Why YOU Should Hire a Wedding Planner

10 Reasons You Should Hire a Wedding Planner

If you think wedding planners are only a privilege the rich can afford, think again. Here’s 10 reasons to reconsider.

by The Knot

• Save to Scrapbook
• Share on emailEmail this article
• Share on printPrint this article
• More Sharing ServicesBookmark + Share

A wedding planner could just be the best thing you spend money on. We spoke to wedding planning specialist and director at Wedding Belles and Beaus, Marie Costigan, to find out why you should hire a wedding planner. Here’s her top ten reasons:

Reason #1. You deserve everything to be perfect on your big day.

It takes a lot of time and hard work to pull a wedding together perfectly. A wedding planner has organised a wedding a hundred times, and with practice comes perfection. They know the right people to talk to, how to get the best prices, what should (and shouldn’t) be in a contract, and how to ensure that every single detail is prepared for your big day.

Reason #2. You’re not very good at sticking to a budget.

Money is one of the hardest aspects of planning your wedding. Who’s paying, how much, when is your bill due and how do you ensure you don’t spend too much of it? A wedding planner is like a financial adviser or an accountant who specialises in weddings. They know how much things should cost, roughly what percentage of your budget will be spent in each area, whether, and when payments will need to be made in order to secure services or products.

Reason #3. Your wedding planning experience should be enjoyable, not stressful.

Whether your engagement is long or short, you should enjoy every moment of that special time with your dream man. Most importantly, you do not want to turn into a neurotic Bridezilla who can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t work and is constantly stressing about how much work there is to be done. Since it’s our job, a wedding planner has time and the skills to deal with everything on your behalf. All you have to worry about is taking care of yourself and enjoying your engagement period.

Reason #4. You don’t want to spend hours finding suppliers and trying to figure out who is trustworthy.

It’s daunting to know how many suppliers are out there (and how many people it takes to make a wedding a success). Knowing who to trust and who is right for you is one of the hardest tasks of planning a wedding. Once you find a great wedding planner however, the rest is much easier. They can recommend suppliers they’ve worked with before and know how to get the best prices, and the best results, from them. “Even if we have to use a new supplier, we know how to find the best one for your style and price.”

Reason #5. You don’t want to worry about forgetting to plan or pay for something.

Wedding checklists can be pages long, so it’s no surprise if you’re worried about forgetting something. Luckily a planner knows what needs to be done like the back of their hand! They will keep track of all your deadlines and remind you when things need to be done and decided on. Nothing will ever be missed, and there’s no danger that something won’t turn up on the day because of poor preparation.

Reason #6. You both work and you don’t want wedding planning to take over your life.

Planning a wedding takes a lot of time, even more if you do everything yourself. Having a wedding planner is like having a personal assistant whose sole responsibility is doing all the running around for your wedding.

Reason #7. You have a great venue coordinator but they don’t take care about any of the other details.

You’ve already found your venue and you get on really well with the venue co-ordinator (the person who takes care of all the logistics of the venue and often is provided as part of your wedding package). She’s great and has got everything under control, she’s even given you a recommended list of suppliers that they work with. But keep in mind, that’s generally as far as her services extend. A wedding planner goes beyond these tasks and can help you manage your budget, mediate disputes with your family, tell you what flowers are in season on your wedding date, take you to meet the other suppliers, research prices, and anything else you wish.

Reason #8. You need help making your vision a reality.

No matter whether you know exactly what you want, have a vague idea, or no idea at all, a wedding planner can help you define the look, style, mood and emotions you want to create. They know the latest trends and are inspired daily by other brides, suppliers and the industry. They can visualise what will work in your venue and know how to bring your desired mood to life.

Reason #9.You’re struggling to meet the demands of your friends and family.

Does your family have a different idea of how your wedding should look? Many brides have to deal with a plethora of conflicting opinions from their friends and family about how the wedding should unfold, and it can be hard to please everyone. Not to mention stressful. A wedding planner will deal with your family’s expectations, show you the available options and can be relied upon to give you expert advice so you make an informed decision.

Reason #10. You’re planning a wedding somewhere other than where you live.

Planning a destination wedding has it’s pros, but it’s hard to organise suppliers that you’ve never met or imagine a space you’ve never seen in person. A wedding planner with experience in organising abroad weddings has a trick or two up their sleeve for getting the job done the way you want.
“The truth is, planning a wedding takes a lot of time, energy and focus,” says Costigan. “Sure, some bits of it are fun and exciting, but then there’s the endless research, details to remember, payments to make and so on which aren’t so much fun but are very necessary. Using one of our wedding planners means you’re in control. It’s definitely your day, your way, but you have a specialist working on your behalf to do the legwork, reduce your stress and ensure every detail is your kind of perfect.”