Relationships, Romance and Dating
Is hiring a wedding planner a good idea?
I am not planning on getting married for at least 2 years yet. But I think I should probably start planning so I make sure I am able to have enough time to get everything I want/need. Would it be a good idea to hire a wedding planner? What do they do for the most part? Do they listen to what you want or just do their own thing?
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about 1 year ago
If you have the time and inclination you should do it. If you don’t have time or patience, hire one.
about 1 year ago
With 2 years to go, you have more than enough time to plan your wedding how you want it without a planner. I think it depends where you live. If you’re in LA or NYC, for example, a planner might be able to get you discounts on reception venues, caterers, etc. I’m from a smaller town in Ohio, and personally, a planner wouldn’t do anything for me other than take money from my budget, which is already pretty low. ($5000 for 220+ guests…doable in my area, but it’s going to get tight, especially with inflation, since I too have about 2 years to go.) If you’re an organized person who is willing to start shopping a little early, I say nix the planner.
about 1 year ago
I would only hire one if you don’t know the area you’re getting married in well and don’t have relationships with any photographers, caterers, etc. or don’t have good recommendations from friends.
I worked in the wedding industry (cake making) for several years and often times, the longer brides had to focus on the planning (and the more they met with wedding planners), the more meticulous they tended to get. Rather than enjoying the process and relaxing, they worried about every last detail. I even had a bride call me from her reception to complain about her cake!
My mom helped me out a lot, and my grandmother was also pretty involved when I got married. I didn’t want to make every last decision; I didn’t want to be stressed, so I opted to hand over a lot of the control and just enjoy myself. If you don’t have relatives or friends who will help out, then a wedding planner could be a good idea, but it might be better to go with someone who knows you personally.
Finally, I’d say that it IS important to have someone directing things at the wedding itself. Some authoritative person, be it a friend or someone you hire, is needed to help coordinate pictures, line everyone up, make sure everyone is ready on time, etc.
The most important thing is to remember that you’re getting married, not just having a wedding. And enjoy yourself! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event and should be great joy to all involved.
about 1 year ago
You are right to start planning now, because alot of venues will book up well more than a year in advance. I think with you having two years, you could certainly do it yourself. However, you might check to see if any wedding planners in your area offer a “day of” package, so you will have someone to make sure things go smoothly on the big day while you are busy getting ready. A really good website that I used was theknot.com when I was planning our wedding. They have checklists, budget planners, and will remind you when things are needing to be done. All you have to do is put in your wedding date and your budget, and it will help guide you through the rest. Good luck.
about 1 year ago
all that a wedding planner does is make the phone calls, researching and testing themselves. I personally would rather be the one doing the “shopping around” just to see what I like or don’t like – this can be time consuming – but it’s def. do-able. You have 2 years – don’t waste your money =)
about 1 year ago
My fiance & I got engaged on Sept. 5th 2007 & started planning our wedding a few weeks later. So we were a year and 8 months out. We did everything ourselves.. and trust me you will have time to do it. We started by interviewing and meeting with vendors.. and this way you are not rushed and can take your time. Once you have your vendors down.. and the sites you are pretty much set for awhile. And usually the place where you are having the wedding/reception will have a wedding coordinator and that person will help with things. They will get everything going on that day so you don’t have to worry about much. I know at our reception site the wedding coordinator helps with decorations and everything. These people make needing a wedding planner obsolete.
Not to mention the fact you can go to http://www.theknot.com and click on local resources.. pick your region.. and it lists just about everything you will need! That’s where we found many of our vendors.
Also, your wedding/reception site should have a list of preferred vendors as well.
But I really don’t think you need a wedding planner. It’s cheaper to do it on your own and you can do it the way you want.
good luck! And good for you for being an early planner.. it makes things A LOT easier & usually they will give you the current year’s pricing since you are booking early.
about 1 year ago
Yes Yes Yes! Hire One….. I am in a wedding and my Girlfriend is having a hard time planning her wedding. Things are coming into place, but not with out little problems here and there. So if you have the money hire a planner let her/him deal with the stress of planning a wedding. For the most part planners do listen to the ideas of the bride/groom. But initially they have their own ideas and know a little about how to plan weddings
. I personally like to plan and I know how I like certain things to be done. So I would write down my ideas of how I would like the wedding to go, what color, what theme, table placing, center pieces etc… just so I don’t lose focus on what I want. When you do look for a planner just make sure that they are open to your ideas and that the wedding doesn’t turn into something you didn’t want. Make your voice heard… Congrats
about 1 year ago
Just book an all inclusive location that does everything for you. That way you won’t have to spend an extra couple of thousand on a wedding planner. Two years is plenty of time to plan it yourself. Check out theknot.com. They have a great checklist and planner you can use.
about 1 year ago
Well it all depends on how much help you want, the size of the wedding, and who you hire.
