A warning for those planning to propose; once the question is popped, the knee dusted off and the ring slipped on, that afterglow of warmth and celebration doesn’t last long. Now, the real work begins…
Indeed, soon enough, the actual wedding planning starts, and when the focus shifts, that glorious bubble you’ve been living in starts to get a little stuffy. Or, it bursts altogether.
It’s a predictable enough transition: engagement bliss gives way to wedding worry. There’s just so much to figure out. When will you get married? What venue? Who’s coming? Who’s catering? Gotta get that dress. Gotta lock down those unique wedding rings. Gotta keep Aunty Beth and Step-Mum Sara apart.
But what if we told you that there’s just one thing – one very simple thing – that can go such a long way toward keeping that wedding stress to a bare minimum? And no, we aren’t about to recommend an elopement. Neither are we going to suggest calling the whole thing off.
Instead, we’re talking about bringing in a professional and hiring a wedding planner. Many couples opt to forgo a pro, thinking that they can handle all the stress themselves or assuming hiring a wedding planner is a weird American affectation.
Let’s put things plainly; firstly, you can’t and secondly, it isn’t. Here, we’re about to make a pretty rock-solid case in favour of leaning on a wedding planner to help negotiate a blissful, stress-free path to – and through – a glorious wedding day.
YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY ENJOY YOUR WEDDING
Whilst we know it’s uncouth and one of the last Great British taboos, let’s talk money for a second. Weddings are expensive. Everybody knows that. ValuePenguin puts the average wedding cost at about $20,000, which is around £15’000.
And the average figure for a wedding planner? One of those will generally set you back between $1,800 and $4,000 (or £1300 and £2900), according to a study from Shutterfly.
When you’re already dropping a large chunk of change on your wedding, forking out an additional amount for a wedding planner, especially at the higher end of the range we just mentioned, can feel like an unnecessary extravagance — like paying for valet parking when free street spots are readily available.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking wedding planners are merely there to make you feel special while doing things you can take care of on your own. Weddings, we are sad to say, aren’t always a blast for the ‘happy’ couple. You can find yourselves getting pulled in a million directions while almost forgetting why you are there in the first place — to marry the love of your life! A wedding planner can carry the burden, thereby keeping your stress levels to a minimum.
So, yeah, weddings are expensive. Cutting out the wedding planner can seem like an easy way to save. But that planner is going to save you a ton of worry. And reducing stress so you can actually enjoy your wedding — it’s hard to put a price on that.
WEDDING PLANNERS CAN LAND VENDOR DISCOUNTS
Wedding planners’ lives are devoted to making it happen for couples on their big day. They love weddings; that’s why they’re in the business. And when you love something, implicitly and instinctively, you throw your all into it.
So, not only can a wedding planner help you get hitched without serious hitches, but they can often negotiate with vendors to get you the best possible price. Wedding planners will have a huge black book of contacts, of people they’ve worked with for years and developed a strong working relationship with, and accordingly, will have far better access to suppliers, caterers, flower-arrangers and the rest, than, well, you would.
Of course, if you’re getting married during peak season in a hot market, the planner may not have much leverage to work with. In those instances, they may be able to steer you toward skilled but new vendors willing to offer a price reduction as they hunt for business and exposure.
It’s hard to overstate how valuable this insider knowledge can be, particularly if you end up in a last minute pickle.
THEY’LL SAVE YOU FROM ENDLESS DISTRACTION
In the run-up to your wedding, the last thing you want to do is trade endless emails and phone calls with your vendors, suppliers and other people involved in making the magic happen on your big day. Schedule this. Debate that. Deal with this obstacle. Navigate a last-second snag. Delegate this. Decide now! Indeed, wedding planning can take over your life if you attempt to take it all on yourself.
They’ll also handle contractual matters with your vendors and save you from the dread of handling wedding-day snafus. They can handle tough situations, so you and the love can focus on what’s important, rather than the endless minutiae that separates a good wedding from a great one.
THEY CAN MAKE YOUR WEDDING TRULY MAGICAL
That ideal wedding vision in your mind — you know, the one that’s probably been swimming around in your brain for years — your wedding planner can actually bring it to life. But they can also take that vision and build upon it, helping turn your dream wedding into a DREAM wedding.
Don’t forget, wedding planners are consummate professionals. They make magic happen on a routine basis. So when you have a chance to bring in an expert to make your big day as memorable as it can possibly be, shouldn’t you go ahead and do it?
In terms of helping you realise your dreams and visions, another great thing about a wedding planner is that they’re removed enough from the situation to tell it to you straight. Perhaps you have an idea that’s a little too far fetched, impossible to pull off, or just plain naff. Your wedding planner will make sure you see things clearly. Because honesty is always the best policy in such instances, don’t you think?
WEDDING PLANNERS CAN SERVE AS A NEEDED BUFFER
As we noted previously, weddings aren’t always as much fun as they should be. But with enough drama removed, even couples who had a stressful time of it tend to look back on the big day with a smile on their faces. For those who don’t, though, there’s generally one big frustrating commonality: difficult family members.
Indeed, demanding family members can turn weddings into miserable affairs, when really, they should all be about having fun. But a good wedding planner can spot those difficult members of your tribe (or tribe-to-be) and serve as a much-needed buffer.
Not every couple is going to need a buffer. But when you do need one, it’s really good to have a professional diffuse, distract and disperse.