Wedding Planning, and other super powers... Cheers!
Ok- clearly kidding about my super power but you get the idea. Moving on...I always struggle with blogging. I'm good at Insta. I'm solid at Facebook. I've never been a amazing blogger. I am never sure about what I want to write or put "out there"...well I am working to make 2017 a little better and I think I found a great place to start. A few months ago a wedding planner friend of mine called me to let me know she had found an article about wedding planners being a "luxury item" and she was FIRED UP! She asked me for a quote to include in her rebuttal to the article. It turns out the 1 quote was too hard so I accidently wrote an essay. I thought I would include it here to give you a perspective on why I am a wedding planner and what I think my job is... HAPPY READING.
Should I hire a wedding planner? This question could easily become a 20 page dissertation but here are the top 3 reason, in my opinion…
The modern wedding has a very different look and feel than weddings did even 20 years ago. Today I don’t see many couples that sit down with their mom to cultivate inspiration for their wedding. Today I see brides and grooms use The Knot and Style Me Pretty as their inspiration. With every new and more fantastic idea Martha Stewart Weddings puts out there, they are upping the ante on what a couple wants her special day to be.
Many newly engaged couples, initially have a simplistic view of planning their special day, which typically boils down to venue, cake, food, florist, photographer, dress. Once the process begins so does the reality. This is where a wedding planner can guide a couple through a maze of options.
First of all, a wedding planner is an incredible resource to set a couple’s expectations. Blogs and wedding magazines give incredible ideas but typically don’t outline the cost. This is the biggest event most families have ever hosted so it isn’t surprising that costs are a little unfamiliar. A wedding planner in a great person to take your “wants” and “must haves” and help keep them in a realistic budget while saving clients from calling countless vendors to price their dream. I also find that knowing what is realistic up front keeps disappointment at bay and makes the process MUCH more enjoyable.
Secondly, most couples don’t realize just how many wedding vendors are out there to choose from. Which one is right for you? There are so many factors that play in to this question that a wedding planner can help narrow down. Cost is NOT the only consideration. Some of the most talented vendors I know are not the most expensive (or the least). What is the couple’s style? Budget? Do you like the vendor? (This seems silly but you will spend 8-10 hours on your wedding day alone with your photographer…I hope you like their company.) What does their work look like “in real life”? Some vendors are amazing sales people but may fall short on execution. Likewise, some of my favorite vendors may not be a whiz in the consultation department but are wildly talented. Wedding planners have done the leg work for you. In many cases they know your vendors and what they are capable of. They can save you oodles of time and frustration weeding through the many vendor choices.
Finally, things go wrong! Caterers can be late. Power can fail. Rental companies can forget things. Who will be the “point person” to take care of these problems? A wedding day should be magical for the couple AND their families. In my former life as a catering manager I have seen my share of mothers not enjoy one moment of this special time because they were so stressed about timelines, table décor, and band arrival. What if they had hired someone to be stressed for them? But instead of being stressed, the person they hired was a seasoned professional who was in charge of the timeline, who had already talked to the florist and knew exactly when they would arrive, and knew the band was running 15 minutes late (but still had plenty of time for setup and sound check because extra time was built in for just such an occurrence).
Many wedding planners I know often say “I could write a book”. What we commonly mean by that has nothing to do with bustling dresses (although we do that too!) or folding napkins (also often on the to-do list). We mean that we could write a book of interesting and varied people we have met and sent down the aisle over the years. We mean that we could write a book about the fires we have put out without anyone knowing. We mean that we could write a book about the MacGyver things we have done to fix a ripped hem, broken zipper, or missing flower arrangement. We mean that the “perfect” wedding (and whatever that means to each individual couple my colleagues and myself have assisted over the years) didn’t “just” happen. They came with careful planning, many learning moments, and a love of the industry we have chosen.
