When you first decide to get married there is allot of things to consider, and allot of planning/coordinating.
The most important part is your Budget! Your budget will dictate the number of guest you will be able to invite, the venues you rent, the style of your wedding (flowers, decorations, attire) and there is allot to consider when planning your wedding. From the time we are young we are inundated with the "ideal" of what the perfect wedding should be like. While all this great, it is not necessarily reality. Wedding can become very expensive and the cost can quickly get out of hand.
Why should I hire a wedding planner?
There are numerous aspects to planning a wedding. While you can go on line and find a "guide" to what should be done but, reality is, that guide will not assist you find what you need, know where you can get the best prices, and know the current trends and styles available. All of this will be for you to spend numerous hours hunting down. I know it is great to purchase those magazines, look through them, and get ideals and to say that is what I want my wedding to be like, but most of those pictures are not of an actual wedding. They are staged pictures to sell a product. The decorations was done by professionals and allot of the details are left out.
What should my planner be doing to help me?
As a planner myself of over 10 years, allot of changes have come along. Some Planners will do allot of your work for you, some will do very little. It all depend on the "services you choose" and how much help you want or do you want the planner to do most of the work and you sit back and say "yes that is what I want" Either way, you and a planner should have an initial meeting and find out what you are wanting. This is the time to know your budget limitations. Be upfront and open with the planner you are meeting. Your first meeting is just to get an ideal of how and if you need someone to help you plan your wedding. Time and time again I have had brides tell me “my friends and/or my family said they would help" and then come back to me and say "I need help! They are not helping and I am over my head, I can’t be in two places at one time and I just don’t have the time and any more patience for this". Beware; while friends and family have good intentions, their first priority is not necessarily your priority. On average you will spend well over 200 hours planning a wedding.
Most brides have already chosen their colors. Even if you have chosen your colors talk to your planner about the colors and ask about the over all color scheme for the venues as well. A couple of questions you should ask are: How will the colors I've chosen go with the style of wedding I want to have? Will I need to add extra colors in (say the reception site) to get it flow better? Should I keep all the exact color I have chosen or can I use a shade slightly different and how will that look? Take a swatch of the colors you have chosen, it will help a great deal.
Your planner (if experienced and knowledgeable) will know where the best deals are and should not take "referral fees" from another vendor. Remember the planner is working for you and taking a referral fee from another vendor may not necessarily be the best interest of you; the client.
Your planner should go to the florist, venue sites, and caterer, and so on with you. Please remember to schedule the date that are covenant for you and your planner, a last minute meeting scheduled by you may not work with your planner's schedule. Have your planner schedule your meeting and let him/her know your schedule.
Your planner should attend your rehearsal, the ceremony and your reception or at least part of your reception. This lets you enjoy your day. Any questions you, your guest or questions from other vendors can go through your planner, let him/her worry with the details. Do get caught up with a planner that meets with you, works with you on the planning and then sends someone else in his/her place to be there on your day. Ask your planner if he/she will be attending your rehearsal, ceremony and reception, if they say "it will either be me or an employee" be very cautious; this could be a huge problem, a disaster waiting to happen. Make sure it is in your contract that he/she is there, not a substitute.
Some brides mix up the roll of a planner and a director of ceremony. Your planner usually will not direct your ceremony and if he/she does this usually constitutes an additional fee. Check with your planner and find out if directing is a service they offer.
The early part of planning your wedding, there are allot of decisions and things to do, however the later 2-3 months will really pick up steam for decisions, things to do and places to be. Most brides say the last two month was the worst and most hectic, there are a never ending "list" of items that has to be completed (confirmations with your photographer, DJ/Band, florist, venue site, caterer, RSVP's), and the list juts keeps going. If you have already hired your planner, be thankful, if your planner is experienced he/she is tracking everything and knows just where you are in your planning and knows what needs to be done. ATTENTION to DETAIL is so important and can make your special day really special or super stressful.
The more each vendor can do that will allow you to keep your vendor list small, is usually a way to save money. If the decorator and the florist is the same person/company you will normally save money. If your decorator and florist also has their own rental equipment that will even save you money. Some rental places and florist charge delivery fees, and some even have you put a security deposit on equipment above and beyond the rental fee. With a florist it is usually Urns, vases, candelabras, pew markers and so on is where a security fee is charged until all is returned in satisfactory condition.
Have you ever been to a wedding and the cake taste like a Twinkie, or really dry? When you are interviewing the baker or person that is going to do your cake ask for a sample. However, don’t be surprised if there is a charge for this, it is not uncommon for a bakery or person to charge for a "sample cake" Remember, it cost money for them to make it and if you are just interviewing and not signing a contract it is money lost to them for "samples". This goes along with brides asking for a sample of centerpieces to be made up or asking for particular items that are not in stock. Someone has to pay for them and unless you have signed a contract then it is a loss to the company you are requesting "just to see/taste a sample"
This is just a few tips and things for you to think about. Don't let your special day become so stressful you can’t enjoy it and don’t let it become "the disastrous wedding" memory for you, family, friends and guest.