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Planning for Perfection
What the Bride Needs to Know about Wedding Planners
By Cathy Baldwin
Call her what you like – event coordinator, consultant, wedding director – the wedding planner wears many hats. Hire one and you’ll find there’s one hat you won’t be wearing – that of the stressed-out bride. From start to finish, she’ll be your go-to person on everything from choosing the right florist to deciding where to seat your divorced in-laws. Detail-oriented and well-connected, she’s your behind-the-scenes queen.
Who Needs a Wedding Planner?
If you think hiring a wedding planner is more of a luxury than a necessity, think again. You might want to consider hiring a wedding planner if:
You do not live on the Outer Banks. Your wedding planner will undoubtedly be more aware of local sites, vendors and laws than you.
You find the task of planning a wedding by yourself overwhelming or too time-consuming. Planning a large wedding can be as taxing as a full-time job. If you know that your schedule won’t allow the time you think you need to do it all, then you need an event coordinator.
You want someone to make sure you haven’t forgotten any important details. Hiring a planner will give you peace of mind by handling those loose ends.
You’d rather not put a relative or friend in charge of directing wedding day events. Nothing is more stressful on your wedding day than relying on your mother or best friend to make sure your vendors arrive on time, set up where they should and get paid promptly. Not only do you want them to enjoy themselves at your wedding, but you want to feel comfortable giving orders to someone whose feelings won’t get hurt.
What You Can Expect From Your Planner
A good wedding planner is a master-organizer, budgeter, etiquette consultant and nerves-soother. She should have excellent people skills and be comfortable both taking and giving direction. She should also be someone that you like and trust, as you will be spending the next few months to a year in regular communication with her.
When hiring a planner, make sure to discuss your expectations with her. She should be able to:
Work within your budget. Avoid planners who try to push you to spend more money than you can afford. At the same time, she should be able to tell you if your budget is unreasonable for the type of wedding you want to have.
Recommend other wedding vendors that she knows and trusts. If your planner seems to be clueless about local caterers or photographers, then keep looking. She should have enough experience to be knowledgeable about who excels in the local wedding industry and who is likely to leave their brides in a lurch. She may even be able to get you discounts with certain preferred vendors.
Create a master plan for the wedding. This plan should include everything from the initial meeting with your cocktail hour quartet to when to order your custom-embossed wedding invitations from the local printer.
Think creatively. Pick her brain for unique ideas and ways to pull off your theme, if you have one. For example, a dessert-only reception doesn’t have to mean just wedding cake and coffee. She might suggest a candy buffet, complete with glass bowls and silver scoops, or perhaps a make-your-own ice cream sundae station stocked with everything from miniature sugar cones to candied sprinkles. This is her forte, so listen to her advice and creativity.
Devise a minute-by-minute timeline for the wedding day. From the moment you arrive at the spa to get your hair done to the time the best man makes his speech, she should have every detail, including what time it will occur, down on paper. She should make several copies of this timeline and give it to you, your groom, your vendors, your maid-of-honor and anyone else who needs to be in the know. This timeline should include all vendor contact information.
Act as a liaison between you and your vendors. From the first meeting with the vendor all the way through to the wedding day, your planner should be the contact person with whom they interact. On your wedding day, your coordinator should have a plan in place for when the vendors arrive, where they should set up, how they should get paid, and when they should pack up and leave.
Give you references. Call other brides she’s worked with and get the skinny on their weddings. The fewer “issues” they mention (no one returned the champagne glasses to the rental company, the top cake tier was misplaced, etc.), the better. Chances are there were mishaps that the bride never knew about. A good planner handles the mishaps without worrying the bride.
Sign a contract. As with other vendors, a signed contract protects both the coordinator and the bride.
What Services Your Planner May Offer
Depending on the wedding coordinator, you may be able to customize the amount of planning she does. You can always hire a planner to coordinate everything from start to finish. Expect to pay between 10 and 15% of your total wedding budget.
If you’d rather do the majority of vendor-selection and budgeting yourself, ask your planner if she offers any a la carte plans. Some will allow you to purchase planning time by the hour (in which case you’ll pay an agreed on hourly rate). You can also hire a coordinator to handle just the wedding day, rehearsal dinner or the entire week leading up to the wedding.
Once you officially hand over the reins, take comfort in knowing that you’ve chosen a professional. Don’t fret that you’ve lost all control – you haven’t. You’ve simply delegated the responsibility to someone capable, knowledgeable and trustworthy. Now you can use all of the precious time you’re saving and spend it with your fiancé planning the rest of your lives!
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