Are you getting married and have no idea if you need a wedding planner or not? Some of your friends say you should hire someone and others say its not necessary. So how do you figure out if you actually need a wedding planner? In this post we will be breaking down a few of the tasks that a wedding planner actually does.  

The Role of a Wedding Planner

Let’s start with the basics; what does a wedding planner actually do? You may think it’s all venue visits and rushing around behind the scenes with a clipboard but there are quite a few aspects of the job you may not know about.

1.Setting up a realistic wedding budget

This is HUGE and super important. A good planner will know the in’s and outs of the industry- i.e what you should be paying for services based on your needs. Your budget must be created at the beginning of the planning process to ensure you stay on track when booking vendors.

2. Finding the top florists, photographers, caterers, bands, DJs and other vendors in your price range

So this one might be somewhat obvious but not only do planners make sure you get the best vendors, they also make sure that those vendors are licensed and insured. You would be surprised at how many businesses that are operating without the proper permits, licenses and insurance. This protects you from losing money if they do not provide services or just poor quality of service, which leads us into the next point.

3. Reading over all your vendor contracts

This is so important especially during Covid times. It’s a MUST to have a professional look over your contracts to make sure everything that was promised to you is there while also ensuring all policies are standard and fair. Most people skim contracts and will miss something that could come back to bite them in the future.

2. They’ll fight for your wedding vision and keep everything on track

In addition to helping couples budget and supervising details like legal contracts, the most important perk of a planner is having someone who’ll fight for your wedding vision from start to finish. While many vendors tackle more than one wedding per day or per weekend, a planner is focused only on your special day. This will ensure that they will push to make sure everything goes according to your unique plan.

4. Creating a day-of (or weekend-of) timeline

Your planner will have the timeline broken down to five minute increments- no forreal! Everything that needs to happen will be on the timeline along with who is completing the task. Your weekend will be completely organized, and your planner will also make sure all your vendors have this timeline as well to ensure a seamless wedding.

5. Managing the wedding day: supervising vendors, setup, and delivery; handling emergencies; and soothing nerves

You are only one person, and on your wedding day you want to be enjoying the moment, not dealing with set up and problems that will arise. Yes, they will a rise and you need someone advocating for YOUR vision and that’s exactly what your planner will do. Many people opt to have a family member or friend serve as their “coordinator” but hiring a professional will always be your best bet. What’s the saying? “You get what you pay for” and you have spent so much time and money planning for this day- so don’t skimp out on the MOST important part- the day itself.

Planners are particularly crucial especially if you have a busy job, a large family or are generally daunted by the planning process. If you can work a planner into your budget, not only will their skills guide you through every celebratory stage of the process, but they will also help you with all the small and large tasks from the first dress fitting to the final send off.