Benefits of Hiring A Wedding Planner, Elaborate Events

By Abagail Gamache

You just got engaged, Congratulations! You’re elated and you and your partner are just glowing with love. Then friends and family start asking questions, “Have you set a date? Do you have a venue in mind? Have you picked out your wedding colors? Bridal party? Food?” 

The excitement you were feeling starts turning into anxiety. You become a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Before that anxiety turns into full fledged stress, take a deep breath. 

Seriously, take a deep breath with me…in…1, 2, 3…out…1, 2, 3. Doesn’t’ that feel better? 

First, you’re reading this, which means you’re doing your research so you’re starting your planning journey on the right foot, and that’s really good news! Second, hiring a wedding planner sooner in the planning process, rather than later, will save you time, money, headaches and stress.

I have been where you are. I had already planned several other weddings before planning my own and even I felt a bit anxious and stressed. Yes, I planned my own big day but I hired a planner to handle the event management to ensure everything ran smoothly and so I could enjoy my wedding day.  I don’t think it would have come together as well as it did without her. Yes, even wedding planners need that help and support on their extra special day. 

Not only is hiring a wedding planner essential for a stress-free day, but comes with an array of benefits. Hiring a planner will help save you time, money, headache and stress not only on your big day but through the entire process.

Benefits of Hiring a Wedding planner:

• Assistance with venue and vendor Selection.

Based on your budget, vision, and goals for your wedding day your wedding planner will research, recommend, schedule and accompany you to appointments as well as liaise on your behalf with selected venues and vendors.

Hiring a planner before booking specific vendors or a venue can save you money and peace of mind. Based on discussion about your vision and budget a wedding planner can research and or recommend venues and vendors that fit within the budget and will make your dream a reality. Plus, wedding planners usually have inside knowledge on the cost of vendors in the area and know how to find value, and when vendors are asking too much.

In the past I have worked with a few clients that had booked their venue before hiring me and once we started talking about the budget they realized that there were other venues they could have booked that had the same aesthetic and were more affordable, which in turn would have left more money in the budget for some of the details that fell by the wayside. In those cases I did everything I could to come up with creative ideas to tie in as many of those love story details as possible. 

•  Bringing your wedding vision to life.

Making sure that your vision, theme, and/or dream for your wedding day becomes a reality is one of a wedding planner’s key goals. The right wedding planner will go to extremes to turn dreams into the real thing. Usually the process starts with a conversation on color, style and design ideas. From there, they’ll use that information and help string all the elements together to make it uniquely you. 

Personally, my goal is to make sure to create an experience that tells your love story. I want your guests to see and feel the amazing bond you share. When they reminisce about your magical day I want them to remember the details that embody who you are personally and as a couple.

• Assistance with managing Budget

Most wedding planners will create a tracking system for wedding expenses so you can see where the money is going and what adjustments can be made along the way. Some couples find they need to cut back while others are surprised to see that they can afford more than they thought possible with hiring a budget-conscious planner.

• They help and coordinate your entire wedding day 

A wedding planner will help juggle all aspects and details of your wedding day. From the moment they arrive they tackle the wedding day timeline to make sure everything stays on track, assist vendors, make sure every detail is in place and handles any issues that arise. 

I treat the day as if it were my own wedding. I am on site as soon as the venue opens and oversee every detail of the day from set up, ceremony, reception, pictures, to cleaning up. Every detail and moment of the day should be treasured, and I do all I can to ensure it is a dream come true and my clients enjoy the day. 

• Helping keep everything light, fun and stress-free

Planning a wedding means juggling several things at once. From vendors, decorations, logistics and family & friends involvement it can get overwhelming and stressful. A wedding planner will help alleviate the stress by becoming the main point of contact that is always going up to bat for you and your vision. The right planner will also make sure to keep you in the moment making some of the more fun decisions (yay for cake tasting!) for your big day and strengthening your bond.

My couples are my world. I have gone up to bat for them for several different reasons. I’ve mediated family or friend issues that came up along the way to ensure the couple got what they wanted on their wedding day and preserved those relationships along the way. I have also developed my own special ways of making sure the couple has fun during the process while sprinkling in a few things to help them relax and be in tune with their own unique romance (just ask my husband, wink).

A lot of times people will cut out hiring a wedding planner for various reasons without looking into how a planner can improve their experience or stretch their budget. It’s definitely possible to manage everything yourself, or have a friend or family member take it on. From my experience, the couples I know have rarely had regrets about hiring a wedding planner, but those who didn’t had plenty of “should haves” they’ve shared with me afterward.

The big question is what do you want your experience on your wedding day to be?

Let’s Start the Journey Together!