Enlisting the engagement of a wedding planner is not an uncommon practice now. Having a wedding planner during your wedding planning and on your wedding day can allow you, and those involved, breathe a sigh of relief and truly enjoy the process. If you’re recently engaged and pondering over the age old question of wedding planner or no wedding planner, allow us to let you in on a few of the deciding factors for our brides.
Pick Your Package
You should be able to select the package that fits best for your planning needs; brides are not a one size fits all. Whether you fall into the category of the bride who has everything crossed off months prior and simply needs a production crew to see the day through, or you are the bride planning from states away and will only be in the week of her wedding, you should be able to sit with your coordinator and talk about your options prior to booking. Make sure when interviewing potential wedding planners you ask specifically what each of their packages entail and get details of the months planning and the day of the wedding to know how that company works.
{See wedding planning packages for Ashley & Co. Here }
Stay on Track with your Budget
Unless you’re naturally a numbers person, budgeting is hard. And when it comes to your wedding, or anything that you are emotionally attached it, it is even harder! If you need help with your budget, make sure you select a package that allows your wedding planning to assist you with that. They should track deposits, keep copies of all contracts and deposit schedules, remind you of when payments are due, and lead you into the wedding week with a clear mind of all payments. It is also nice to talk about different payment schedules if that fits better for you, instead of waiting until the month of the wedding for the bulk of the payments to be made. Your wedding planner can help you with that as well.
Eliminate Overall Stress During your Planning
If you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t know where to start, or are feeling a tad bit frustrated with the process already, take a step back. All of those emotions are more normal than you realize. There is a lot that goes into wedding planning, and you get asked a million questions by those who surround you, so it is easy to find yourself feeling overwhelmed when you put this into your regular life schedule. When you hire a professional who handles this every single day and can lay out each step for you, take out the emotions, and pour their heart and soul into making your wedding day the best day of your life thus far, it allows you to enjoy the process and not feel the stress. If during the process you are feeling stressed, that is the point you should pick up the phone and call your wedding planner to discuss the things that are on your mind. Your wedding planner should be able to read your personality and know whether weekly in-person, phone, or email tracking meetings work best to handle your wedding anxiety.
Get your Timing Right
There is a method to your planning, as well as the day of the wedding that each need to be timed out. Your wedding planner should assist in making sure you are on track with each. The wedding planning will consist of (but not be limited to) booking your location, your vendors, addressing and mailing stationery, accepting RSVP’s, overnight and travel accommodations, engagements and bridal portraits, hair and make-up trials, final numbers and confirmation deadlines, and final payments. The wedding weekend time line should involve (but not be limited to) venue set up, rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, complete line up of family and wedding party with music selections, vendor arrivals, complete wedding reception timing, breakdown instructions, and notes for the clients.
Bringing Your Vision Together
There are generally three types of brides in the design field. One, you know exactly what you want, you have your Pinterest board categorized and complete and simply want someone to execute your vision. Two, you have an idea of what you like, but really need someone to go through your Pinterest board and tell you what your style actually is, then bring you a cohesive board and execute that vision. Three, you have no idea what your style is, but you can say yes and no to pictures when presented ideas. No matter what type of category you fall in, your wedding planner should identify with you, identify your style, design, and decor needs, and execute your vision on your wedding day perfectly.
{Read more about designing your wedding Wedding Design Your Way }
Handle Logistics
The wedding logistics can be as simple as the inter-workings of the time line with hair and make-up, travel, music, food, and bride and groom first looks, or get more in depth when you get into details of a ceremony flip when experiencing increment weather or when utilizing the same room for ceremony and reception. The timeline logistics will be discussed and confirmed during your time line meeting, but your wedding planner will handle all of that without you seeing anything other than everything running smoothly from start to finish. If your wedding day does require a room flip, this should also be discussed, diagrammed, included in the time line, and then handed over to your wedding planner to take from there. Room flips require additional labor, impeccable communication with assigned duties to each member of the team, a plan for where the guests will go during, quick movement, and good leadership. Your wedding planner should go over the main details and then take the reins on the flip to handle everything with their crew, catering, and venue management so that you and your guests are disrupted as little as possible.
Enjoy Your Day
One of the main reasons to hire a wedding planner is so that you, your fiance, both families, and all friends can enjoy your wedding day from start to finish. This is your wedding day, none of you need to work a single minute! From making sure you have food and drinks all day, to having copies of time lines in each room for wedding party, to packing gifts in the allocated vehicle, and simply being with you from the moment you arrive in the morning and being the last person to leave the venue to make sure the cleanup is completely taken care of, you should have nothing to worry about that day. Your wedding planner is like a ninja on your wedding day, always watching you, anticipating your next need, tidying up, bustling your dress, removing your veil, saving family heirlooms, packing your overnight bags and to go boxes in the limo, staying one step ahead of you so that you never have to ask for anything. Your wedding planner’s mission on your wedding is to see your enjoyment and love as you celebrate!
Read more about steps after your engagement Next Steps
Contributing photographers: Ryan Price + Rachel Driskell