Should You Get A Wedding Planner?

By John Souter

A lot of brides don't think about getting a wedding planner until after the wedding. Not everyone needs a wedding planner. If you are going to plan your own wedding, you need to be very organized, responsible, and you should have plenty of time. Wedding coordinating takes time and that can be a challenge, especially if you work full time. You'll also want to have several family members or friends who are willing to assist; people who will assist you along the way in addition to serving as coordinators on your wedding day. If you don't have all of these elements, you should seriously contemplate getting a wedding planner.

If you're anxious about incurring the extra cost of a wedding planner, know that wedding planners are experts in their field and are skilled at working within a budget. They can often negotiate better deals or rates for you because they have established relationships with vendors.

You pay them to take charge of all the hidden details that you don't even know to think of. The role of your consultant varies depending on what you hire them to do. Coordinating and working with vendors, directing the rehearsal, assisting the wedding party and creating the wedding day itinerary are just a few of the jobs a consultant can take on.

Some wedding planners work exclusively with certain vendors and get x amount of dollars for each wedding they book for them. Make certain that if this is the case you are completely satisfied with the vendors your planner books.

Many brides are willing to coordinate the wedding but need assistance on the day of the wedding to ensure everything goes smoothly. Your planner may be willing to assist you on the day of your wedding only; inquire about the fees and charges for only this service.

Wedding planners have several methods of setting fees. They may require a percentage of your overall budget; they might bill you a lump sum based on their estimate of the time they spend on your wedding[ or they might bill you by the hour. A efficient wedding planner is worth his/her weight in gold.

John has been a licensed and ordained minister for 41 years. He has served as wedding officiant for more than 1,000 Maui weddings with his wedding planning business, Maui Me Inc. All of his ceremonies are original and he performed his first wedding 35 years ago. John has written almost 50 Christian books (which have been translated into eight languages). In addition to performing the ceremonies for Maui weddings, he shoots most of the photography.