Welcome to the Kara Hanes Photography blog! Today I’m going to give you my top 10 reasons why you should hire a wedding planner. In my experience as a photographer, I’ve been to my share of weddings. Trust me, having a wedding planner (or not having one) can really make or break the experience.
Here are 10 reasons why you should hire a wedding planner:
One: Enjoy your engagement
Something I find is that the moment you start looking at venues the engagement excitement goes to the wayside. It quickly becomes all about “wedding planning”. Hiring an actual wedding planner allows you to hold on to your excitement a little longer. You only get to be a “bride” for a short time in your life, you should enjoy every second of it! Let someone else deal with all the work that comes with coordinating a large event.
Two: Budget
Ironically, the budget is commonly the reason why people don’t end up hiring a wedding planner. When in reality they are the ones who can save you the most money in the long run. These people know vendors personally and can often get you the best price for what you’re looking for. They know tricks of the trade and have experience bringing a vision into reality. P.S. don’t “hire” a friend to day-of coordinate for free, it is very much a job (a really hard one in fact) and they won’t be able to enjoy the day with you.
Three: Solve problems
It’s usually rare, but there are times when someone has to be the “bad guy” when dealing with vendors. Whether it’s having to talk someone down in price, reporting an issue, chasing them down for answers about something, or needing them to uphold their terms in the contract — things just happen and it can be overwhelming for a bride. Having a wedding planner allows you to have a middle man that can deal with the harder conversations and business transactions. They also have the benefit of experience and usually already know what to say or do to solve the problem.
Four: Relieve stress
A lot of stress for brides comes from the pure fact that they’ve never done something like this before. I mean most of us don’t plan events for 100+ people every day, but wedding planners do! Having someone to take the reins will lift the world off your shoulders. If you have a job, or a family, or are just busy in this season of your life, planning a wedding can get really stressful really fast. Hiring a wedding planner will allow you to think back on your engagement as a fun and exciting experience, rather than a stressful one.
Five: Timeline organization stay on schedule
It is THE WORST for a bride to have to nag her friends and family about the wedding day schedule. On that day all you want to think about is having fun, relaxing, and enjoying your time with everyone. Let your wedding planner keep everyone on track and worry about the timeline.
Six: Reputable vendors
Probably one of the main benefits of having a wedding planner is to use them for their connections. The wedding industry is mostly made up of small businesses, and they all talk. Your planner will know who to go to, what to expect, and most of the time get special referral pricing. Saving you LOTS of time and money.
Seven: Streamline vendor communication
Do you love being on the phone all day? Yeah, not many of us do. When you hire a wedding planner they will be the point of contact for your vendors and you’ll only be pulled in for the need-to-know details. This will keep everything organized, clear, and again, make your experience a lot more pleasurable.
Eight: Day-of savior
Your bridesmaids aren’t actually “maids”, and when it comes to the wedding day they want to be sipping on mimosas with you, not scurrying around setting things up and putting out fires. Having a wedding planner allows your friends and family to truly be present and enjoy the day with you, rather than “working” your wedding. For the sake of your relationships, it’s worth it.
Nine: Your photographer will thank you
If you don’t have a planner the photographer ends up taking on a lot of work to compensate. Your photos will go a lot better and faster if you have someone coordinating and someone shooting, not one person trying to do it all.
Ten: They’ll fight for your wedding vision and keep everything on-track
You’d be surprised how many opinions (unsolicited or not) people have in regards to your wedding planning. You’ll want to make everyone happy and make them feel heard, often at the expense of your original vision. Your wedding planner will be someone who’s in your corner fighting for what you want. They will be the barrier between you and all the opinions and frankly, that’s priceless.
There you have it! My 10 reasons why you should hire a wedding planner! For my personal reference, check out Best of West Winner, Tanya Lynnette at https://tanyalynnetteevents.com/
If you love free wedding planning advice make sure you come back here for future blogs and resources!
