WELL COORDINATED
An Experienced Wedding Planner Can Save You Valuable Time & Money, All the While Making Your Dreams Come True

As couples begin thinking about their wedding, they are often overwhelmed deciding how much to spend, where to obtain specialized services, and how to choose vendors. These worries can mount as quickly as the cost of the wedding does. And after the euphoria wears off and the reality settles in, it's shocking to discover of how much preparation is involved in planning a wedding.

Faced with decisions about everything from invitation wording to planning their honeymoon, combined with full-time careers and limited time to devote to planning details, couples often find they want the help of a professional wedding planner.

Not long ago, a wedding coordinator was thought of as a luxury, only considered practical for couples with unlimited budgets. Now wedding planners are nearly essential to a well planned affair, having become indispensable today to many brides and grooms who find their services well worth the investment.

A wedding consultant guides you through the planning process and the wedding day itself, assisting in whatever capacity you need. He or she can help you refine your ideas, connect you to the appropriate vendors, advise you on proper etiquette, and suggest ways to use your budget wisely.

Did you know the average wedding can take more than two hundred fifty hours just to plan? You might consider hiring a planner soon after you get engaged if you have a demanding job that leaves little time for much else, if you're getting married in a city other than the one you live in, or if you simply feel overwhelmed by the details involved. With today's hectic lifestyles, you may not have time to compare all the options, making sure you get the best deal, and make sure all the details are in place.

Since they have planned many weddings over their careers, pros will have the experience and connections that your average bride will not. Being experienced in negotiating contracts with caterers, florists, photographers as well as other suppliers, the coordinator can save you not only valuable time and money, but put your mind at ease as well. The coordinator can also take advantage of discounts not usually available to private parties and avoid costly mistakes, all the while turning your dreams into reality. Most wedding planners offer an enormous amount of knowledge and direction. Their services cover every aspect of the engagement from rehearsals, wedding ceremonies and receptions to honeymoons and thank you notes.

One of the most important things a planner can do for a couple is to ease their minds and allow them to enjoy the day. Besides keeping your schedule on track, a planner will also create a wedding-day timeline and make sure that it gets carried out -- down to the smallest detail.

A wedding coordinator will not only save you time and enable you to get the most for your money, but they can serve in many other capacities. They can act as the family counselor for apprehensive brides and the mothers, a wedding coordinator can even become as close as your best friend. But at the same time, wedding coordinators are not here to make all the decisions for you, but to guide and assist you in making informed ones. Their training, knowledge, and experience will turn your dreams and expectations into reality. They want you to host a beautiful and distinctive event which you can enjoy.

Your Wedding's Details Perhaps the most important role a planner can play is in orchestrating the wedding day itself. (Some couples hire planners to help only on that day.) Besides coordinating the vendors, she might do everything from gathering your wedding party for pictures to making sure all the seating cards are in place to calming nerves.

You can expect your planner first to find out what kind of wedding you envision, whether it's a formal evening affair, for example, or an outdoor garden luncheon. You'll discuss with her the number of guests you'd like to invite, the color scheme or theme, which aspects are most important to you (such as the food, the music, the flowers), and your budget. A good planner should also be upfront about whether your budget is in line with your vision. You want someone who will be honest about what you can afford and who can find less-expensive alternatives you'll be happy with.

Based on this information, he/she can begin brainstorming with you on everything from invitation decoration to venue locations. Keep in mind, though, that while a planner is there to help lead the way and lend her expertise, it doesn't mean you have to surrender control of your wedding. The area in which planners provide the most help is, naturally, planning -- outlining what needs to be done and when.

Having a professional look after you can also be invaluable when it comes to finding the people necessary to make your wedding a success, such as musicians, caterers, photographers, and florists. Experienced planners have spent years cultivating relationships with vendors and know which ones are best for you. Often, they can even secure you discounts. Your planner will act as a liaison between you and the vendors, setting up appointments and guiding you through the contracts. A good planner will also find the right combination of professionals, one that can function as a team designed to pull your wedding together smoothly.

Couples often worry about potential wedding day disasters (i.e., the cake falling over, the photographer not showing up). A wedding planner comes fully prepared to discreetly handle any situation. In many cases, the bride and groom never even know a problem occurred.

And as Delores L. McCollum of Majestic Butterfly, LLC told us, “A professional, certified and caring wedding consultant brings to the table a tremendous wealth of knowledge, and the skills and talent needed to transform your precious dream into a beautiful wedding with memories you will always cherish.”