Wedding Planner or No Wedding Planner??????

Re: Wedding Planner or No Wedding Planner??????

• hlvonb member

  

  March 2014

  See my responses on your other post.

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• jphil0790 member

  

  March 2014

  I think with the people backing you up, you should be able to plan your own wedding. Look for venues that are all inclusive (mine is) and use wedding planning apps/websites and binders (sold at Barnes and Noble) that help you keep on track and organized. I really like the binder I got to help me plan because it gives you little advise when I comes to each vendor. Just take a deep breath and it will all work out.

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• Rebl90 member

  

  March 2014

  missesnoel said:

  My sister who got married a year ago, my friend of 16 years the MOH, and one of my bridesmaids were all very excited for me when I got engaged a month ago. They offered to help with the wedding and all the plans.  Each of them are going through personal things in their lives and while I think they have good intentions they have not been very helpful. Especially with my #1 task right now finding a reception venue. It's really great that they offered to help, and while you can be disappointed when someone doesn't follow through with something they offered, it's really best to understand that the only people who should have the responsibility of wedding planning is the Bride, Groom, and any PAID coordinators. So I met with a wedding planner and went with my sister and fiance.  AND SHE HAD ME SOLD. She offered to do A-Z wedding planning, day of coordination with a 3 staff team, will work with me to stay within my budget, will present me with all my vendor options so I dont have to go looking anymore....I mean the works BUT her price is a non negotiable $1,800 and while I understand may not be a lot for some, but for me who has a $15,500 budget with 175-200 guest its a lot.She said that hiring her doesn't add or take away from my budget. Which to me means that she can plan my wedding with the remaining $13,700.Now unless she is really good at what she does...I don't know how possible that is without sacrificing quality or giving up a lot of things I really want in my wedding.  I have hired a coordinator and while my total budget is only $12000, she is absolutely worth it. A true coordinator will save you money in the long run, and honestly it doesn't sound like she is asking an unreasonable price for full planning. My sister tells me that she is too expensive and that she doesnt think I need a wedding planner because her's didnt do much except find the reception venue and dj. She says that she will step up and help me. 

  
  

  Should I trust my sister and allow her to help me instead of getting a wedding planner? NO! This is nothing against your sister, she could be the most amazing sister in the world, but you do not want to leave your wedding planning up to an unpaid family member, that is how issues happen.

  Is it worth it so just go with the wedding planner? And should I trust her that she will be able to pull off my wedding? What does her portfolio look like? Are there testimonials from past clients on her website that she can provide for you to review? Does she have a Yelp or Facebook page? What pops up when you google her business? These will help you make your decision.

  Can you suggest any wedding planners in the South Florida area that has lower rates but does a really good job?

  
  

  Thank you so much!!!!!!!
  

  
  

  See comments in purple, GL!

  
  

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• ceruse member

  

  April 2014

  I think you will have a lot less drama and stress if you hire the planner. It is absolutely true that you can do it all yourself, but I paid $1500 for my planner and thus far it has been the best decision I have made. That was a large sum of money for me, but I am 6 months into planning and my wedding is only a month away and I have the peace of mind of knowing that she has everything under control. Thank. God.
  
  When I first started planning my wedding, I could never have imagined how stressed out I would end up being at times. There are things I just don't have any more brain power to take on. My planner is organizing all my vendors (there are a lot) so I don't even have to think about when they are arriving to set up, drop off, whatever. She and her team are doing all the decorating, the overseeing, the crisis-averting, the coordinating. My family could never have done all of this and still enjoyed the wedding.
  
  If you are having a small wedding, a simple wedding, or a wedding in a venue that provides multiple services (like a country club, where tables, linens, food and drink will all be there already), then you probably don't need a planner. But if you have a lot of vendors (me), multiple ceremony and reception locations (me), and 100+ guests (me again) then think seriously about who is going to make all that happen because it is going to be WORK.
  
  I think you should let the planner do all that work and let your family and friends help you with the FUN stuff, like dithering over dresses and flowers and colors. These are the things people really want to do anyway, not negotiate contracts and create master timelines
  

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• bananasplit472001 member

  

  April 2014

  If you can afford one then go for it.  I have decided to not hire a wedding planner as we already have half of our venues and vendors booked on our own.  Also the day of events are coordinated by the staff at the venues.  If you have a wedding or event planner at your venue that works with the staff on the day of and during the process then I would think there is no need for a planner.  If there is no one to coordinate the day of then I would hire a wedding planner.

  

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• rsbloom member

  

  April 2014

  If you have no idea where to start or which vendors to go with, hire the wedding planner! Luckily, my venue is all-inclusive, so they did all the leg-work for me in the way of vendors.  And even though my FI's aunt was a wedding coordinator for several years, I am using my venue's coordinator, because working with family is almost always going to have problems.

  
  

  Family members will get hurt feelings for something along the way: if you don't like what they choose, if you tell them they aren't doing something they said they would do, etc.  Much better to work with professionals than family.  

  
  

  If your sister is wondering why you don't want her to do it, say you want her to enjoy the day and not worry about things; that's what we told my FI's aunt, and she had no problem with it! :]

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• weddingmcgee member

  

  April 2014

  Consider hiring a wedding coordinator with less services than she provides. Yes, hiring a planner will save you time and money, but if you feel like you need help but not quite A-Z planning from beginning to the very end of your wedding day, there are planners who can help you out, but not be quite as involved. But yes, if you're completely stumped and have no idea where to even begin, which can be really overwhelming, hire someone to step in and get the job done. 

  
  

  Even for my small wedding of 40-50 guests, I hired a coordinator for the rehearsal and the actual day of my wedding. You will be so happy to have someone who is paid to work your wedding instead of worrying about things getting done and relying on your friends and family. It's one thing to ask for small favors, but rsbloom is right, you don't want to hurt people's feelings along the way. It will also allow them to enjoy the process and actual wedding more than if they have to work really hard for it. 

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• [Deleted User] member

  

  May 2014

  Get the planner if you've done your research and feel they have a good track record.  My hunch is that you'll be glad you spent the money on him/her. 
  

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• atlastmrsg member

  

  July 2014

  If you don't hire the planner, you'll still need a day of coordinator, which runs between $600 to $2,000 in my area.  Consider that in your budgeting.  And get prices of day of coordinators in your area.  If they're running $1,000, then you aren't saving much but you're sacrificing having someone to do a lot of work that you may or may not have the time, patience, or experience with weddings to handle on your own.

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