I'm probably posting this more to vent than anything, but maybe you guys can offer some perspective. Though we're on a budget, I decided to hire a planner for our February wedding because I can be very particular, and am ultra analytical- I will research things to death before I make a choice, so I thought having a professional who knows the ins and outs would help things move along more efficiently. As you might expect from my previous comment about research, I scoured forums and interviewed a couple planners that had great reviews. The person we chose seemed cool and laid back when we met, she seemed to "get" us; the style she presented in her work seemed to vibe with our own vision. I knew I wanted more than a day-of coordinator, so we enlisted her design consulting services as well as coordination, to the tune of around $4000.
I don't know if what I was expecting was far off-base, if I've gotten the wrong idea of what a planner does from watching reality TV or something, but so far, I am disappointed with the service I've gotten. I pictured a comrade, someone that would be excited about my day and help me reach my vision. I looked forward to creating a bond of some kind with my planner. What we got instead is a generally aloof person who takes 2 weeks to answer an email, and seems almost bothered to be helping me.
When we went to look at linens, she asked me what I had in mind, I showed her a few things that I'd seen on the linen company's website. She showed them to me on a table, over plain black and ivory underlays. At one point, when I mentioned upgrading flatware, she was so dismissive that I actually had to grab the sample settings myself to compare. When my fiance asked if the lights could be lowered in the room so that we could get a better idea of how it would look in our venue, I could almost see her rolling her eyes.
Later, when I got home and looked back at photos of the linen scheme we'd settled on, I realized I was not in love with it. I emailed her asking for advice and, two weeks later, got a response akin to "with the type centerpieces you mentioned, I'm not sure the linens you like will look right". No suggestions, no affirmation on why what we chose was good, nothing..when I asked about floral, she basically told me not to bother looking until the end of summer because florists are too busy right now (despite the fact that just about every wedding time table I've looked at says we should be choosing florists now). She also said I should look around and know exactly what I want before I go to the florist. Again, no suggestions on her part, aside from "bunching some hydrangeas or carnations together is a good way to look luxe and not spend a lot of money". Thanks. I hadn't seen that in every wedding magazine published since 1995.
Now, call me crazy, but when I hired a planner, I expected I was hiring an artist that would be able to come to me with unique, creative ideas and solutions for the issues that we have. When we went to look at linens, I imagined she'd have some suggestions on our tables- maybe even a set up or two ready for us to see? I certainly don't understand why she'd be telling us to make sure we know what we want before we've even talked to a florist. Am I way off base??? My mother (who is out of town, as are my sister, sister-in-law and best friends) says that she's not surprised that I feel this way, because I'm a creative individual that has a vision of my own, but I guess I'm a little let down.
Of course, we have a contract with our planner, and I feel like saying something will just make the situation tense, and worse in the long run. I'm so frustrated I'm ready to cry- ironic, considering the fact that I chose to hire a planner to *avoid* feeling like this! Suggestions are welcome, and please be honest!
Thanks!