He finally popped the question….you are both so excited…but once the celebrations end you realize you don’t have any idea where to start. Designer Weddings would love to help make your wedding look like a scene straight out of a fairy-tale. Our next few blogs will be a series of helpful hints for wedding planning and decor.
SHOULD I HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER?
Your first thought might be, “Should I hire a wedding planner?”. A great question. A wedding planner isn’t for everyone, nor is one always necessary, however, wedding planners can make all the difference by reducing stress and turning a potentially stressful event into something truly amazing. The following are a few questions to help you decide whether a planner would work for you….
- What is your work schedule and do you have time to plan the wedding of your dreams?
- Are you new in town or do you need help finding great vendors you can trust?
- Is your wedding in another city so you are planning long distance? A Destination Wedding Planner might just be perfect,
- Can you accept advice or negative feedback from “well meaning” friends and relatives?
- Are you and your fiance on the “same page” when it comes to planning the wedding?
- Are you easily stressed or become discouraged quickly?
- Are you feeling lost or “out of control” and just need someone to point you in the right direction?
- Will you be blending two cultures, traditions or religions and aren’t sure how to create the perfect blend?
- Is there potential for conflict within the families on wedding ideas?
- Do you want your family and friends to be able to relax and enjoy the entire wedding experience – even on the wedding day?
- You don’t have a lot of family support or support in general?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to consider hiring a wedding planner for at least some portion of the wedding planning. Designer Weddings offers event planning on every level and to suit any budget and personality. As you create the most important day of your life you will want it to be filled with wonderful memories.
CAN I AFFORD A WEDDING PLANNER?
You might be on a super tight budget and you don’t think a wedding planner can possibly be in your budget. A great wedding planner will save you money in a number of ways that make their fee well worth it. Here are a few things you might not know about wedding planners…
Awesome Vendors – You probably won’t save any money from “deals” that your wedding planner negotiates with her vendors. The real savings is in the fact that your planner knows her vendors and she knows them well. Part of her job is to connect you with the perfect vendor, within your price range. She can guarantee that you are getting the best deal possible for the money you can afford, but even more than that she can guarantee that you a getting a fantastic vendor…period. If they weren’t an amazing vendor she wouldn’t be working with them. Here in Canada all WPIC certified Wedding Planners would loose their certification if they ever took a “kick back” or a bonus from any vendor. So that let’s you know that they are working for you and not themselves.
Prevent Overspending – Part of a Wedding Planners job is to keep you in budget but at the same trying help you realize your dreams. You might have a “filet mignon” dream and only a “soup and crackers” budget. She is really good at knowing how to create your virtually identical look in several different price ranges. Who knows, with money you saved you might go on a little nicer honeymoon.
Time is money – You may not realize that it takes over 250 hours to plan an average wedding. By hiring a planner you save all the time you would normally spend interviewing vendors, comparing prices, and just aimlessly searching the internet for “ways to save money on your wedding”. You might have a million “to do” lists all of which are only half done because you get overwhelmed half way through. Planning a wedding is a full time job and it might be the very first time you have ever planned anything like this. Trust me you planner has done it many times before and knows exactly what to do.
HOW MUCH CAN I EXPECT TO PAY FOR A WEDDING PLANNER IN CANADA?
This service is for couples who would like a wedding coordinator working with them throughout the entire wedding planning process of course the price could be less depending on how much you want your wedding planner to do. These prices are taken from the WPIC (Wedding Planners Institute of Canada) website.
- 10-15% of your total wedding budget is the average cost of a wedding planner.
- They may charge using the percentage model or they may charge a flat fee. Flat fees for Full Coordination are $3,500-10,000+, based on area and experience.
BEWARE of people charging less than these prices! They are undercutting the industry and it is usually due to a lack of experience or training.
Designer Weddings hopes that this information was helpful. If you have any questions please feel free to call us at (250) 514-0232 and talk to Linda or Melissa or email designerweddingsrentals@gmail.com
Happy Wedding!
Watch for the next in our series of blogs which will focus on…
- Where do I begin?
- Vendor selection