Hello beautiful people! I hope you are doing well and staying safe.
Today let’s talk about WEDDING PLANNERS! How many of you have watched the movie The Wedding Planner with JLo? (If you haven’t click this link to see the trailer or just go watch the movie, lol) So I have to admit that this is one of my favoriteeee movies growing up! Honestly, I learned the importance of an emergency kit from this movie and started keeping one with me before I even started planning weddings. This is also why I always win the “What’s in Your Purse” game at bridal showers…but I digress.
This movie definitely showed people the benefits of having a wedding planner or day-of coordinator, as well! But the question has been and continues to be…does one reallllyyy need a wedding planner? Is it necessary? Is this something that you should really dedicate a portion of your budget to? I’m going to provide you with an overview of the different types of planning services, what each comes with (please note that this may vary from vendor to vendor), some pro’s and con’s , my overall suggestion, and what we did for #TheOseiOwusus! You ready?
Full Planner/Partial Planning
To kick it off, let’s talk about full wedding planning services and partial wedding planning services. So a full wedding planner is someone you bring on board in the early stages of your wedding planning. This person helps you with every detail of your planning process including venue search and all of your vendor selections. A partial planner usually comes on early on as well but may only help you in finding some of your vendors because you already have some of your vendors selected. Essentially, the partial planner is going to help you fill in the blanks.
Pro’s
The list of pros of hiring a full-service wedding planner or partial planner are endless to be honest, but here are a few:
– Budget– Listen y’all wedding overspending is REAL! A planner will help to ensure that you stay within the budget you have set, so you can ensure that you still have money for your honeymoon and life after marriage!
– Reputable recommendations– many times planners will recommend vendors that they have either worked with successfully in the past or individuals that they know can deliver a good product. This helps to ensure that you get what you paid for on the big day! Don’t get me started on the number of times I’ve seen a bride expecting one thing and then receive something different on the big day.
– Elevation of your vision– a great planner will take your vision and elevate it, budget permitting.
– Peace of mind– you know that you have someone on your team looking out for your best interest so you can relax and enjoy your day(s). This person will generally take care of communications with your vendors as well, which removes a HUGE weight!
Con’s
– COST– This is an investment in your sanity, so no, it’s not generally cheap but 9 times out of 10, it will be worth it!
– Overhaul/Clashing of your ideas– In the notes above, I talked about a great planner elevating your vision. Wellll a lousy planner, will do the opposite. Generally, you all will clash, OR they may just overhaul your ideas altogether, which is just annoying. This is why it’s important to find a planner (or decorator) who you can vibe with! Just going with the first person or the cheapest person probably isn’t the best method (this goes for ALL vendors).
Month of/Day of Coordination
Unlike full/partial planning, your day-of coordinator will not be with you every step of your planning process. They generally come in a little later. In this scenario, you have planned most of your wedding details independently and are now hiring someone to take over for the day(s) of the event. Day of coordination is often referred to as month of coordination because it takes a few weeks for the couple to turn over all communications to the planner/coordinator. This person will generally assist with the wedding timeline and rehearsal, as well.
Pro’s
– Save a little in comparison to full planning, but still have peace of mind on your big day: turning over all the details to a pro can be SOO relieving! Once again you are assured that someone you trust ensures that everything you envisioned comes to pass and that your big day(s) go off without a hitch!
– Help You Remember Small Stuff– when planning weddings, or any event for that matter, there are SOO many details! Bringing in a month of/day of coordinator, they generally go through all of the details of your wedding with you and may remind you of something you have forgotten or just didn’t know you needed.
– Timeline help is crucialll– It’s helpful to have someone on board who knows the right questions to ask your vendors to ensure that your wedding timeline is accurate otherwise you will draw a timeline that’s just there for show lol.
Con’s
– It’s still not free– Yes this will still cost you a few dollars, so you will need to allot some funds in the budget
My suggestion
If you have room in your budget for a wedding planner, then go for it! Wedding planning can be a stressful process so extra hands are always amazing! I especially recommend this if you have a very demanding job/career that requires that you put in extended work days (i.e. 60+ hour weeks). Also, if you are planning your wedding in a short period of time (i.e. 9 months or less), then a planner would be helpful to keep things on track. Lastly, if you are planning a destination wedding or planning a wedding in a city you don’t live in, a full or partial planner is super helpful as they will know the area!
For all other couples, my general recommendation is that you should hire a month of/day of coordinator. If you really like planning events or already have 50% (or more) of your vendors booked, you fit in this category. Even if you’re having a small celebration or a quarantined celebration a coordinator will help to field calls so you can focus on enjoying your day!
If your budget does not allow for either, then I recommend finding a good friend who likes organizing and/or planning events, then ask them to serve as a pseudo-day of coordinator. WARNING: This person cannot be in your wedding party because it’s kinda hard to run the show if you’re in the show!!!
For #TheOseiOwusus we had month of/day of coordinators and I’m sooooo grateful that I had them! Although I have planned weddings for years, it was AMAZING to not have to constantly check the time during my ceremonies or ask if a certain vendor had arrived. While I was getting ready, I actually asked that no one tell me the time, so that I could really turn my planner brain all the way off! Also, we had a quarantine wedding and had to change the plans less than two months before the wedding, so them jumping in allowed me to focus on other things like calling our guests and informing them of the new plan. If you want to hear more about their amazingness check out my posts on the wedding: Who Said Quarantine weddings aren’t possible *cricket* & What a Pivot: The Switch Up.
As always loves, it’s YOUR big day! You must weigh the pro’s and con’s and determine what the best decision is for you taking your budget into account.
Toodles for now, SugarBees!
