Why Every Bride Should Hire a Wedding Planner

Anyone who has ever been involved in the preparation of a wedding knows the immense amount of time, money, and stress involved in the process. There are so many details to attend to that go far beyond the gown, the ring, or the color scheme. In every bride's mind exists a vision of what her perfect day will look like. Ask any woman and she'll most likely tell you how she's been planning her special day for as long as she can remember.

Unfortunately, once the planning begins, many brides find out that a few barriers stand between the dream and the reality. The cost of creating a dream wedding for one thing, as well as finding the time to make all of the endless arrangements. The average bride will spend a year of headaches trying to find a way to bring her fantasy to fruition, compromising on many points, only to find herself a frazzled sobbing mess on her big day because the wrong shirt came for the tuxes or someone dropped the cake on the way in. Then when the last guest leaves and the honeymoon is just a memory she regrets that she didn't really enjoy the most precious and wonderful moment in her life because instead her vision ended up consumed by chaos.

The good news? This ugly scenario can be avoided by calling in the big guns. The best advice any bride can receive is to hire an expert. At very least find a talented friend with some experience in the planning of a wedding to help out, but for the best results a professional is indispensable.

Wedding planners, also known as bridal consultants, wedding coordinators, or wedding directors, are people who specialize in crafting perfectly orchestrated events for brides to be. A good wedding planner knows how to bring a bride's fantasy to life and make it seem effortless.

So why should every bride hire a wedding planner? Wedding planners bring both creativity and experience to the table when it comes to deciding the format and theme of the wedding. A good planner listens carefully to a bride in order to get a grasp on exactly what her desires are. She is very detail oriented and makes sure that the individual style and vision of the bride to be is executed to the nth degree. A good planner has an intimate knowledge of wedding etiquette and customs and can instruct the bride in areas she may be weak in.

Some brides may be concerned that they cannot afford the services of a wedding planner. Certainly fees vary from one planner to another, but it is generally acceptable, and even recommended, to spend about 15% of the wedding budget on the services of a wedding planner. So, if a couple spends 15% of their budget on a planner's services, they can expect that a good planner will save them that much on the remaining wedding expenses. A good wedding planner will help the couple establish a realistic budget and stick to it. She will use her negotiation skills and her relationships with vendors to get better prices on services and items than the couple could on their own. She knows all the tips and tricks on getting a bigger wedding with a smaller price tag.

A planner will help the bride with all the frustrating and time consuming details such as shopping vendors, reviewing contracts, keeping track of deadlines, tracking invitations and R.S.V.Ps, making and recording deposits and payments, and confirming details.

Probably the biggest benefit of hiring a wedding planner though is that someone other than the bride takes responsibility for coordinating all the details and directing the wedding. Instead of tracking down bakers and florists, or chasing down missing groomsmen, or fixing botched floral arrangements the bride can instead enjoy her blissfully perfect day. Instead of trying desperately to fix her puffy eyes and tear streaked face after finding out that some crucial detail has been overlooked, or a vendor didn't get the right delivery information, she can relax, be pampered, and walk down the aisle in flawless, breathtaking beauty. Experienced wedding planners also know that every detail requires a backup plan and has the ingenuity and resources to effectively and creatively handle many possible crises that will inevitably arise. In the wedding business there is no question something will go wrong, the question is when and what, and who's going to fix it. When the services of a capable wedding planner are secured, the who is no longer in question, and the answer is thankfully is not the bride.

There are so many reasons to hire an objective party to help plan such an important and precious day. That being said, it's crucial that every couple thoroughly check the references of the individual charged with designing their day of days. The couple should choose a planner that they relate to and get along with and that shares their vision. A great deal of care should be taken in selecting the person that they will entrust with assisting them in creating a magical event. When they find a match as perfect as their own, they will have nothing but beautiful and treasured memories to take with them as they set out on their lives together.