Are you sitting on the fence about whether to hire a Wedding Planner to help you plan one of the most important days of your life? Are you worried that you just can’t find the time necessary to create the wedding you have dreamed of since you were young?
Do you want to elope, just the two of you, and get married somewhere that you have never visited before? But you have no idea how to even start the process?
Well, today I am looking at the ‘pros’ of hiring a Wedding Planner. A right-hand man or woman to be your support, solve all your problems and make your dreams happen. Someone who lets you bask in the glow of your recent engagement. Someone to do all the hard work for you right up until your first waltz around the dance floor on your wedding day.
Professional
A Wedding Planner is a professional who does this job for a living. Planners absolutely love working in the wedding industry. They love nothing more than sharing their passion for creating magical days for their clients.
Luxury or Necessity?
Many people believe that a Wedding Planner is just a luxury that can be avoided. This is fine, if you have 200-300 hours of time spare. Secondly, if you have a lot of knowledge about the area/venue/local suppliers. Most couples have neither.
What can a Wedding Planner do for me?
The list is endless……
- Did you know that up to 20% of wedding couples find it hard to stick to their wedding budget? At the outset your Wedding Planner will set out your budget on a good old trusted spreadsheet. They will ensure you stick to this and don’t blow your entire budget on your venue.
- Working within the budget that you have, a Wedding Planner will use their wealth of knowledge and experience to source the best venue and range of suppliers who are available for you to consider.
- If you are overseas, planning a destination wedding, or unable to visit the area you wish to get married, your Planner can visit venues and attend meetings on your behalf. They can send you photos and video tours, and reporting back to you with all the details. Your Wedding Planner will only recommend ones that he/she feels confident in putting forward to you.
- Are you are trying to be sustainable in your wedding planning? Having your Wedding Planner there on the ground means you have to do less travelling to venues and to meet suppliers. This lessens the carbon footprint of your wedding, especially if you live a distance from your wedding location.
- Once you decide on your venue and all the other wedding suppliers, your Wedding Planner will confirm your bookings. They will also get you the best prices possible. Your Wedding Planner will then work closely with your suppliers up until the wedding, being the one point of contact between them all.
- A Wedding Planner can help with the styling of the wedding. They will work closely with you to establish the theme you are looking for. They can create mood boards which will capture your dreams and aspirations on one page, or one Pinterest board, to share with suppliers.
- Your Wedding Planner can advise on matters such as wedding etiquette and how to deal with wedding politics. He/she can be available to help with speeches, guest requirements, RSVP management, accommodation and travel.
- A Wedding Planner can advise on the legalities and paperwork involved with a wedding. This matters can be tricky especially if you are coming from overseas.
- Nearer the wedding day, your Wedding Planner will create a detailed schedule of the entire wedding day. This will include every last detail of the day and will be signed off by the couple. Once it is ready this, and a contact list of all suppliers’ details, will be circulated amongst the suppliers who need to know what is happening on the day. This schedule helps to ensure that NOTHING goes wrong on the big day.
The Big Day
- Your Wedding Planner will be there on the day of the wedding and the day(s) leading up to it, to turn your dreams into a magical reality. They will take control of everything, making sure you only have yourselves and your guests to focus on.
- Your Wedding Planner will be the ‘Go To Person’ for all the suppliers. They will be the point of contact to help direct guests or assist them with any issues that they may have.
- The Wedding Planner will make sure everything and everyone keep to that trusted schedule. This will ensure that food isn’t served cold and guests aren’t hanging around waiting for the band to arrive!
- A Wedding Planner will stay for as long as the couple wish on the day. Usually they will leave just after the first dance and cutting of the cake. Once the band is in full swing, that is the time he/she will gather up their Wedding Planner’s emergency kit, clip boards and other wedding planning bits and bobs, and disappear into the night.
My Planning Services
Being a Highland Wedding Planner most of my couples live outside the Cairngorms National Park where I tend to work. They live extremely hectic lives and so time is of the essence. They love having someone on the ground who knows the area and suppliers. I can make the plans whilst they can get on with their lives.
Since the pandemic the world seems to have got used to zoom or video chats. Regular client contact in this way helps me build a good working relationship with my clients. This means distance is not an issue for my couples.
I personally prefer to work in a Full Planning capacity with my clients. We work closely together from the minute we sign our agreement to the end of their wedding celebrations. This ensures they get the best suppliers and venue, and I can keep on top of all the planning making sure everything is booked, and everything happens in the run up to, and on the day itself, as it should. This service is perfect for couples who are having a destination wedding or an elopement.
However, I also offer a 3 Month Prior package whereby I will pick up with my couples 3 months before the big day. By now the couples will have booked their suppliers. I will take over the helm, double checking that nothing has been overlooked. If necessary I will add a few extra suppliers that may have been forgotten. I will get the trusted schedule together and circulated. I will then also be there on the day too. This package works well with couples who have a bit more time on their hands and like to be a bit more hands on.
Some couples look for a Wedding Planner for On the Day Coordination. These clients are simply looking for someone to be there on the day to make sure everything runs smoothly. I offer this service although I like to start working with the couple one month prior to the wedding.
What are you waiting for?
If having read this article, you think that hiring a Wedding Planner could be for you, and you would like your wedding to be an adventure set in some of the most beautiful scenery there is in the UK, then contact me for a chat. We can arrange a call and discuss your wedding ideas and what help you are looking for.
I can be contacted via my contact page or email at Lindsay@wideskyweddings.com.
Your wedding day should be one of the happiest days in your life. Therefore, it makes sense to hire a wedding professional who can take over all the hard work. In hiring a Wedding Planner you can feel confident that you will look back on your big day for the right reason. A dream wedding day……
