This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Pin for later. Follow on Pinterest.
INTRODUCTION
With all the anticipation of a wedding, you may wonder if hiring a wedding planner is worth it. You may be great at planning things and have thought of your wedding day your whole life. Or maybe you are like me, and you haven’t planned a wedding at all. I had paid off my student loans and was working towards financial freedom, but I didn’t plan for the expense of a wedding. To make things even more interesting, we had just moved to a new city and knew nothing about the area. Another interesting planning element was that we planned to get married in 4 months. To put it lightly, I felt overwhelmed!
I wrestled with whether hiring a wedding planner was worth the expense. I was at a point in my journey where I was working towards financial independence, and a wedding felt distracting. Not hiring a wedding planner was one less expense. However, being in a new city and having a short engagement, I wanted help planning my wedding. And I am so glad I made this investment! I’ll share my five reasons why a wedding planner is worth it, no matter where you are on the financial journey.
5 REASONS TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER
1. A WEDDING PLANNER HELPS YOU PRIORITIZE AND FOCUS
Let's face it – when people started bombarding me with questions about colors and themes for my wedding, I felt like I'd stumbled into a parallel universe I’d never even thought about. Debt payoff? Yes. Was I investing in index funds? Yes. Wedding colors or themes? No, it never was a priority for me. When I hired my wedding, she walked me through a vision. She acknowledged that colors and themes are important, and I could create Pinterest boards to develop these wedding elements.
However, with a 4-month engagement, there were other things to focus on, like hiring a venue and vendors. She shared a curated venue and vendor lists that spared me from drowning in the abyss of Google searches for my new city. Thank God for wedding planners who help you focus and create a vision for your wedding. Having a plan calms me down and gets me out of feeling overwhelmed.
She then gave me some golden wisdom: some websites help you plan a wedding for free. She recommended The Knot.com, which I used for my wedding. I also tracked my budget on The Knot.com app. In addition, I made “Save the Dates” and a wedding website and sent the link to all our friends and family via email and text for free.
2. HAVE A BUDGET ALLY
I already had a budget, but I never made a wedding budget. In the first meeting with the wedding planner, she asked for my budget and provided a list of things to budget for. This was very helpful since I had no idea what to budget for with a wedding! She suggested picking the top 3 things to spend extravagantly on to prioritize the budget. Genius. She then provided realistic expectations of what that budget would provide. Check out this post to discover what I learned from my wedding budget.
Another thing she suggested was having a minimum and maximum budget range, which I discuss further in this blog post about my wedding budget. Creating budget ranges helped me know what to spend on any vendor or wedding element. With these priorities, you can sidestep the $5000 photographer or $7000 on a venue with a $10,000 budget. It was beneficial to have someone who guided me through wedding expenses and valued money management as much as I did.
3. USE A GUIDE FOR THE WEDDING PLANNING MAZE
When I hired my wedding planner, she instructed my fiance and me to focus on choosing venues on her vetted list. We fortunately hired a planner who has been in the wedding planning industry in our area for 20 years, so she knew the good, the bad, and the truth. She knew each vendor's strengths, offerings, and reliability. She gave great recommendations on things like who would be the best bakeries to use for food allergies or dietary restrictions. In addition, she knew a florist who could create fabulous drapery in our chosen venue. Providing a preferred vendor list cut down all the overwhelming drama in my head.
Once we reviewed her vendor list, she also helped us prioritize our “big ticket items” and where to cut back. I’d rather have a beautiful space than an orchestra playing at my wedding. That let us adjust the budget intentionally so that the money spent reflected our values and priorities for the upcoming wedding day.
We also reviewed our Pinterest page for our wedding with our planner. She pulled out how we loved candle images rather than substantial flower arrangements. When we went to florist appointments, she had a layout ready for the florist. She advocated for us to have many candle arrangements to create an elegant, enchanting atmosphere like we wanted. Her professional opinion and experience helped me because there was a plan, a focus, and someone who knew what they were doing to help me through this.
5. A WEDDING PLANNER IS YOUR ALLY AND ADVOCATE
Weddings can be stressful. There are many opinions, options, and opportunities, no matter your budget. But you can’t do it all. Occasionally, people’s views can try to “take over.” Sometimes, you are going to freak out and want it your way. Other times, you won’t have any clue as to what to do. Or, you will freak out about how much money you are spending (maybe not, but someone will freak out about how much you are paying). All of that is ok because you have a professional to help you through all of that.
Also, consider paying for your wedding planner because she will answer mostly to you and no one else. But even if you don’t, that is ok. You are still her priority: not your mom, aunt, bridesmaids, future spouse, friends, work colleagues, or the local newspaper, only you.
Because your wedding planner is YOUR ally, you can bounce your crazy ideas with her, and she can give you insight. Even if you don’t have ideas, she can provide a few. She can talk you off the ledge when you are freaking out about being the center of attention. Your wedding planner can help you cut down the guest list when you don’t want to invite everyone in a respectful way that supports you.
In addition, she can manage your vendors when they don’t call you back. Your wedding planner has your back and can make things happen. And, when there is a plan surrounding your priorities and values, you can use your money more efficiently to create what you hope for.
5. A WEDDING PLANNER MANAGES YOUR WEDDING DAY SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO
I could not imagine being the bride and manager on my wedding day AND enjoying the experience. Could I manage my wedding day and be the bride? Sure. Would I enjoy the day? No. I would feel anxious about everything going well instead of enjoying the day with my partner, family, and friends. Having a wedding planner coordinate the day allowed me to savor these precious moments.
When the unexpected happened, she just handled it and let me know. The biggest hiccup was that the reception time needed to be changed, and all I had to do was send a text to everyone on my The Knot.com wedding guest list thread to alert everyone. And you know what? It worked out. Because of my wedding planner, I went from feeling overwhelmed at the start of this process to experiencing a wonderful wedding for which I feel grateful. For this reason alone, a wedding planner is worth the investment for me.
CONCLUSION
Reflecting on my journey, hiring a wedding planner has proven invaluable. This decision isn't just about convenience; it's a strategic investment for planning a wedding so you can enjoy the experience within your financial means and goals. Life happens, and taking time to enjoy the journey is worth it! The best part was that my finances were fine and growing during the experience. Hiring a wedding planner was an incredible investment, and I’m still on track to achieve financial freedom. The expertise, connections, and commitment to making our day special make a wedding planner indispensable. If you're navigating wedding planning while prioritizing financial goals, consider a wedding planner – your budget and peace of mind will thank you.
IN SUMMARY
5 Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner
- A wedding planner helps prioritize. Consider using The Knot.com to help plan everything on your wedding day, such as a website, registry, vendor tracking, etc.
- A wedding planner helps with your wedding budgeting.
- A wedding planner guides you through the wedding planning maze.
- A wedding planner is your ally and advocate (not your mom, sister, etc).
- Get help managing your wedding day.
How about you? Are you ready to hire a wedding planner?
Pin for later. Follow on Pinterest.
