Why Do I Need to Hire a Wedding Planner?

Why Do I Need to Hire a Wedding Planner?

The number one question I get asked is, “Why do I need to hire a wedding planner?” It’s a fair question. The Knot reports that only 19% of couples hire a wedding planner or coordinator, so it isn’t something that most couples do. But why is that? When most people need to get their hair cut, they go to see an expert at a salon. If you need surgery, you are going to have a surgeon operate on you. So why is there such a stigma surrounding wedding planners?

In the era of the DIY Bride, I think most couples decide to go it alone because it isn’t considered a necessary wedding expense. They feel that they can handle the planning and that a family member, friend or their venue manager can coordinate the wedding day. Some wedding websites even offer advice for how to plan without a wedding planner. The arguments against hiring a wedding planner make sense on the surface, but none truly capture how much work it takes to plan a wedding.

Admittedly, I am biased on this topic as I am a wedding planner at Pure Event Planning and Design. Having said that, I really do believe in the merits of hiring a professional wedding planner. While a wedding planner may not be right for every couple, here are the five reasons why I believe a wedding planner is an indispensable tool for your wedding day.

1. A Wedding Planner Will Save You Time & Money

These days, time is money. The average couple spends more than 200 hours planning their wedding. Some reports state that by hiring a wedding planner, you can cut planning time in half! If you figure out what you make hourly and times that by the 100 hours a planner might save you, it becomes pretty clear that hiring a wedding planner is worth the money.

Additionally, a wedding planner will help you save money by helping you stick to your budget. The Knot reports that more than half of couples married in 2014 went over budget! Your wedding planner will help you work within your budget by eliminating extra frills that you really don’t need. A good wedding planner will also help keep you on budget by letting you know when a vendor is over-charging for a service.

2. A Wedding Coordinator Will Help You Pick Reliable Wedding Vendors

The average wedding has 22 vendors. The inception of The Knot, Wedding Wire and other online review websites make it a lot easier to pick quality wedding vendors than it was five years ago. However, these websites can also make choosing vendors overwhelming! Wedding planners have a list of their go-to vendors. These are vendors that they have seen in action and that they know will take great care of you the day of the wedding. Don’t worry though, your wedding planner won’t be making vendor choices for you. Instead, their role is to help you narrow down the thousands of options while still making sure your wedding is still all about you!

Furthermore, when you choose to work with vendors that your wedding planner knows, there is going to be awesome synergy surrounding your wedding. I cannot adequately describe how much fun it is to have all of my favorite vendors working towards the same goal – making our your wedding perfect! Having that positive momentum makes planning and your wedding day a lot more fun. This positive energy is something that your guests will be able to feel and feed off of!

3. Wedding Planning IS Stressful & You Deserve an Ally

Couples often say that their wedding day is the most important day of their life. That is a lot of pressure. There will be moments where you just need to have someone to call and talk through whatever is stressing you out. Other times, you will have a long list of questions that you need answered. Your wedding planner is going to be there for you in these moments. They can talk you through whatever issue has arisen. They will also give you straight forward answers that you can rely on.

Even more important, there will be times when you need to navigate tricky family dynamics. A lot has changed since our parents and grandparents were married. Yet, they are likely to have opinions on some of the traditional things that you must do at your wedding. Or maybe, you have some family members that don’t get along and need to be kept apart the day of the wedding. These tensions are unfortunately a normal part of the planning process. Having a wedding coordinator there to defuse these tensions is vital so that you do not need to worry about these issues on your big day.

4. Something Will Go Wrong on Your Wedding Day

No one wants to think that their wedding day will be anything less than perfect, but the reality is that there will be at least one little crisis the day of your wedding. Your vendors can give you countless examples of what has gone wrong on weddings days – just ask them! Having an expert to prevent issues from arising and to deal with them when they do is critical to you enjoying your day.

A side note on this: Your family should also be able to enjoy your big day. Whomever you designate your day of contact is going to be bombarded with questions throughout the day and evening. By having a wedding coordinator, all of your guests can enjoy themselves that day! Of course, if you have family members that want to be involved, a good wedding planner is going to find them a job that allows them to be helpful while still having a nice time.

5. You Only Get One Shot at Your Wedding Day & You Deserve to Enjoy It

Your wedding day is only going to happen once and it cannot be repeated. You have spent months planning and have invested a significant amount of money into your wedding day. Your only job that day should be taking in every special moment. Hiring a professional wedding planner is going to ensure that you can relax and know that your day will be perfect. I think that The Celebration Society said it best when they wrote, “Quite possibly the best wedding gift you could receive is to actually enjoy without interruption every blissful moment of your wedding day.”

I love making my clients’ dreams a reality, but the best part of my job is watching my couples soaking up every minute of their wedding day. By being present in the moment and not worrying about coordinating the day, my couples will remember the little things that made their wedding so special.

So, to answer the original question – truthfully, you do not NEED to hire a wedding planner, but if you want your day to be everything you’ve dreamed of, you should hire one.