Hire a Wedding Planner?

[olywillis]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone thinks it is worth the money to hire a wedding planner. I have done a lot of the research myself already, but they told me that it will help my day run smoother if I hire them to take care of all the details. Their prices were over $2000 for some advice on vendors and "Day Of" services if available. Any advice would be helpful...

[xpert]

It truly depends on you, your budget, the size of your wedding and other factors. I am a wedding planner, but to be truthful and unbiased, we're not for everyone. I don't push myself on people to make money. Like I said, some couples don't need to hire one. The reason I got started in the business was because I was taken advantage of in a major way when I was planning my own. And, in helping to plan friend's and relative's weddings I watched many of them go through the same thing. Just like the Field's book shows on many occasions, the vendors just want your money. I watched so many brides make mistakes (including myself) that had major repercussions during the wedding weekend itself. What I have done is thousands of hours of work just to research vendors alone. Then, I also searched the bookstores, the WWW, etc. to find the best resources for brides. The main reason I would tell anyone to hire a wedding planner is for their knowledge and experience that only they have. They can help you go around any pitfalls and prevent any other problems with vendors before they happen. If their worth their money they should do all this and more. The main reason I wish I could have afforded one for myself is so I wouldn't have been burdened with running everywhere, making everything, telling everyone where to go, how to be, when to sneeze, etc. I was just exhausted before the wedding even started. What I tell my clients is that the problem is mine, tell me and I'll fix it. About the fee. It's good if you can find one that gives you many choices in packages to meet your needs. There is no one size fits all. I offer many packages to my clients and usually they find one they are happy with. It's also good to find one that offers you to pay by the hour or by percentage. That way it's up to you specifically, what you want to pay. I always offer a free initial consultation to meet with the bride, we chat about the coupleand their plans, sip tea or coffee, and make some proposals of how much it would be. Then what we do is after they agree to whatever package they felt comfortable with we sign it. All of us. Not so I can lock you in, but so you know there are no extra fees (hidden charges). Anyway, I hope this helped. Please email me with what you find or just with thoughts. Even if you're not my client, I still learn from brides everyday. Happy planning, LeAnn Richardson

[xpert]

The Field's book gives some advice on this also. Be sure to look at what they have to say. If anyone has any other questions about this, feel free to email @ [email protected]. Of course, it's free. I'll just be glad to help.

[olywillis]

Thank you so much for the advice. I decided to hire the wedding planner since she has so much experience and has experience in cultural types of weddings, which I am interested in incorporating into mine. Also, I think in the long run, since she has so many contacts in the area I live in, she will be able to get me better deals than I would on my own. So overall, I think I will be saving a lot of time, trouble, stress, and money. Thank you for your help again.

Olivia

[efa200]

What would you suggest looking for in a wedding planner? How can I tell if the person is going to be right for me and my needs, and worth the money?

Erin

[straightsmile4U]

This was a topic that we really considered. We ended up hiring a great planner. My wedding is in 4 months and we are completely done with the planning. The entire process has been almost stress free and actually quite fun. I actually believe the cost of our planner (10% of budget) has possibly SAVED us money!
Things to consider:
1. If you DON'T get a planner, who is doing all the planning?
You or your mother or your mother -in-law? Do you/they really have time? It really can take hundreds of hours to survey and research the best vendors and prices. If you do things with out really putting time into it then you won't get the best outcome or price. A wedding planner cuts down to the chase and only presents top quality, reputable vendors that's she's worked with before.
2. Have you already done some work and will she charge you for a percentage of that? When I hired my vendor, I already had my dress. There was no way she was getting 10% of the cost of my dress, even though it's part of the wedding budget. Get it in writing and get a contract. This is a business deal.
3. Who is going to deal with the last minute crazy stuff the comes up that day? You (no way!) your mother (not fair to her)... a planner deals with the bad stuff that can and will come up at your wedding so you don't even know it's has occured and you can have a stress free wedding.
It comes down to the fact: Is your time and sanity worth a little money? I think so.

[cherielily]

Hello!
I am in Manhattan and am looking for an excellent wedding planner. I am having 250+ guests (mostly from out of town) and I already have the space. I am doing the wedding at my fiance's brand new nightclub in Tribeca, but the club doesn't have any established relationships with vendors yet. Manhattan can be over the top with prices and I am looking for a planner with experience, understanding and most importantly connections.
Thank you for any leads!
With love and peace of mind,
Cherie Lily
[email protected]

[epistle]

Very helpful info LeAnn!
I chose to forgo the wedding planner myself; it just fit with our wedding. The fee to my church included a wedding coordinator for the ceremony; she not only ensured a smooth ceremony, but also gave suggestions for different vendors. Through her I got a great deal on my altar flowers. The church organist was also a good resource.
We had 80-90 guests in attendance (the number invited was 140) for a formal afternoon ceremony and afternoon reception. One of my aunts decorated the reception site before the wedding and the other aunt made sure that things ran smoothly during the reception. For my needs this all worked out very well.