Why should I hire a wedding planner?

Brittany & Keahi’s Playful Spring Wedding (Full Service Wedding Clients) – Photo Credit: Amelya Jayne Photography

Wedding planning can drive pretty much anyone crazy

It’s likely the biggest project you’ve ever worked on, there are a million moving parts, and everyone you know wants to tell you the right way to plan it. Even if you’re a naturally organized person, there are so many checklists, guides and timelines available online that it can become overwhelming, and there’s probably at least one area that you’re clueless about. From linens, table design and flowers to food, drink and guest entertainment, not to mention managing a wedding budget, paying vendors on schedule and making sure no detail is overlooked, there is a lot to handle.

But we’re not here to overwhelm you with yet another checklist. Today, we want to tell you about a magical method for making all the stress and overwhelm disappear – you can hire a wedding planner.

Now, we’re not talking about a wedding coordinator, which every couple should hire if they want all those moving parts to actually come together. We’re talking about a full blown, walk with you through every step, take stress off your plate kind of wedding planner. Because wedding planning can drive anyone crazy, and you deserve to enjoy your engagement.

Who should hire a wedding planner?

Obviously, we think everyone should hire a wedding planner, but we’re a little biased. There is, of course, an added expense to splurging on a wedding planner rather than simply hiring a wedding coordinator, so it’s important to decide if the cost is worth the gain. You may choose to hire a wedding planner if:

• You have literally no clue how to plan a wedding
• You need recommendations for amazing wedding vendors in the area
• You love to plan things but can’t imagine spending 250+ hours planning a wedding
• You have a super bad ass job that takes a ton of time and energy, and you just want to relax when you get home
• You could care less about decor, but you still want a pretty wedding
• You’re a procrastinator and you know it, and you want to make sure you stay on track
• You don’t have a clue what a wedding costs, and you want to make sure vendors are charging fairly for the services you want

There are plenty of other reasons you may choose to hire a full service wedding planner. You may even feel like you could handle the whole dang thing, but you just want the added assurance of knowing that there is an extra set of eyes making sure everything is perfect. You might want more time with your fiance and know that a wedding planner will make that happen. Whatever your reason, we think it’s a good idea.

1920s-Inspired Vow Renewal (Full Service Wedding Clients) – Photo by Oak City Photography

What does a wedding planner actually do? 

Every wedding planning company is slightly different, so we can only tell you what Beauty & the Budget Events does. To start out, we believe that you need a strong foundation to have a smooth wedding planning process, and that foundation is a budget and a road map.

We sit down with each full service client and create a custom wedding budget and planning timeline before we dive into any of the fun details. The budget gets rid of that nasty sticker shock as early as possible – so many couples are surprised when they hear how much certain vendors charge, and we let you know what the industry standard is in the area so you can plan accordingly. We take into consideration your style, preferences, and overall budget to create a great game plan for how that budget gets divvied up.

Then we customize your wedding planning timeline. Every wedding is different and includes varying elements, so we make sure your timeline breaks down exactly what you need to do (and nothing you don’t) by the month. Forget those online timelines that give a generic “9-14 months before your wedding.” We let you know exactly what needs to get done each month. And then, we help you do it.

We check in with our full service wedding planning clients twice a month – once via email, and once in person (or via Skype). During those email check-ins, we touch base about everything you should be working on that month, so if you procrastinate, are busy, or just need a gentle reminder, your short list of items to work on finds its way to your inbox, along with tips to knock those items off the list. During our meetings, we get a bit more hands-on, working together to complete any tasks that are stressing you out. We discuss the details of picking vendors, choosing a menu, designing your wedding, and so much more. And we’re always happy to work on projects for you between meetings.

As we get closer to your wedding date, the Beauty & the Budget Events team is intimately familiar with your wedding decor, activities, and sentimental moments, because we were with you as you made those decisions, and it makes it that much easier for us to set up your wedding day. With full service planning, you always get our coordination services, which include creating a decor setup plan and detailed day-of timeline, running the rehearsal, and working with all vendors throughout your wedding day to make sure the couple, their family and guests are able to truly enjoy the wedding day.