Getting engaged is a whirlwind of emotion. First, you and your partner are simply excited to be engaged — and then, before you know it, you are already knee-deep in seating charts, fabric swatches, cake samples, and half-written invitations. Some people start planning their wedding a few years in advance, while others plan theirs for six months’ time, but both approaches will invariably lead to a few head-scratching moments and quarrels over the guestlist. Planning a wedding is not an easy task, and it is for this reason that many people turn to a wedding planner.
Of course, professional wedding planners are not always the cheapest option — although they can put their industry savvy to use at saving you money with suppliers — and this additional cost can eat into your wedding budget. To help you with this, we thought we would put together some questions that you should ask yourself before hiring a professional wedding planner. Keep reading to find out more.
Have you ever planned a big event?
When you take a look at a wedding planning guide, you will likely feel overwhelmed by all of the things that you need to book. The venue, cake, band,
catering, decor and entertainment and much more are all at the top of the list. If you have never planned a big event before then this might be even more overwhelming for you, and this could be a sure sign that you should hire a professional wedding planner.
Wedding planners know how to handle all of these things at once, from sending through deposits on time to liaising with the suppliers over timings on the day itself. Even if you have some experience in planning big events, your own wedding can put a great deal of emotional strain on you and your partner, and a professional wedding planner can provide the patience, organisational skills, and time you might be lacking as the big day draws ever closer.
Do you know where to find the best suppliers?
When you are planning your wedding, you will want the best of the best, but how do you afford it all? It can be easy to say that you want a designer wedding dress or the most popular local wedding band, but how do you secure these? All of the wedding guides will tell you about what you need and when you need to book it, but they won’t always tell you where to find them. Typically, a wedding planner will have all of the right contacts in the industry, and will be able to find you the best suppliers in no time at all.
However, if you decide to skip the wedding planner, you can still find the right suppliers without their help. To do this, check out the premium wedding suppliers at House of Party Planning. There, you’ll find plenty of quality suppliers that might be available on your wedding day.
Are you available during normal office hours?
Another thing to consider when you are deciding if you need a professional wedding planner or not is your own availability. There is a very good reason why wedding planners exist: planning a wedding is a full time job. Many wedding suppliers are only available during office hours, and if you are also working during that time, planning your wedding can begin to feel like just another chore each day.
If you aren’t going to be available to take calls every day and get things organised because you are working full time, a wedding planner might be right for you.
Will you get any help?
Sometimes, having a large team made up of family and friends can be the perfect alternative to hiring a professional wedding planner. If you think that you will get enough help from your partner and your family or friends, you might not actually need a wedding planner. It is very likely that those helping you will have already been
through wedding planning experiences and so might have some tips to pass on. Their help will become invaluable to you, and you should take advantage of it as much as you can.
If you think that you’ll be doing most of the planning alone — or battling against the contradictory opinions of well-meaning family and friends — it might be a good idea to find a professional wedding planner to help you. The planning can quickly become overwhelming and without help, you’ll struggle to get everything organised on time.
Are you an organised person?
Some of us are typically organised in our day to day lives, while others are less so. Those who are organised tend to excel in planning, and those who aren’t may struggle. If you are not an organised person then it might be a good idea to hire a professional wedding planner. Professional wedding planners have fine-tuned their organisational skills, and are well equipped to handle the tasks at hand.
If you are someone who is extremely organised and that likes to plan every detail out, then you could probably forget about the wedding planner and do it yourself.
Do you have other responsibilities?
Not all brides and grooms are free from responsibilities and often, these responsibilities can get in the way of wedding planning. So, if you already have a few kids, pets or even relatives that you need to look after while planning your wedding, it might be a good idea to get some help. Yes, wedding planners can be expensive on top of everything else, but they can reduce the stress levels that you will experience when planning, and help you to relax, enjoy your engagement, and look forward to the big day.
For those who don’t have any other responsibilities such as kids or pets, it might be much easier to plan the wedding yourself. Make sure to consider your own situation and use this as a method to make the right decision.
Final Verdict
These days, there are many great websites and tools that can help you plan your wedding without too much trouble. You can use these sites to keep everything together and to find the right suppliers for your big day. If this is something that you have always dreamt about, it might be a good idea to plan it yourself to make sure that you get everything that you hoped for.
If you are someone who is disorganised and struggles to keep up with tasks, it might be a good idea to hire a professional wedding planner. Make sure to consider everything that we have discussed in this article and use it to make the right choice for you and your partner.