Things you need to know before you hire a Wedding Planner
Getting married is something we’re sure that you must have dreamed about ever since you were kids. Whether it was a faux wedding with a pillow-case veil and their sleepover friends or the whole nine yards like Monica from F.R.I.E.N.D.S with her wedding binder; you might have planned it for a long time. So hiring a wedding planner might seem redundant to you, as you may think you have it all figured out.
With that being said, I’m here to tell you why hiring a wedding planner may just be the best thing for you, to have the dream wedding that your thirteen-year-old self would be proud of.
Have it all figured out? Think again!
Whether you’ve already planned out that perfect wedding or are just starting down the long road of planning for the big day, it’s always good to have a second, more experienced set of eyes, to go over your wedding plans. Enter, wedding planner. Experienced planners have organised many weddings over the course of their careers. In fact, reputed planners in India are said to co-ordinate close to about 200 weddings a year. Behind the veil of creativity and fun that comes with planning a wedding, there is a ton of paperwork, logistics, and not to forget the many phone calls that need to be made. All of this and more is efficiently handled by your trusty wedding planner.
What exactly does a wedding planner bring to the table?
Even if you don’t need a wedding planner to go about planning the entire wedding, consulting with one to go over your ideas and offer inputs, is a good way to make sure things are on the right track. Apart from this, the best thing about planners is that they know about/have good connections with top vendors. Based on your plans and ideas, they would know which vendors work well in putting together your dream wedding. Aside from their industry contacts, is the fact that planners put in the majority of the legwork that is required. Whether it is checking out possible venues or different caterers, they present you with all the details so that you and your fiancé can make a well-informed decision.
What to look for when selecting a Wedding Planner?
You will want to start off by interviewing planners on the basis of their prices and services provided. But ultimately it comes down to who you feel most comfortable with, seeing as though you are going to be in contact with them frequently leading up to your wedding and on the day itself. When deciding on which planners to shortlist, our suggestion would be to look at those who function in and around the area within which you plan on having your wedding at, especially in cases if it’s a destination wedding or the location is far from where you reside. Planners from the area would be familiar with the local venues and vendors.
Staying within budget
Budgeting is one of the most important aspects of planning a wedding. Staying within your budget is something that wedding planners do extremely well. They make sure you don’t overspend on certain vendors, provide cheaper alternatives without compromising on quality. They get you the best deals and most importantly knowing the actual costs. These are just a few perks an experienced planner brings to the table. Planners generally charge about 10-20% of the wedding budget as their fee. This generally applies to small scale planners as they overlook the entire wedding management themselves. However, a more mainstream planning agency charge a fixed rate as per the services you require. Consequently, another important aspect to consider is how close to the wedding date you choose to hire a planner, the closer you are to the big day- the more it is going to cost you.
What services to expect from your planner
It definitely may seem like hiring a planner is an added expense to a list of already growing costs. But this is well compensated with the services they offer. A wedding planner is your consultant, organiser, stylist, chief negotiator, friend, and confidant. They have the ability to manage logistics, financials, designing your invitations, and even planning your honeymoon. With this being said, my word of advice would be to be a bit cautious. In some cases a planner may receive a small commission for using a specific vendor; it is advisable to be present when final negotiations are happening, especially during billings.
Small Scale or High-End planners?
Choosing between a full-blown planning agency or a personal wedding consultant purely depends on how much involvement you require while planning your wedding. A consultant is a more narrowly focussed position. They help with photography and videography, floral arrangements, assisting with bridal wear, and maybe setting up gift registries. Notice they don’t deal with the actual planning itself. Whereas with high-end planners, they deal not only with the points mentioned above but also include choosing colours and themes, entertainment, event scheduling, invitations and RSVP’s, venue selection etc.
Deciding on a photographer
Now that you have a general idea as to how to go about planning for your big day, another important aspect is your wedding photographer. Not only do they immortalize the best day of your life, but also capture those amazing once in a lifetime moments. This is why I would suggest not to compromise on a wedding photographer. Need help deciding on a photographer? Don’t worry we got you covered! Visit our wedding board for photography ideas!
Wedding planning can surely be quite overwhelming; we at Wedding wishlist are here to make it just that much easier. Whether you need a one-day consultation to get you started, or full-service wedding planner to handle everything down to the last detail. You can find them here.
