If you’ve ever watched any wedding-related movie or television show, then you’ve probably caught on to the stereotypical archetype of the couple’s wedding planner. They’re often portrayed as radical control freaks that sometimes have an attitude or act as though they can do no wrong. Fortunately for couples delving into the wedding planning process, these character attributes are nothing more than plot enhancers.
In fact, a well-rounded wedding planner can be a valuable asset to making your wedding one for the books. And speaking of value, that’s one of the first things you’ll notice about your wedding planner. You don’t simply hire a planner to help bring your wedding timeline to fruition, but you hire them to help solve major problems such as money.
I know what you’re probably thinking: “My budget is tight enough already, I can’t afford a wedding planner!” But, in most cases, you can’t afford NOT to have one! Wedding planners have a network of vendors and work with venues and can help you stay within your budget and in some cases even save you money.
Having established a comfortable wedding budget, no couple wants to fret over whether they’re spending too much money on one aspect of their wedding or if they’ve overextended their wallets, going largely over budget. Let your wedding planner handle this for you!
Working with a wedding planner can ultimately save you money in places you wouldn’t quite think of. Here’s how:
With a Wedding Planner,Experience Can Help Prevent Costly Mistakes
Most freshly engaged couples don’t have much experience in planning a wedding. Sure, they may have helped a friend, family member, or a member of their wedding party, but they’re relatively clueless for the most part. And this naivety can ultimately force couples to make some pretty costly mistakes. Mistakes equal money.
Perhaps they’ve signed a contract without realizing what they’ve actually signed up for, or they booked a caterer that barely knows what they’re doing, let alone can’t perform to the level that they promised their client.
This is where an experienced wedding planner can become vital. They’ve been through it once or twice and have likely experienced these same problems and have been forced to find solutions to help countless engaged couples before you.
Consider this: I photographed a wedding where the couple wanted to save money by getting silk flowers. Most think silk flowers are cheaper but in addition to not looking nice in your photos, a good wedding planner can work with a florist to get you the look you want in your budget.
Experience means planners have a collection of tips up their sleeves to help cut costs. These can include things like cutting down your guest list, getting married on a Thursday or Friday, or even scheduling your wedding during the off-season.
The Wedding Planner’s Treasure Chest: Industry Discounts
With a wedding planner’s years of experience comes trusted relationships with both venues and vendors. As the years go on, wedding planners become more familiar with certain vendors and venues in your area. They build relationships and, based on their success (or lack thereof), will recommend working with vendors that they can trust.
As part of these connections, planners will usually get insider information about new services or products that these vendors offer. They may even get an advanced look at new pricing for established services.
This know-how can also help professional wedding planners take advantage of industry discounts. If your planner has a short-list of vendors that they routinely refer to their clients, they may also be able to help save you money by obtaining many of your wedding elements at “wholesale” or “in the business” prices. These industry discounts can help save you a fortune and can allow you to allocate more of your budget to other aspects of your wedding.
Time is Money
In the realm of wedding planning, time is the new money. And when it comes to saving you time, your wedding planner can do just that.
A professional wedding planner will take on much of the lengthy research needed to pull off your dream wedding. This can include looking up unique flowers for floral arrangements, finding the best rehearsal dinner space, and even compiling a list of the sights and landmarks for your guests to enjoy when in town for your wedding.
Without a planner, these items would take away precious time leading up to your wedding. The time that you don’t need to waste when you knowingly have an A-list planner on your team to handle these tasks for you.
Wedding planners aren’t miracle workers, but with the right one in your back pocket, you will be less stressed on your wedding day. You can sit back, relax, and live in the moment.
Not only will a wedding planner make life easier for you, but they will also help your photographer get those beautiful images that you will treasure! When you’re ready to book your photographer, contact me for available dates and pricing so we can make those memories for you!