I'm a student in PT school finishing up my first year (whoop!) and I recently got engaged. We haven't set a date yet (still working on it!) and I'm trying to figure out whether we should invest in a wedding planner or not. With a limited budget, I'm not sure if that's something we should consider. I've heard that wedding planners can actually save you a lot of money on things like venues and catering and such because of their connections. I was just wondering what others have experienced, with or without wedding planners, while trying to plan a wedding when you're in school. I know it's completely subjective and depends on the person, but I just wanted to hear from other peoples' experiences. Any and all input, whether it's through personal experience or someone you know, is much appreciated!!:)
Thanks,
Cassie
Re: Full-time grad student...Would you recommend hiring a wedding planner?
But - if you're disorganized or are planning a more extravagant wedding, it might be easier to hire a wedding planner. My sister was out of school while planning hers and she would have been better off with a wedding planner because she was disorganized (and had a shorter time frame).
I am also a full-time grad student in a research-based program working on my PhD. It is stressful at times to plan, but it's definitely doable. I had to "marathon plan" this winter because my advisor recently sent me out of the country to do research for 3 months, which means I'll be back 1.5 months before my wedding. It's completely doable, and vendors who aren't willing to work with your schedule, within reason, for tastings/tours, won't be helpful in the future. Most vendors I was in contact with understood that I'm a student and were very accommodating.
I asked the owner of our reception venue for names of people she recommended for photography/cake/music, and that saved me a lot of time. You might try that too.
Good luck!