Do you need to hire a wedding planner? No, it’s not a necessity, but if you DON’T, by the time you walk down the aisle, you’ll really wish you had.
Any engaged girl knows how stressful a time this period can be: a wedding planner can save you time and money; use his or her connections to make your dreams a reality; deal with sticky family issues that you’d rather stay away from; and be the point person on every scheduling issue from vendor deliveries through the rehearsal dinner and up to the final dance, leaving you free to enjoy your special day.
Ready to start the hiring process? Here are the 5 steps you need to make a successful decision.
1. Talk to your friends. Have you recently been to a wedding you absolutely adored? Ask the bride or groom who helped with planning and if he or she would recommend their services. I always prefer a personal reference to one provided directly by the professional.
2. Do some research. Once you have a few names to work with (if you didn’t get any personal references, your local knot.com resource list can help get you started), check out their online portfolios. Look at the types of weddings they are highlighting, and make sure they are in line with the event you envision for yourself.
3. Come prepared. For your first meeting, come armed with information to share: clippings of events you like, colors you want to work with, venues you’ve been exploring. The more of your vision that you can share with a prospective planner, the better feel you can get for how well you’ll work together.
4. Make your choice. After all your meetings have been conducted, sit down and consider all of the following: who you liked the best, who you felt could best deliver your dream day and who seemed the most professional. Call additional references, if provided, then make your choice. When hiring a wedding planner, be sure to read every detail of your contractknow exactly what is included and excludedsign the dotted line (you’ll probably have to put down a deposit at that point), and get planning!