding planner. Some wedding consultants (planners) will assist in all aspects of arranging the wedding. For example, they will make arrangements for the engagement part, wedding service, and even book the honeymoon. Other wedding consultants are less involved, and serve more as an assistant to the bride and groom. The service you will receive depends greatly on your needs and wants. However, let's look at the more frequently requested services of a wedding planner to get an idea of what they can bring to the table.

Duties of a wedding planner

- A wedding planner will help you create a budget for the type of wedding you want to have

- Your wedding planner will keep record of your expenditures, and make money saving suggestions.

- A wedding consultant will help you stay within your wedding budget.

- Oftentimes, a wedding planner will receive merchandise at discounted prices, actually offsetting their fee.

- A wedding consultant knows A LOT of service providers and can recommend the best ones in your area. This includes florists, caterers, photographers, musicians, decorators, etc.

- A seasoned wedding planner will help guide your step-by-step through the planning system, and will make the appointments to meet with service providers at the appropriate time.

- A wedding consultant will take care of any emergency that arises.

- A wedding consultant will create an itinerary for your wedding day, and keep things on schedule as the event progresses.

How much will a wedding planner cost?

Some wedding consultants are paid a percentage by the service providers that they hire, leaving you with a minimal fee. Others charge a percentage of the cost of the services they handle. Some wedding consultants will charge their fee based on the size of the wedding. The price really varies for each wedding consultant, so be sure to discuss fees at the very first meeting. Also, ask what type of discount the wedding consultant is able to receive, because this will offset the amount of their fee.

So, the question is, "Should I hire a wedding planner?" If you are the type of person that gets stressed out easily, or does not like to make decisions, you will certainly benefit from hiring a wedding planner. If you are a busy person, with very little free time to schedule appointments and shop for wedding necessities, you would also benefit from hiring a wedding planner. The most important service a wedding planner provides, is alleviate some of the work (and stress) involved with planning a wedding. Many couples make the decision to hire a wedding planner based on that alone, because they simply cannot handle thee enormous amount of work involved with planning a wedding.

On the flip side of that - For many women, her wedding is something she has daydreamed about since childhood. She may have specific ideas of exactly the style of wedding dress she wants, the flowers she will carry, the color scheme she wants to use, and wants to be completely in control of every aspect of the wedding. If she has the time necessary to do these things, then she may not need the services of a wedding planner. Some women (and men) simply have the imagination and creativity to plan out a beautiful wedding on their own accord. If that is the case, by all means....leave a wedding planner out of your budget and use that money for other things.

If you've decided that you should hire a wedding planner, be sure to shop around. Interview several wedding consultants before deciding on one. You want someone that has several references, and can provide the type of wedding you desire. Be sure to ask about her experience, how she came to become a wedding consultant, and should have the type of personality that puts you at ease. You'll be spending a lot of time with this person, and a good wedding consultant should make you feel at ease. Ask if they belong to the National Association of Bridal Consultants, which has standards for its members

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SOURCES:

Personal knowledge & experience

The Bride's Money Book, by Pamela A. Piljac

http://www.frugalbride.com/weddingcoordinatortips.html