What exactly does a wedding planner do and why should you hire one?

What is a wedding planner and what services am I likely to find?

A wedding planner is a professional who can assist and support on all elements of design, planning and management of your wedding day. With every wedding planner they will have similar characteristics such as:
1. Being an outstanding listener and a great support
2. Being understanding of every couple and their needs
3. Being ambitious and hardworking

Each wedding planner will have similar services to offer however the right wedding planner will be able to tailor a package to suit each personal circumstance ensuring every couple is made to feel important.

A little insight in the services is:

Full-service planning – The wedding planner will be hired at the very beginning of your wedding planning process. They will get to know you as a couple, the vision you want for the day, help you find a venue and build a team based on your budget, style, and personality. It is a wedding planners’ role and responsibility to manage all planning aspects, design a personal and thought-out design and keep the couple’s priorities and budget in mind.

 

Wedding management – The wedding planner will be hired after most of the suppliers have been sourced. In the wedding management package, the wedding planner will collect the plans from the client and bring all the details and logistics together and create a detailed timeline, layout, and overall plan for the wedding day itself. The main role for the wedding planner is to ensure the reigns are taken from the couple so they can enjoy their wedding day.

Wedding design and style – With the role being heavily focused on the style and design the wedding planner will quite often be hired after the venue has been booked. The wedding planner will interact with the client to create a one-of-a-kind detail and design. The planner will not be involved in the logistics of the wedding day.

 

 

 

Where do I find a wedding planner?

In the wedding industry there are all kinds of wedding planners to chose from. Destination planners, wedding design and stylists, fine art wedding planners and your boho style wedding planner. It is your personal preference to pick a wedding planner that will fit with the feel for your day. It can be overwhelming with the amount of wedding planners that come up when you type in google ‘wedding planners’ but there are a few things that you can consider when looking at a wedding planner’s social media and website which should hopefully help you narrow down whether they would be a good fit.

Each wedding planner will come from a different background whether it be corporate or have years in events. Take a look at their bio and just see if you can relate to that planner on an individual basis.

Each wedding planner will also have a different set of skills whether that be creative or methodological. This can often be portrayed in their website, is their website heavily focused on aesthetics and imagery or do they explain the process they will take you on with their wedding planning?

And lastly, every wedding planner will have a different set of qualifications whether that be a certification in planning or just experience in the industry, this will be found in their biography. It is often a grey area in the industry as its not essential to have a qualification.

 

 

So why should you hire a wedding planner?
Misconceptions of wedding planners often include:
1. I don’t get to plan my own wedding
2. Planners are too expensive
3. Planners are only needed if your rich and famous.

All these misconceptions are in fact false. All decisions are made by the couple themselves; a wedding planner is merely there to supply and advise the best options of suppliers to create their big day. Planners are value for money as the service that is being provide will save you money and large amounts of time as we manage your budgets, find suitable suppliers within said budget and cut back on the amount of time you need to spend doing those tasks, which is priceless to couples who are busy with careers, family etc. Planners are not just for the rich and famous, most weddings that we plan are for the working day couple who simply just do not have the time.

 

 

 

 

When is the right time for a wedding planner?

So now you have decided you want a wedding planner, and that the investment is worth while when is the best time to contact? Simple answer is as soon as possible regardless of whether you want a wedding management package or full planning package. Just like a wedding venue, wedding planners equally get booked up and on average only take on 8 weddings per year.

On each wedding planner’s website there will be contact details for you to send an enquiry and most wedding planners will get back to you instantly. If they are already full booked nine times out of ten, they will give you a referral for another wedding planner who is just as good, saving you time searching for another wedding planner.

Happy planning,

Weddings by Anna-Lee XO