A Wedding Planner or Other Resources
Dreaming of your perfect wedding is fun but it also takes time and work. A wedding planner or other resources can be helpful. There is also the option of doing it yourself or a combination of DIY and contracting for specific kinds of support.
The ideal would be to bring your own creativity and work with resources to bring to life what you envision for your perfect day. You are still the driver no matter how many resources are involved.
Take your time in determining which options are best. You need to relate well with whomever you select as your wedding planner partner.
The following are four options to explore:
1. A Wedding Planner
2. A Wedding Designer
3. A Wedding Coordinator
4. Do it Yourself
If you choose a larger wedding there are resources that can help create, guide, and work through the details of planning and hosting a more complex wedding. These resources are Wedding Planners, Wedding Designers, and Wedding Coordinators. It is helpful to know the difference.
A wedding planner
A wedding planner will guide you through countless aspects of the pre-wedding events, the wedding ceremony, and the wedding reception.
The role of a wedding planner is to facilitate in helping you make decisions. This can relieve you of a lot of pressure. Depending on the extent of the services provided, the wedding planner can also make important connections and arrangements for you.
Wedding planners help to plan and oversee all of the elements of the wedding. They manage the process of bringing together all of the details in planning and delivering a flawless event. This includes pre-wedding events such as the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, all of the components and logistics of the wedding day, and the wedding reception.
Wedding Planners suggest and work directly with vendors, create timelines, and help manage and track the budget.
The Wedding Planner oversees all of the logistical elements of the wedding including the ordering and delivery of flowers, making arrangements for the musicians, managing elements of the theme and decor, determining menu selection and catering, and arranging for transportation and room bookings for out of town guests and members of the wedding party.
Many of these elements are more challenging when the venue is outside the area in which the engaged couple lives.
Exotic wedding venues for example in a tropical location, probably have their own wedding planner as it would be extremely difficult to manage all of the details when one is not familiar with the location.
You will likely be required to use the Wedding Planner associated with specialty location settings.
The Wedding Planner manages everything on the day of the wedding, freeing you and your partner of decisions and issues that could arise at the last minute.
A wedding planner is a wonderful asset if you have the budget to hire such a person. Even if you have the budget, you will want to evaluate if there is sufficient cost/benefit.
If you are a very hands-on person and have the time to be directly involved, you may not maximize the full value of a Wedding Planner. One way of still being directly involved as well as having the benefits of a Wedding Planner is to establish roles and expectations before signing the Wedding Planner service contract.
A wedding designer
The central role of the Wedding Designer is to capture the vision of what the wedding is intended to convey, and what the guests are intended to experience. The Wedding Designer is not the planner and overseer of the many logistical matters of the wedding.
Wedding Designers imagine and envision the wedding design concept.
They create the overarching theme of the wedding that sets the tone for all of the elements of the wedding. They bring about the look and feel that leads to the experience.
Designers provide resources and guidance when it comes to selecting the venue, officiant, color palette, decor, flowers and table features, music, lighting and so much more depending on the Designer that is selected and the services they offer.
Even if you know what you want and have a clear vision for your wedding, you may feel constrained in bringing your imaginative ideas to fruition. You may want to consider a Wedding Designer.
They will know how to connect your vision to resources. Often it is not about ideas, vision, and dreams. It is about locating the right resources to bring the vision into reality.
Wedding coordinators
Wedding coordinators, in contrast, give action to the plans made by you, and perhaps by the wedding planner. The coordinator can arrange, coordinate, and manage the venue, decor, flowers, music, and food contracts.
Wedding coordinators are focused on the practical matters of the wedding. They are logistically focused. If you have decided on the venue, flowers, music, dress, officiant, menu, etc. the wedding coordinator will take things from there and make sure that everything flows together in a coordinated and orchestrated manner. As with the services of a wedding planner, you will be free to enjoy your wedding day because the wedding coordinator will handle all of the eventualities.
One of the advantages of having a wedding coordinator is that you have much more control in making decisions about everything, and you still have someone to manage the details.
Coordinators can expand their services as much as is desired and include assistance with events that precede, and events that follow the wedding ceremony and wedding day celebrations. Things like showers, rehearsal dinners, a post-wedding day breakfast, etc. will not be yours to manage.
The big advantage of a wedding coordinator is that you are not the point of contact to answer questions and solve potential problems before, and more importantly, on your wedding day. Someone else is in charge.
If you have a very generous friend whose skill set matches the job description, this could be a wonderful wedding gift. Otherwise, count on building this service into your budget.
About the Cost
The average cost of a wedding planner is between $2000 and $5000. Costs can be less or costs could be more. It is unlikely you will find a wedding planner under $500.
After exploring costs, you will want to make choices. A reduction in the cost of flowers, music, and entertainment may offset the cost of a planner or coordinator.
One way of adjusting the budget that can save enough money to compensate for hiring a wedding coordinator is to focus on big-ticket expense items. There are other ways as well. I will simply mention you may want to consider a cash bar rather than providing an open bar. Alcohol can be a huge expense and savings in this area could offset the cost of a wedding planner, designer, or coordinator.
A cash bar, instead of an open bar, gives benefits beyond saving you money. People drink less if they pay for it, therefore it is safer, and some people may behave better.
You do need to give people plenty of notice if you go the cash bar route, and no matter what you do, some will be offended, but probably be quiet about being disgruntled. It’s your day and maybe your money. Do what you think is best.
Wedding designers and wedding planners may be more costly than wedding coordinators. It will depend on your needs and the extent to which you wish to have any of these professionals involved.
A bit of advice is to interview several resources, get references, and take your time in reviewing the contract. This holds whether selecting a designer, planner, or coordinator. Make sure the contract is detailed enough for you to know what you will receive for the money you are paying.
Do it yourself
One option is to do everything yourself. In the olden days of 50 years ago, this is what my wife and I did, and it worked out well. We didn’t have any money and we still had a wonderful wedding.
We selected the officiant and the location, chose the flowers and music, purchased and mailed the invitations, and attended to hundreds of other details.
As far as the reception was concerned, my wife’s dear mother made enough food for over 125 guests, right from her own kitchen. She was a great cook, and the meal was outstanding. You, your friends, and your family may not want to take on all of those tasks. It was an enormous amount of work. And we did it while renovating our newly purchased fourplex apartment house. Seriously crazy!
Doing it yourself is much more practical if your wedding will be small and intimate. Weddings do not have to be large and complicated. A simple religious, civil or backyard ceremony is quite lovely. There is even the Las Vegas option which can be quite straightforward.
I'm Getting Married: Now what do I do?
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