What Does a Wedding Planner Do Exactly?

If you are planning a wedding you may have gotten to the point where this wedding stuff is getting hard and getting in the way of date nights.  You may or may not be sort of done with all the boring details. This is usually the point where you ask yourself, what can I do to take some of this work (and stress) off me?

In steps a planner! Ta-da! There isn’t an easy button to press but a wedding planner is definitely a step in that direction. As your planner, we get fully vested in your wedding from the very beginning; sometimes before there is even a venue booked.

Where Do I Sign?

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, you have to think about what type of planning you want and what your budget will allow. Many planners have different packages ranging from full or partial planning to wedding design or event management/month of coordination.  Some offer day of as well but we will touch on that a bit more in a later blog.

How Much is This Going to Cost Me?

Price wedding planners in your area and see what kinds of services they offer and what their range in price is then start meeting with them. Unfortunately there isn’t a standard in pricing and this will truly range depending on your area. In our area they can be anywhere from $3,500 to $12k + for a full service wedding planner. Yeah, we know what is a huge range.

A good rule of thumb is to estimate about 15% of your wedding budget for a planner.  (this may sound like a lot but they will be doing a lot for you!) In the case of a planner you typically get what you pay for. The higher priced planners are priced that way because they have years of knowledge and are going to give you a more detailed, tailored experience. That doesn’t necessarily mean the lower priced planners don’t know what they are doing so do your research. Some specialize in more budget weddings and some have a particular style that they can help you accomplish.

Meet with a planner (or two) before you book them. This can be in person, through the phone or even Skype. You will be spending a lot of time with your planner over the next year so make sure you connect well with them. They are going to be your guide, your coach, your cheerleader and sometimes your counselor. (Everyone gets to that ledge and we can definitely talk you down!)

We, as planners, are advocating for you. We are working with you to make sure you are working with the vendors that will make your wedding vision come to life. (We will also set expectations if your wedding vision involves acrobats and pyrotechnics but your budget just doesn’t have the space for that kind of display…)

So, What Does a Wedding Planner do for You?

Your planner will spent about 100-200 hours helping you plan your wedding (those are man or wo-man hours you don’t have to spend, yay!)

Remember that at the end of the day a planner is helping you plan YOUR wedding so don’t hesitate to be honest and open about what your want from that day. Let them know if you feel uncomfortable with anything or don’t like an idea they throw out. It will never hurt their feelings and you can talk through some of the reasons and details behind the decisions.

Whether it is with or without the help of a planner, enjoy the planning process. It might be a bit stressful leading up to the day but once the wedding day arrives it is amazing and fun and spent with the people you love.

High Fives and Happy Planning!