My blog post today describes perfectly what a wedding planner is there for. I am sorry for being a bit indulgent but I saw something I wanted to share with you, and I was inspired to write it after a conversation with a friend of a friend who just got married.
I know when you think of using a planner you may think we are expensive and want to plan or take over your whole wedding. NOT TRUE. Many of us are very versatile, cost effective and want to help you out along the way even if you don’t want us to plan your entire wedding day. I love it when I work with creative brides who want to do lots of their own planning.
They tend to use me to help them get the fabulous suppliers I know that will help them plan without the stress and pain of using suppliers they don’t know. I know the best guys who are great value and super reliable. At the end of their planning I work with them on the day and make sure it goes perfectly.
Often brides are too busy at work and want to spend the time they do have thinking of how they can personalise their day and shopping for a dress etc and don’t want to spend an age surfing for a whole team of people. They may want me to help them with the paperwork such as budgeting and liaising with the suppliers. Some have paid me to do the wording on stationery or keep track of RSVP’s.
I guess what I am trying to say is that most of the time our services can be tailored to what you need. My prices are transparent so I only charge for the time I spend doing the work you ask me to do. That way you can budget and you know what you are getting for your money.
Yesterday I saw this post on Twitter and I just had to share it. It is written by a florist, Geralyn Gianna, albeit she does offer some planning services. I thought how she explained the reasons why you might hire a wedding planner was just brilliant. I could not do better myself. Please forgive me for being indulgent today but the information is really useful.
1. Professional Pros: Planning a wedding or event can be a full time job. From researching vendors, taking care of the details, and coming up with creative ideas to make your celebration amazing, a planner will save you hours of legwork. A professional keeps you updated, makes detailed itineraries for all involved, including other vendors, and assures you that everything will happen on time and on schedule. They will flawlessly execute your event. For those with the thought that “time is money”, this is essential as you can be off using your time in more valuable ways.
2. Expert advice: Your planner channels your tastes, taking into consideration your style and personality. They make sure that your event day surpasses all expectations and turn your dreams into a reality, and can offer etiquette and ideas along the way. It’s always good to have an expert on your side. Honestly, you would have an expert in your life for any other major decision right?
3. Vendor Loyalty: Great planners have built outstanding relationships with vendors in all categories. In turn, vendors want to work with these planners because they know the event is going to run smoothly. You are assured to get the best prices from the finest, most reliable vendors who love working with your planner. Bottom line, pick a good planner, and you will have a great team behind them.
4. Just In Case: A planner is educated in handling situations that involve any unforeseen circumstances relating to your event day with grace and ease. Their goal is to go above and beyond and to devise solutions to make your day perfect, no matter what it takes. And most of the time, they do this with out you even knowing the problem. And trust us, problems will come.
5. In the Know: A savvy (experienced) planner with keep up with all the latest industry trends and stay ahead of the curve. They have the ability to suggest out of the box ideas that will add personalization and a wow factor to your event. A few closing thoughts. I’m going to be honest about my personal situation. When I got married, I was already an established event planner and florist. But when I was looking at venues, I was over whelmed with the sales people saying they were the planners and they would “take care of it” for me. So, to my mistake, when we choose a hotel (4 star on the ocean in Palm Beach) and they said they would take care of planning my wedding with me, I didn’t hire a planner of my own. Biggest mistake of my wedding. Let’s say this, not only did they not help us plan it and tried to sell all their services to us, but on the wedding day, the “planner” was no where to be found. As a matter of fact, she was selling another couple on the hotel during my wedding. Bottom line is this, be aware of sales professionals from venues call themselves event planners. They are not. A true wedding event planner encompasses all five from the list above.
My recommendation: Hire a planner. If you can’t afford it, hire one just for the day of the wedding and you plan it. At least they can run it for you.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Last week I got chatting to a friend of a friend who is one of the most organised ladies I know. She has a great marketing job and has just got married. I say this only so that you understand she is super busy but completely has the wherewith all the plan a wedding and know what she wants from it. I was dying to ask her if she wanted me to help her on the day. My friend said no, Caroline is so organised and her attention to detail is so great she has planned it down to the enth degree! She won’t want a wedding planner.
I asked Caroline how the wedding went. Bear in mind she got married in a very chic venue I won’t name in Manchester. She said oh my I had a nightmare on the day. The venue coordinator promised me that all my instructions would be carried out. It turned out that Caroline spent the morning getting everything done that she had listed in her instructions. She even rang her friend to come early to oversee so that she could get ready. It ruined her morning. If I had know she said!!! You can’t do anything about this after the event, and it won’t help you in the future, thats if you don’t get married twice!!! BUT this story can help you.
Until next time, happy planning.
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