Do You Need A Wedding Planner?

Many couples don’t ever consider hiring a wedding planner. They see the extra cost as exactly that. But in reality, a wedding planner can save you time, stress, and sometimes even money.

Some couples have a clear vision of exactly how they want their special day to go, and are naturally organised enough to make this happen. Others may know what they want their day to look like, but have no idea how to make it happen. This is where a wedding planner can step in and help.

Consider the pro’s and cons of hiring a wedding planner:

Don’t want a wedding planner for the whole planning process?

Don’t forget about the day itself. You might want to consider a Day-of planner to make sure the show runs smoothly.

What is a DOP (Day-Of-Planner) and why do you need one?

You may be a very hands on bride, excited and organised enough to do most of the planning yourself. But it’s unlikely, even then, that you or your groom will want to be running around the night before, or even day of your wedding finishing last minute touches.

Most wedding planners offer a DOP service. Despite its name, this service generally takes over the reigns from the bride and her family during the week leading up to the wedding. A Day-of-planner generally takes care of the following things:

• Confirms all bookings and payments for vendors (photographers, celebrants, flowers, cake)
• Either organises or helps to organise setting up of the venue the night before, confirming catering numbers, place settings etc.
• Confirms time and location for cake, flowers and other deliveries on the wedding day
• Ensures all vendors are in the right place at the right time
• Helps to organise guests for ceremony, photos, reception
• Deals with any hiccups that may occur

For an excellent real life account from a bride who didn’t hire a wedding planner, but in retrospect can see the benefits, this Huffington Post article is worth reading.