Everything You Need To Know About Hiring A Wedding Planner
Everything You Need To Know About Hiring A Wedding Planner
Film: The Wedding Planner, 2001
Planning a wedding is one of the most exciting yet stressful times for many couples. Between selecting a venue, coordinating vendors, and managing a guest list, there are countless details to juggle. This is where hiring a wedding planner can be a lifesaver.
In this guide, we’ll explore how a wedding planner can help, typical fees involved, potential cost savings, drawbacks, and tips for those choosing to plan their wedding without a planner.
I can’t be the only millennial who dreamed of having a J-Lo-esque wedding planner right?
How a Wedding Planner Can Help You
A wedding planner’s role is to handle the logistics and details of your big day, making the process smoother and less stressful. Here are some key ways a wedding planner can help:
Organising and Managing the Day
From the moment you hire a wedding planner, they take on the logistical side of planning. This includes venue sourcing, vendor coordination, budget management, and timeline creation. They work closely with you to understand your vision and ensure every aspect of the wedding is aligned with it.
For some, this is a huge weight of their shoulders and welcome relief at having someone else take over planning their vision. It’s usually helpful if you have some sort of idea at least on how you and your partner envision your day, but a good wedding planner will be able to take even the loosest of visions and turn them into a reality!
Vendor Recommendations and Coordination
Wedding planners often have established relationships with reputable vendors, from florists to photographers. This can save you time on research and ensure you’re hiring trusted professionals. They also handle communication and scheduling, so you don’t have to worry about chasing vendors or managing contracts.
Creative Guidance
Many wedding planners also act as stylists, helping you craft a cohesive look and feel for your wedding. They can assist with everything from choosing a colour scheme to designing the decor. Planners are up to date on the latest trends, so they can help guide your decisions while keeping your personal style front and centre.
Troubleshooting
No matter how well-planned an event is, something might go wrong. A wedding planner is there to handle any last-minute issues, whether it’s a vendor not showing up or a rain shower during an outdoor ceremony. Their experience ensures they can troubleshoot and resolve problems without you even knowing there was an issue, leaving you to just enjoy your wedding day without any drama.
What Are the Typical Wedding Planner Fees in the UK?
Full disclosure, I am not using a wedding planner for my wedding day. I did look into it because I do have a busy schedule already, between a demanding full time job, a freelance company and just having time for my relationship, but ultimately the cost was out of budget for us. Since my fiancé is a police officer, he has stretches of days off during the week a lot, and I’ve assigned him a range of tasks to help plan the wedding.
The cost of hiring a wedding planner can vary greatly depending on factors like location, experience, and the level of involvement you need. There are generally three types of services planners offer:
Full-Service Wedding Planner: A full-service planner handles every aspect of the wedding, from start to finish. They manage all vendors, logistics, and design elements, and often attend the wedding to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Typical Cost: £4,000 - £10,000+ (or around 10-15% of the total wedding budget).Partial Planning: If you’ve already started the planning process but need help with specific tasks (such as vendor recommendations or final details), a partial planner may be the best option. They typically assist during the last few months leading up to the big day.
Typical Cost: £2,000 - £4,000.Day-Of Coordination: For couples who’ve planned their wedding but want a professional to manage the day itself, day-of coordinators are ideal. They ensure everything runs smoothly, so you can enjoy the day without stress. Depending on the venue you select, this type of coordination may already be included, so be sure to read carefully through what’s included at your venue before hiring someone else.
Typical Cost: £800 - £1,500.
Potential Cost Savings of Hiring a Wedding Planner
Although hiring a wedding planner may seem like an added expense, many couples find that a good planner can actually save them money in the long run. Here’s how:
Vendor Discounts: Wedding planners often have long-standing relationships with vendors, which can lead to discounts on services like photography, catering, and florals. These savings can sometimes offset a portion of the planner’s fee.
Budget Management: A wedding planner can help you set and stick to a budget. They know where you can cut costs without sacrificing quality, preventing overspending on unnecessary extras. This can be key if you want a very high-end looking wedding on a budget, knowing where to go for good quality items without overspending can pay for itself.
Avoiding Costly Mistakes: Planners ensure you’re working with reputable vendors and that contracts are sound. They can spot potential red flags and help you avoid costly mistakes, like hiring an unreliable vendor or mismanaging payment deadlines. They can also likely pivot quickly to a new vendor if something unexpected does happen with one of their trusted vendors. Trying to find last minute coverage could be a nightmare scenario if it’s very close to your wedding date.
Potential Drawbacks of Hiring a Wedding Planner
While wedding planners provide many benefits, there are some potential drawbacks to consider:
Cost: For couples on a tight budget, the cost of hiring a planner might seem like an unnecessary expense, especially if the wedding is smaller or less complex.
Loss of Control: Some couples may prefer to have complete control over every detail of their wedding. If you enjoy the planning process and want to handle all the decisions yourself, a planner might feel like an extra layer of oversight.
Personal Preferences: While planners aim to execute your vision, their personal style or preferred vendor choices may not always align with yours. It’s important to communicate your preferences clearly to ensure they understand your vision.
Tips for Planning a Wedding Without a Wedding Planner
If you decide to plan your wedding on your own, here are some tips to help you stay organised and stress-free:
Start Early
Give yourself plenty of time to plan. Begin by setting a realistic timeline and list out every task you need to complete, from securing a venue to ordering invitations.
Use Online Tools
Take advantage of wedding planning apps and online checklists to keep track of everything. Websites like Bridebook or Hitched offer free planning tools to help with budgeting, timelines, and vendor searches.
Use a spreadsheet to track things like venue notes, anticipated costs, and of course, the budget! While the wedding websites are super useful, sometimes a spreadsheet is needed for various things. I love the wedding websites for tracking the guest list, and personalising our wedding website, but I found Google Sheets easier to use for other items like tracking which venues we liked and didn’t (or were/weren’t in our price range), as well as budgeting for things like food.
Delegate Tasks
If you’re going it alone, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Delegate tasks to your bridal party or family members, whether it’s addressing invitations, researching vendors, or DIY projects. Get your bridal party to help with tasks too if they’re close by and have the time. This can also be a fun pre-wedding activity to help bond the bridesmaids if they don’t know each other well.
Also, DO delegate tasks to your groom. After all, it’s his day too. If you have any specific preferences for things you put him in charge of, be sure you have noted this down somewhere so that he is aware beforehand. Communication is key when delegating tasks to anyone!
Prioritise What Matters Most
Decide early on what elements are most important to you. This will help you allocate your budget and time more effectively. For example, if photography is your priority, you can cut costs elsewhere to splurge on a great photographer.
Things like time of year and day can massively affect the budget, so decide what is important to you beforehand and make sure you don’t need to compromise on the most important elements.
Stay Flexible
Things won’t always go according to plan, and that’s okay! Stay flexible and don’t get too caught up in perfection. If you’re planning the wedding yourself, be prepared to troubleshoot and make decisions on the fly.
The perfect wedding day doesn’t exist, something will almost always “go wrong”, but what is perfect is the end result; you and your partner spending the rest of your lives together!
Recommended Wedding Planners in the UK
If you’re considering hiring a planner, here are some links to help you find the perfect planner:
Conclusion
Hiring a wedding planner can take much of the stress and complexity out of planning your big day, allowing you to enjoy the process and focus on the joy of getting married. Whether you choose full-service planning or just day-of coordination, the investment can provide peace of mind, valuable vendor connections, and even potential cost savings.
However, if a wedding planner is out of budget or if you just prefer to plan your wedding yourself, staying organised and enlisting help from family and friends will ensure your day goes smoothly.
