Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Wedding Planner

A colleague and wedding friend of mine asked me this week to contribute to a post he is putting up on his blog this week - the top 5 reasons why a couple should hire a wedding planner. After sending him my thoughts I figured it might also be helpful to post them here. So if you are reading this and on the fence about whether or not you need a planner hopefully this info will help:

1. Weddings are a BIG DEAL and one of the most important moments in a couple's lives so far, if not the biggest moment. On top of the emotional investment there is also a substantial financial investment that goes into hosting a wedding celebration for your family and friends. This importance of this event should not be left up to chance, which is where a wedding planner comes in. As a planner I help my couples find the venue and vendors who are the best fit for them, I guide them through the design and decor decisions to bring their vision to reality, and I make sure there is no detail or piece of the planning that is missed or forgotten along the way. And one of the best parts of working with a planner is having a professional you can go to at any time with any question, no matter how big or small that question may be.
2. Today's couples are very busy people, often working long hours and having additional commitments with graduate school, a second job, or family or community interests. Planning a wedding can seem like a 40-hour a week project and a lot of busy couples just don't have the time available to spend researching every option in the area for cakes or making sure they didn't miss any possibilities for local venues. A wedding planner is the wedding expert who can save couples tons of time and energy by presenting them with their best vendor options and cutting out all of that hefty research time. Most couples are amazed at how quickly they are able to find amazing vendors with my help and they know that they are booking a wedding professional they can trust and feel confident that they will do a fantastic job on their big day.
3. Wedding planners can reduce a bride and groom's stress level big time! I can't tell you how many brides tell me that they are feeling pressure from a parent, a friend, or a guest in regards to something with the wedding. Or that there is drama brewing among the people they love because of the seating chart, the selection of bridesmaids, or aspects of the formality of the event. And some brides just don't feel as connected to certain members of their family and need a planner to step in not only as a hired vendor but also as a friend. There have been countless incidents where I have assisted my couples in smoothing out some kind of stress or potential drama just by talking it out with them and taking over some of the burden to release their pressure. This is one major reason why choosing the right planner is so important - you never know exactly what you will need them for!
   
4. If you didn't think the Capital District/Adirondack area is a hot spot for destination events think again! The majority of my couples live out of state and are planning their wedding in the Albany/Saratoga/Lake George area. Most of them either grew up here, went to college here or vacationed here as kids and now want to return to this area to get married. When planning a destination event it can be really intimidating to try an do everything from far away. Hiring a wedding planner who works in the area gives you a local expert to connect you with all of the best resources this region offers. And with the help of modern technology so much of the wedding planning can be done through email, Skype, and texts so that the bride halfway across the country feels just as connected to her wedding here as a local bride would.
5. Wedding planners are not only used for the full planning of an event, we are also utilized quite frequently as day-of wedding coordinators. Even if you want to plan your wedding yourself there is a moment along the way where you sit and wonder who is going to be responsible for all of the tiny details on your wedding day. It can't be you and it shouldn't be anyone in your bridal party and family, so a day-of wedding coordinator is the perfect vendor to take the reigns on your big day and allow you and your loved ones the opportunity to relax and stay engaged in the special moments. Day-of wedding coordination is the fastest growing segment of my business because the service is so vital and so invaluable. Ask any bride who decided to hire a coordinator and they will tell you it was easily the best investment they ever made!