To Choose A Wedding Planner Or Not To Choose A Wedding Planner

When you consider the amount of money, time & effort you are about to expend on your wedding, it is important not to conduct your wedding planning in a haphazard manner. But many couples will do just that. Hiring vendors left, right & centre without any thing in writing, no contracts & no firm instructions on what they expect from them. If you plan your wedding in this manner you may as well be throwing your money away.

No I am not saying that all vendors & service providers are out to take your money & give you little in return, but it is important for the sake of the smooth running of your day & your own piece of mind that you get contracts signed between yourselves & the vendor which set out exactly what you are paying for. You also need to give clear guidance to them of what you want & what you expect. Imagine having a lavish five course reception dinner, but because you hadn’t given the caterers any clear indications on the time of service, only three courses are served by the time the dancing starts & the evening guests arrive.

Wedding Planning guides

When you first start your wedding planning the best place to begin is the overall theme or style of your wedding – will it be big or small? Traditional or casual? Will you have a theme? Do some research & note down all the ideas you like, then you can go through them adding in your own ideas & working out what would suit you best.

Once you have decided on the style of the wedding you can begin to work out your budget. Don’t leave anything out, include every little detail no matter how lavish it may seem. If when you add up the figures, it is way out of your price range, you can go back through it & trim it down to size. This way you work out exactly which details are the most important to you both & those which are just things you would like to include but are not that integral to the day.

Once you have set your budget – stick to it. Do not be tempted to spend more on one thing than you have planned for, unless you know you can save money elsewhere.
As a final thought, it would be worth doing some research into how contracts & proposals work & how to write them. This will help you understand the contracts given to you by vendors & help you make sure your wedding runs the way you want it to.

The Planning Process

Wedding planning is a time consuming process & one which can seem confusing & overwhelming at times. But you can break the whole planning process down into small segments or tasks which can be easily managed or delegated to another member of the wedding party. Here are some notes to help you achieve this.

1. Wedding style or theme ideas
- Consider having a theme which will run throughout the wedding or a style, brought to life by a set color scheme. Think about any unique features your wedding will have.
- Set the length, location & overall size of the wedding.
- Set a maximum number of guests & draw up your guest list.
- Decide on how you will cater the reception – sit down dinner or buffet. Also decide on other elements such as cocktail hour, entertainment, parking, transportation etc.
- Set very clear budgets for all of these things as this will control your planning from here on in. Prioritize each element & if you can’t afford something then consider cheaper alternatives.

2. Organizing
- Make a list of all your requirements & write down any specific requirements. These may include the type of food, entertainment or transportation.
- Think about the type of venue you want – ballroom, hotel or large country house?
- Make contact with key vendors such as florists & caterers to get an idea of price & the level of service you can expect for your money.
- After you have made your final vendor selections make sure you have written & signed contracts in place to insure against anything going wrong. You will need to maintain good communication with them & make sure they know exactly what you want & when you want it. Make sure the contracts you have written up include everything you want. If you want to add something in later on make sure it is added to the contract or that a new one is drawn up.

Whilst this isn’t an exhaustive list it should enable you to begin your wedding planning & help you to sort out the most important elements first. Your wedding will be a major expense in your lives & you should take every precaution to make sure it goes smoothly & that all vendors live up to expectations. Good clear communication & an understanding between vendor & client will ensure that no detail is forgotten, everything runs to schedule & all agreements are adhered to.