Do Wedding Planners Save you Money?
Photos by Simply Adri Photography
Do wedding planners actually save you money? What is all the hype about? If you've ever watched any wedding-related movie or TV show, then you've probably caught on to the stereotypical example of a wedding planner. They're often portrayed as radical control freaks that are extremely unavailable and always stressed out. Fortunately for couples delving into the wedding planning process, these character attributes are nothing more than plot enhancers!
In fact, a well-rounded wedding planner is a valuable asset to making your wedding one for the books. In terms of value, that's one of the first things you'll notice about your wedding planner. You don't simply hire a planner to help bring your wedding timeline and design ideas to life, but you hire them to help you solve (and avoid) problems, especially with money.
Having established a comfortable wedding budget, no couple wants to fret over whether they're spending too much money on one aspect of their wedding or if they've overextended their wallets, going largely over budget. Let your wedding planner handle this for you!
Working with a wedding planner can ultimately save you money in places you wouldn't quite think of. Here's how:
Experience Can Help Prevent Costly Mistakes
Most freshly engaged couples don’t have much experience in planning a wedding. Sure, they may have helped a friend, family member, or a member of their wedding party, but planning an entire wedding start to finish is a whole other story. Hiring a wedding planner can help you avoid some pretty costly mistakes. Mistakes equal money.
When it comes to booking vendors, unread contracts often lead to unexpected fees and add-on’s. Those extra costs add up quickly and can usher unwanted (and unnecessary!) sacrifices for budget’s sake. A major part of a planner’s job is setting realistic expectations for their clients. We read the fine print so you don’t have to, ensuring complete transparency and peace of mind when booking vendors.
Avoiding mistakes on the actual day is another area where expertise comes into play. It’s the little things behind the scenes that often go unthought of like, making sure the food truck can make it up the huge hill to your reception, overseeing vendors and ensuring that they have everything they need to be successful on your day, or leaving enough space in your timeline for the sunset photos you’ve been dreaming of.
Experience means planners have a collection of tips up their sleeves to help cut costs. These can include things like cutting down your guest list, getting married on a Thursday, or even scheduling your wedding during the off-season.
Industry Relationships
With a wedding planner's years of experience comes trusted relationships with both venues and vendors. As the years go on, wedding planners become more familiar with certain vendors and venues in your area. They build relationships and, based on their success (or lack thereof), will recommend working with vendors that they can trust.
As part of these connections, planners will usually get insider information about new services or products that these vendors offer. They may even get an advanced look at new pricing for established services.
Time is Money
In the realm of wedding planning, time is the new money. And when it comes to saving you time, your wedding planner can do just that.
A professional wedding planner will take on much of the lengthy research needed to pull off your dream wedding. This can include things like; referring and corresponding with vendors, reviewing contracts, and creating timelines, to more tedious tasks such as, looking up unique flowers for floral arrangements, finding the best rehearsal dinner space, and even compiling a list of the sights and landmarks for your guests to enjoy when in town.
With an A-list planner on your team, you will have more time to spend living in the moment and soaking in this amazing phase of life instead of worrying about the minute details. Wedding planners aren’t miracle workers, but with the right one in your back pocket, you will be less stressed on your wedding day.