I do full event planning to just errands for brides that don’t have time. I do it your way and only make suggestions when I truly don’t think something works well or if I have a better solution, but all the end choices are ont he bride and groom. I am just here to make suggestions, give advice and make sure it’s all done smoothly.
about 1 year ago
To be honest it’s a waste of money. If you want a specific wedding do it yourself. It’ll put a lot of stress on you but all that they’re doing you can do but cheaper or no money at all.
about 1 year ago
i don’t think so. Planning can be the most fun part of the whole experience. I started 2 years early in my planning and enjoyed every minute of it. A wedding planner also get paid roughly 10% of what you spend overall on your wedding so if your wedding costs $10,000 you pay your planner $1,000 that’s a lot of money. If you need help planning there are fantastic websites available.
This one is uk based but it will still be so helpful to you
This is a yahoo group with some fantastic DIY ideas and alos lots of other great info!
about 1 year ago
A wedding planner is always a good idea. She will take the stress off of you and your future husband. You tell her everything that you want and she will make it happen (if possible) lol They have to listen to what you say, in order to make your day special….if you find that she is not listening then you fire her / stop payment on her check….I do not think that will happen…most wedding planner love what they do and just want the bride to be happy, beside their name is on your wedding and word of mouth keeps their business going. whenever you get a chance look at WETV.COM
about 1 year ago
Well, according to this article (http://www.bride.ca/wedding-ideas/index.cfm/2008/8/22/Why-do-you-need-a-Wedding-Planner) there are three main reasons why you should hire a wedding planner:
1) How much is your time worth?
Rich or poor, the one thing we want more of is time. Time is money. While you can certainly do everything for your wedding, a professional wedding planner can do the work faster and more efficiently. If you accept that your time does have a monetary value, you can save a fortune in both time and money by hiring a wedding planner. Since they already have the skills you need they can jump right into a task without any delays , while you might need to spend time researching and learning what to do.
2) They will actually meet your budget!
(whereas you probably would not!): If you’ve got a budget number, a wedding planner can work to help you keep costs within it. If you don’t have a set budget, they can help you put together an estimate. Hiring a wedding planner isn’t about blowing the budget, it’s about helping your wedding meet your goals, including the spending ones. A wedding planner can help you get the greatest bang for your buck with every dollar you have to spend. By using their knowledge and connections to get you better deals, they can help you free up more money to spend on the wedding.
3) The End Result:
Often, when you are doing all the work yourself, you need to make the choice between what you want and what you have time to do. It is never a happy choice to make, so the best thing to do is not have to make it at all. A wedding planner uses their experience to help you maximize what you can achieve with your available time and money.
I dunno, I didn’t write the article, but I think it makes sense
about 1 year ago
if you’re waiting 2 years, do it yourself. that’s more than enough to handmake everything! i’m gettting married in 6 months and just started planning my wedding. i’m making everything i can! invitations, centerpieces, food, cake…
about 1 year ago
You have more than enough time to plan the wedding and while it can be stressful at times, I definitely wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world because I have my hands in everything that has to do with my wedding! My fiance has been awesome in helping as well, its been a great experience that has only brought us closer! We have been engaged for almost 2 years and will be married in 3 weeks! It definitely is worth it doing it yourself! As someone else mentioned, theknot.com has been my savior in planning and I havent missed a step because of it and its free!!
about 1 year ago
A wedding planner is almost always a fabulous idea! I say almost because some don’t have the budget to hire one or their wedding is small enough to be coordinated without it (meaning 35-75 guests, or less than 3 hours).
Typically a year to a year-and-a-half is plenty of time to get your dream wedding planned.
However, if you’re looking at a popular location or a destination wedding extra time can’t really hurt. But a good planner will help you coordinate not only your wedding, but your planning schedule as well.
A good planner will listen to your wants and needs and find ways to meet your requests. Interview planners before booking with one; ask lots of questions; find out what all is included for their booking price.
Some are full-service only, where others may offer any service from day of only to full-service.
The key is finding someone you trust who understands your style. Once you do you’ll be in wedding planning heaven.
Good luck and have fun!