Unexpected Reasons You Need a Wedding Planner

Today is a special guest post from freelance writer Laurie Larson!

On your big day, you want everything to go perfectly, but even more importantly, you want to be able to relax enough to enjoy it and take it all in! 

It is so hard to pull off everything yourself from the very earliest decisions to the final ones, especially if this is your first time getting married and have no idea what to anticipate. There is no way that one person can think of everything and do everything by his or her self!

Planning a wedding can be a part-time job on top your full-time gig. There are many reasons, some unexpected, why hiring a wedding planner is a great idea.

First, let’s distinguish between a wedding planner and a day-of coordinator. 

What’s the difference? Well, a day-of coordinator is exactly what the name implies - his or her responsibilities begin and end on the day of your wedding. A wedding planner though, based on your preferences, can be part of your planning process from the beginning: securing the venue, picking out colors for your wedding, helping choose the invites, and then securing the tiniest details and putting out the smallest fires, even after your wedding day. 

Also, you can hire your wedding planner to also be your day-of coordinator, since your wedding planner will know your wedding preferences, style, budget, and priorities better than anyone besides yourself. Relax and enjoy your wedding to the fullest by letting a wedding planning deal with the following:

Handling Legal Requirements and Issues

It’s easy to forget this fact in the midst of party planning, but your marriage and wedding day is part of a legal union with rules and procedures that ensures your marriage is official. A way you can relax and enjoy your day is by having your wedding planner make sure you have completed everything legally speaking in advance of your wedding day and that documentation and signatures are properly carried out by a legally ordained minister on your wedding day. 

Not only are there legal proceedings, but there is contract creation and execution with vendors as well. It can be the wedding planner’s job to read everything line by line to protect the bride and groom. Wedding planners are aces when it comes to contracts, having read hundreds or perhaps thousands of contracts before. They know what to look for and will protect your interests.

Staying on Budget

There’s a common saying that if you have an initial budget for a wedding, double that number, and that’s how much you’ll actually spend. It’s easy to think that hiring a wedding planner will only add an additional line item to your budget, where you could do it all yourself for free, but part of a wedding planner’s job is to make sure you stick with your actual, original budget. 

Wedding planners can give you a more accurate projection, based on your number of guests, the kind of budget you have to work with, and your spending priorities. Nothing is more stressful and detracts from enjoying your wedding day, when you have to skimp on wedding day wishes that meant a lot to you because you are out of money. 

Unexpected expenses can show up right before your wedding day or the day-of that can be stressful and take away from being fully engaged with your ceremony and reception. Let a wedding planner anticipate and plan for those in advance!

Maintaining Your Sanity

Worrying about your wedding and placing all the pressure on your own shoulders is no way to spend what is supposed to be the most exciting time in your life. Managing all of the details on your own, especially when you have to juggle a full-time job and a social life, is almost completely unrealistic. 

Sure, you can try to DIY your way through wedding planning, but it could be at the sake of your sanity. Late nights spent trying to cram everything you can into the hours of the day will eventually catch up to you, especially if it’s in the last minute. Hiring a wedding planner will help you properly rest and relax, even during your wedding week. This is the time you should take to be your best self, not an exhausted version! A wedding planner will save your peace of mind.

Experience Matters

Not only does a wedding planner have experience reviewing and negotiating contracts and setting and sticking by a budget for you, they also can usher an influx of fresh, creative ideas for your wedding. 

Based on the preferences you communicate, wedding planners know the latest trends for classic, contemporary, and theme weddings. They have creative ideas and inspiration based on their experience with other weddings, plus market research, to give your wedding the edge or the angle you desire. 

Oftentimes, a wedding planner has worked with the best vendors on many occasions, and that rapport will serve you well. The planner can line you up with the best vendors and the best accommodations for your guests at the right price. Let your planner as a pro take care of hotel negotiations!

With wedding planner on hand, you’ll be able to spend more time getting excited about your wedding rather than stressing. Don’t disregard how beneficial a wedding planner can be!

Thank you to freelance writer Laurie Larson for this post!