Good morning peeps! It's a rainy day here in Atlanta so, you can only imagine how difficult it is to roll out of my warm comfy bed, but hey it has to be done! Someone has to take on the role of super mom, wife, and business owner (insert giggles here)!! Anyway let's just jump right on in to business, shall we!
As a wedding planner here in Atlanta I've heard time and time again from brides that I've worked with and from other industry professionals that brides have been told by another family member or a friend who might have been an experienced bride before, "girl you don't need a wedding planner, I can help you.." Let me backpedal for a second. When I say experienced I don't mean a bride who has been recently married, I mean the one who has done it a few times. I mean let's be real, nothing against an experienced bride, you all know you've been told this before. Well I'm here to tell you that I think you do need a wedding planner and here's why.
The Value Of A Wedding Planner | 4 Reasons Why You Need One
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For most of you reading this- this will be your first trip down the aisle, so CONGRATULATIONS! Here are at least 4 reasons why I think you need a wedding planner.
1. Let your friends and family enjoy this experience with you! Again, Let your friends and family enjoy the experience with you. Okay, let me paint the picture for you. You and your Aunt Rebecca have decided that she's going to be your wedding planner. Okay, fine. Here it is wedding day and you're getting ready for pictures with your bridesmaids and your mom before the ceremony. You're getting your makeup done, hair curled to perfection, your bridesmaids are helping, your mom is giving you words of encouragement and you ladies are just enjoying the moment! Your Aunt Rebecca cannot partake in any of this nor can she enjoy the ceremony or reception, because she'll be busy orchestrating everything. She won't have the luxury of sitting front or second row watching you come down the aisle. She'll be off somewhere making sure that the moment you walk down the aisle as a married woman that you and your wedding party can be whisked away for pictures before your guests will have time to congratulate you.
She doesn't get to enjoy your wedding as a guest, because she'll be working numerous hours from start to finish to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Oh, and Aunt Rebecca doesn't get to leave as soon as the wedding's over. She has to stick around for the break-down. Make sure every last vendor is packing up and getting things out of the venue by the specified time.
2. Wedding planners have relationships and vendor connections! I'm not saying that your wedding planner has these relationships and connections to get you the hook-up! No, I mean they've built these relationships with the vendors so they will be able to recommend the best fit for you. Most planners have already seen most of the venues in your city. They've either worked there with previous brides, gone there for networking events, or toured them solo. Experienced planners have already done the leg work. So when you come to them describing your vision most planners can say oh I know the perfect venue, let's schedule a visit with them, etc. Same goes for a DJ. Once you've described the vibe for your reception. A wedding planner can say, oh, I know the perfect DJ to get this party going. Rely on your planner and his or her relationships to build the perfect team for your wedding.
3. Who wants the stress? Do you want to deal with the stress of planning the BIGGEST DAY of your life? Planning takes time and SKILL! Yes, people planning is a skill. It's a skill that most don't have. A well organized wedding planner has this skill. In order to plan well, you must be organized. When you're not organized, your plan doesn't go well and therefore you're stressed. Why? Who needs that? Hire someone who can take your ideas and their ideas and combine them, put together a well organized plan of action and then put the plan to use to give you a great stress-free experience.
4. Budgets can be a subject most brides and grooms don't want to discuss, but guess what, your wedding day won't be the only time you have to discuss them, so it's time to just be adults about it and get it done. Putting together a REAL budget is very important. Let's be honest here most couples are sticker shock when they find out the costs of things and that's okay, because you've never been married before and you've never planned an event to this magnitude. That's why a wedding planner is important here. He or she knows the value (importance) and (cost) of why each vendor is needed and what you should expect to pay for each vendor. If you hear it first from you wedding planner then when you receive quotes and proposals from your potential vendors then there is no reason to be shocked when you open the email.
I've only given you four reasons why you should hire a wedding planner. I didn't list them in any particular order, but wanted to give you some insight or clarity in case you were straddling the fence about hiring a wedding planner. Planners are important to the entire wedding. They bring an added value of experience and expertise, because they've done this day-in, day-out, weekend after weekend, and year after year. You're only doing this for the first time and only once in your lifetime, right? Save yourself the headache and start the search for someone who has your best interest at heart and who genuinely wants you to have a great wedding experience!
So, what do you think? Leave us a comment below. We want to hear from you! Also, join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!