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3 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner

By Ashleigh Cropper

April 21^st, 2017

In last week's post I featured tw0 different Colorado wedding planners and talked about what a planner actually does. I think it laid a great foundation to understand what goes into the role of a planner and hope it was helpful! You can view that blog feature here.

Today's focus is on the top three reasons you NEED a planner!

Yes, I said it...you need one!

I have seen planners work absolute miracles, but I want to share the top three reasons you really need a planner.

Reason 1: Coordinating

A planner is the coordinator for all vendors and creating a cohesive timeline.

As I mentioned in the last post here, you do not want to be creating and working on 8-10 different timelines for all the different vendors!

Do you want to be on the phone, hunched over a notepad in a backroom a few nights before your wedding when you should be visiting with family and friends coming to celebrate?

Do you want to be on the phone with the florist while you're getting your makeup done on the day of your wedding while your maid-of-honor is on the phone with the caterer, and your mom talking to the venue?

NO!

There are very few times in your life where nearly everyone you love and care about is in one place, and they're all there for YOU! So go enjoy it!

Wedding planners know exactly when vendors need to come and just how much time they need. Their job is literally to reduce the amount of stress on your wedding.

Reason 2: budget

"Budget?! But won't a wedding planner cost MORE than doing it myself?"

You might be surprised.

If you're like nearly any other couple in the whole world, you probably have a budget. It is overwhelming and exhausting trying to find vendors that will fit.

Cue the planner!

You will work with them on a budget and help you find trustworthy vendors who will fit within your criteria! So easy, simple and to the point! No time wasted either! No matter how much research you do, I guarantee you that a wedding planner will have a better idea of who to reach out to than you will.

I love what Brynn, the wedding planner of First Look Events said,

"We help you sort through the seemingly endless array of vendors by presenting vendors that fit within your defined budget and style of the wedding."

That is the best answer to what can be a very stressful experience!

So it may seem intuitive that if you hire another vendor that you'll blow your budget, when it may be just the opposite. Just think of it like buying a personal finance tool; sure it costs money, but in the end, you're better off than without it.

Reason 3: Stress

Probably the most important of the three.

Let me lay out the truth bomb for you! You are about to enter a planning phase that will be for the largest party OF YOUR LIFE! It's emotional, everyone has opinions, everyone will find something to be offended about, no one will be on time, something important will probably get lost.... It can be a nightmare.

For most of you, the idea is to gather your family and friends, and enjoy this really big moment in your life.

When you bring everyone together, inevitably details, logistics, stress...they all happen!

This is why planners are your best friends! They are logistical fire-fighters--putting them out nearly as quickly as they arise.

I don't like doing the "scare-tactic" approach, but I want you to see what I, and other planners have experienced. Don't think that you can fly under the radar and nothing will happen.

tHE CASE OF THE UNRESERVED HOTEL ROOM

Pam Zola of Pam Zola Weddings shared her story about one of her fall wedding couples in Denver accidentally not booking their wedding night in their hotel! After she called to find their room to arrange some food to be brought to them, the manager said they did not even have a reservation!

Can you imagine thinking you will exit your wedding after a fun, but exhausting day, to then find out you never made the reservation!

Well Pam sorted it out, got them a room, and had it all ready for them as soon as they exited their wedding!

THE CASE OF THE EVACUATED VENUE

If you were in Colorado this past summer (2016) then you will recall the fire in Nederland, CO.

The fire closed the road into Boulder Canyon, and of course, one of my couples had their wedding at a venue up there. Everyone was evacuated and no one knew when anything would reopen.

My panicked bride, who did not have a planner, called me unsure of what to do! Although I am a photographer, and not a planner, I immediately searched out other options for them since their venue was less than helpful and also in the middle of this crisis.

Note, I am NOT a planner! I always want to help my couples but I know a planner would of known exactly who to call, thus letting the bride to sit back and relax a bit just days before her wedding. Unfortunately, I didn't have all the details or know the venue owners.

Thankfully, the venue was able to open one day before their wedding! They were incredibly lucky! But this is one of the many reasons you need a planner!

The Point is...

I have experienced many weddings! And every wedding that I have photographed that involves a planner has gone off without a hitch. I know that to be the case only because the planner is working tirelessly in the background putting out fires and assuring the day goes perfectly. You imagine your wedding day being just that: perfect!

I hope you invest in the tool of bringing on a wedding planner that will work with you to create a day that is stress free and full of incredible memories!