So, you are getting married! Congrats! You may have chosen a date, found a venue and are now wondering what to do next? One thing that might have crossed your mind is getting a wedding planner. But you have Pinterest for inspiration and Instagram for finding your vendors, so do you really still need a wedding planner? Not everyone will need a wedding planner or even opt to get one (even when they need one) so I am going to give you 5 top reasons why you need a wedding planner.
1. Time:
Do you have the time to plan a wedding? It is estimated to take about 500 hours to plan a wedding. It could take more or less depending on how soon you are getting married. If you really break it down, this is an hour and a half everyday, 7 days a week set aside for a year. If you're getting married in 6 months that is 3 hrs a day, 7 days a week. You get where I am going with this. You will need time to research vendors, look at contracts, respond to vendors, have meetings, visit venues and vendors, go dress shopping, speak to your guests, sort out your wedding menus, seating chart and the list goes on. You probably have a job and might also have a business or other things you have dedicated your time to, now add wedding planning to that. If you do not have the time to plan a wedding then you need to get a wedding planner.
2. Knowledge
To plan a wedding you have to have knowledge of planning a wedding. This entails knowing what venues work for certain types of weddings and what they require, what vendors work for different weddings and how much they charge/ if they are suitable. Also, how to put together a realistic wedding budget and generally how the plans of a properly planned wedding comes together to avoid mistakes, errors, hiccups along the way. A wedding planner has a pool of venues and vendors they have not only researched but have worked with. This is one of the vital reasons why people choose to hire a wedding planner, for their knowledge. If you don't have a clue about weddings, where to go, who to use or what to do, then you need a wedding planner.
3. Experience
Another important reason to hire a wedding planner is because of their experience. The more one works on a wedding the more experience they have in what works well, what doesn't work and what should be avoided. As you may not have planned a wedding before you would thereby be prone to making certain mistakes that could be avoided if you hire a wedding planner. For example, working with certain venues require certain certifications from vendors. You may have already chosen some vendors you love only to find out they don't have the necessary paperwork required to work at the venue, and then to top it off, you may have paid a bunch of non-refundable deposits. Experience is vital in planning a stress-free and well planned wedding. If you do not have experience, then you need a wedding planner.
4. Project Management
Planners are excellent project managers, they put together a realistic plan to ensure your wedding is planned properly and in a timely manner to ensure nothing is left out. They are also excellent people managers, they manage you (the couple) working with your vision, they also manage your venue, vendors, family, guests, and also staff that would work on your wedding and so on. Planners are also problem solvers, meaning any fires that need to be put out or any issues that may arise are able to be managed in a calm and timely manner because of their experience, knowledge, people managing and problem solving skills. Your planner will bring all your plans, your vision, your vendors, guest, etc seamlessly together to ensure your wedding is well planned. If you are unable to manage all the work, people and elements needed to bring your wedding together effortlessly, then you need a planner.
5. To manage your wedding day
You might choose to plan your wedding but a non- negotiable is to ensure you have a professional that will ensure your day goes smoothly. You need to have someone who is responsible for ensuring your vendors arrive on time, set up for your wedding goes well and in a timely manner, the itinerary for your day is followed and to put out any fires or any issues that may arise. An MC is responsible for your reception and making sure there is structure and entertainment at your wedding, he or she will not be able to assist if there is an issue with the bridesmaids or if the makeup artist or caterer is running late. You need a wedding coordinator to ensure that your perfectly planned wedding goes smoothly on the day. Your wedding planner will coordinate the day of your wedding.
There you have it, our 5 top reasons why you need a wedding planner. If you choose to go ahead with getting a wedding planner please do get in touch with us. We offer full wedding planning services, partial wedding planning services and on the day coordination. If you are not in the same country and still wish to work with us we offer virtual planning assistance.
All my best,
Wura Manola
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