San Diego Wedding Photographers | Temecula Wedding Photographers

This week, we are featuring Jacksonville wedding planner Katrina McCullum of Made of Honor Weddings with some thoughts about why you should hire a wedding planner or consultant.

Weddings have been planned for centuries, and I can’t tell you how many times I have heard. I wish I had hired a professional planner. Does everyone need a planner, well, no. This all depends on what type of person you are and if you have the time. It takes well over 260 hours to plan a wedding. Most people, pull in a friend or a family member to help out. But this itself could possibly be a stress factor. Your friends and family mean well but some feel they are doing you a favor and could get stressed out themselves. I have composed a list of reasons to hire a professional planner or consultant.

1.Stress: Yes, believe it or not planning a wedding can be very stressful. There are many details that go into a wedding and a wedding planner knows the ins and outs, the dos and don’ts to planning a successful wedding. Stressful things to you is not a big deal to them. Simply because they have dealt with it before. A planner who gets angry and flustered are signs of an inexperienced person. Planners are people too and they do still get frustrated but it is all in how you handle the situation.

2. Budget Management: It is very important to establish a budget in the beginning. A wedding planner can distribute your budget based off of your wedding needs. They keep your budget in tact and make you aware if you are starting to go over. Every magazine offers a break down of where your money should go, but a great planner knows how to adjust and make the proper changes while keeping in the margin.

3. Vendor Relationships: Wedding planners spend a lot of time developing and nourishing their vendor relationships. Because of these relationships they can most likely get a better deal and pass the savings on to you. This may not always be the case with every planner but a planner can negotiate contracts and make sure your needs are met.

4. Professionalism and Experience – enough said.

5. Mediator- Its your wedding, but there will be many people who have opinions on how your wedding should be. It could be religious traditions, or the amount of guest you are inviting, even the food you should serve. Your planner/coordinator will be in your corner and work for you to make sure your vision is achieved.

6. Keeps you on track- Reminders, reminders, reminders. Planners know what needs to be done and when they need to be done. Without being pushy or nagging, they can help you get those things done.

7. Venue management- Your planner/coordinator can handle all the little details that come with planning a wedding, floor plans,color coordination, seating charts,etc.

8. Vendors can do their job – Each vendor plays an important part of your wedding. When you don’t have a planner it falls on another vendor to fill those shoes. Timeline, organizing family members,set up and delivery. Some vendors may be okay with the extra duties but it takes away from what they are suppose to be doing and eats up valuable time.

9. Your own personal cheer squad: This is a great time in your life. Some brides can’t help but stress about their weddings. Your planner will keep you motivated. Remind you why you are having a wedding in the first place. Bring the fun back into planning.

10. Avoid the overcharge: Overcharge fees can be a pain in the butt and can add up quickly. A good planner will have a time schedule made out for the day of your wedding. It is normally arranged based of your vendors and the time they were hired. Your planner is running the show from behind the scenes and makes everything flow smoothly and end on time. Therefore you won’t be stuck with a bill at the end of the night.

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