How do you hope to describe your wedding day when asked?
Would it be along the lines of...
"Truly amazing! Everything just fell into place so effortlessly. Everything ran to time, my guests were happy, we were happy! My cake was stunning! And I felt on top of the world in my dress. The whole experience was incredible."
Now, how would you hope NOT to describe your wedding?
Might it be along the lines of...
"I actually dread thinking back to it, if I'm honest. The make-up artist was late, which meant we were all behind getting ready. We arrived at the ceremony 1.5hrs late! Then it was just playing catch up the whole day. Felt like I couldn't catch a breath! And can you believe when we arrived at the reception, the cake wasn't there! It hadn't arrived yet! By then I was so fed up! I asked my Mum to give them a call to see what was going on. Any-who, I really just hold on to the fact that me and Bradley are married now. That's the main thing."
How important is it for you to have that first scenario rather than the 2nd?
If your answer to that is 'extremely', then continue to read on. If you're cool with having the possibility of the second scenario, then the rest of this blog post becomes redundant, so cheerio!
One of my TOP TIPS from the very beginning is...work within your budget BUT don't be cheap. If you buy cheap you get cheap. If you invest, you'll get a good return.
There have been too many horror stories where couples have penny picked and ended up with a memory that unfortunately will stay with them every time they reminisce of their wedding day. It is worth it? Remember the so called 'photographer' who deleted all the couple's wedding photos?? Photographer ay!..not!
My suggestion is at the very least please do your homework if you do not want to invest in a wedding planner. Please do not choose your suppliers based on the cheapest quote. There is probably a reason why the quote is cheap.
The gold that comes with hiring a Wedding Planner is that you instantly have a professional alongside you. Ask yourself this question...how many weddings have you planned? If you're a wedding planner then great! You know what you're doing. If you're not, do you really want your wedding day to be your first attempt?
Now, there are event/wedding planners attached to venues, which is great. They will ease some of the workload...to a degree.
To a degree you wonder? Yes that's right, to a degree. They will deal with everything regarding the venue, including any of the supplies that may come with it (which in some cases include the decorations), however....and this is a BIG HOWEVER.
They will not manage all of your suppliers.
For example,
The make up artist is due to arrive at 7am. It gets to 7.15am, no show. Who is going to call them in this scenario?? I tell you now, not the venue's event/wedding planner. It will be down to you guys to work it out. Do you need that stress?
In the situation where a couple invests in a wedding planner, it's the wedding planner who you can rely on to make sure all of your suppliers are in the right place at the right time, and that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. What a relief!!
Now, let me not ramble on much more than I already have, but let me leave you with some golden nuggets. This blog entry has to add some value to your life otherwise you've just wasted 5mins of your life.
Tip #1 - Work out your budget by category
This will help to guide you through the process. Do your research to see whether your projections are realistic.
Tip #2 - Get a Wedding Planner (Book)
If you have never planned a wedding but consider yourself mega organised, then this is for you. Hitched have a blog on the best wedding planners for organised couples. I highly recommended you check it out.
Tip #3 - Get Help
If you are going through the process and begin to find yourself becoming overwhelmed, mega stressed and falling out with your Fiancé because of it, do yourselves a favour, pull in a Wedding Planner. They do not need to be hired from the start. They can continue the process that has already started.
Tip #4 - Don't Panic
Wedding Planners do NOT come in and take over! They are there to serve you; helping you to have the wedding day you desire. You choose how much or how little you would like to be involved in the planning process.
Tip #5 - Always Inquire. You might be surprised
Lastly, you do not need to be rich to have a wedding planner. Typically the cost to hire a wedding planner is in the range of 10-15% of the overall wedding budget, to receive a full wedding service (with a minimum fee applied). For a partial wedding service a fixed pricing structure often applies in the form of packages. Now, when you consider that the average wedding takes 528 hours to plan (for a professional that goes down to an average of 250 hrs), with a wedding budget of £30,000 that works out to be just £6.81 - £14.40 per hour, based on a fee structure of 12%. How crazy is that! You'd wonder why we bother with the amount of responsibility we take on! I'll tell you why....because we love what we do. And we are great at it!
What you put in, is what you'll get out
You're wedding day will only happen once, hopefully. So it is extra special. Do your research, structure your planning and inquire regarding a wedding planner as there's nothing to lose in doing so.
Request your Complimentary Consultation with us.
Like this entry? Leave a comment below.