Should I get a wedding planner?

marksle84

So I've seen in several bridal mags that if you hire a wedding planner they can renegotiate with vendors and get you better deals on rentals ect... 

Did any of you use a wedding planner? How much do they cost? Did you end up saving money or spending more? Who did you use?

ScarletandDavid

We are not getting a wedding planner. We just have a wedding coordinator for the day of. But I am guessing if you have a planner, I would hope to get better deals if she has any preferred vendors. Not sure though

Tiffany618

I'd say it depends on your wedding.   I think that if you are having a blowout wedding with a huge budget then they could probably save you thousands....but if you are doing things on a smaller scale then I don't know if there is any guarantee they would save you enough to cover their fees.   

The best thing to do would be to schedule a meeting with one (or more) and find out how they can benefit you.

serlace

I agree with Tiffany.  I just wanted to add that if you don't end up getting a wedding planner, I would still recommend that you consider a DOC.  My DOC was so extremely helpful.  I didn't need someone to plan my wedding or set up meetings, etc, but I did need someone that could do what needed to be done the day of my wedding when I had to either be out of sight or enjoying the reception.  HTH.

marksle84

The Hotel (The Omni) where the reception is will have a DOC and the chapel (Marty Leonard) has one. My budget is only 20k so its pretty limited. I was just hoping to squeeze in some extras like nice chairs or covers, chargers, lighting.

abby7doc

I agree that if you don't get a wedding planner at least get a day of coordinator.  A wedding planner can save you money by helping you avoid traps or mistakes that can cost you big money at the end of the day.  They should also be able to help make cost effective suggestions and know what to ask for in a wedding contract.  Some do have negotiated discounts with vendors but make sure that if you hire one, they pick vendors that are right for you for all reasons, not just because they offer a small discount!  

I can't plan my own wedding but I'll be getting a day of coordinator so I can relax and have fun that day!

MarieSD

I think if you spend enough time price-comparing the vendor's websites, you can probably find the lowest possible prices. This board really helps, too!

That said, I do have a wedding planner, and she did save me some money on my caterer. Probably on other things too. But I mostly hired a planner because I just didn't want to make all the decisions and handle the paperwork/contracts/contacting vendors.

fallbride1109

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_texas-dallas-ft-worth_should-wedding-planner?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:102Discussion:f5fc897c-9d38-434c-b50a-d4c38529431fPost:d4d05cf5-5d43-402d-a112-8ca90599b2e4">Re: Should I get a wedding planner?</a>:
[QUOTE]The Hotel (The Omni) where the reception is will have a DOC and the chapel (Marty Leonard) has one. My budget is only 20k so its pretty limited. I was just hoping to squeeze in some extras like nice chairs or covers, chargers, lighting.
Posted by marksle84[/QUOTE]

I would be wary of depending on the  hotel DOC.  Mine was too busy showing the hotel to other brides on my wedding day, even though she swore at the rehearsal she wouldn't leave my side.  I think I saw her twice for a total of 5 minutes.