Hiring a Wedding Planner

Congratulations, you are engaged!...now what? Well, it depends on what type of bride you are. I like to keep it simple. Either you are an 'I Got This' Bride or a 'I Cant Do This' Bride. if you are an 'I Got This?' Bride...nothing more needs to be said, you already know you need tons of help and guidance and you are not afraid to ask for it. If you are an 'I Got This' bride, chances are you have already bought several planning books and DVD's, divided your family and friends into wedding planning committees, and are doing email accountability every week or so. No detail has escaped you...except...who is going to manage and oversee your wedding day with the same level of excellence and expectation, so that you can be the bride on your wedding day, not the overseer of your dominion. And please...please...don't say your cousin Keisha is going to do it.You need to hire a Day of Coordinator.So how do you go about hiring an expert wedding planner {..like myself.}

1. Don't hesitate. Even if you only want to hire a DOC, do it as soon as your budget allows. Hiring a wedding planner early in the game could save you money, time, heartache, your marriage {oops!} And most DOC's allow phone or email correspondence as soon as they are hired. {Meaning paid for.}

2. I want my wedding planner to____________ {what}. Fill in the blanks so that you can get an understanding of what your expectations are, and what your planner can actually do. Please do not assume that a planner can read your mind. Be as specific as possible about what your needs are?

3. Listen through the grapevine. Talk to your friends, family, coworkers, hair dresser, bridal atelier, stationer, etc about who's hot and who's not. Understand that everyone's personalities may be different, and so will be their interaction with a wedding planner. Listen carefully, but take it on a grain of salt and be discerning.

4. The horse race. Make contact with your short list of wedding planner possibilities. And then wait. Who responds first? Who is warm? Who does not respond? Who is in your price range? Shamelessly I will plug that though we are a boutique wedding planning firm, we do offer DOC packages to our brides for as low as $350. My point...don't just go by pricing on their website, be open about your budget and see if they can accommodate.

5. What time do you get there? Again, please...please...please do not assume that your wedding planner will be there from when you wake up in the morning and be the last one striking down your event. Some wedding planners only stay through your cake cutting and toasts. This is not a bad thing. Just consider all of what you are getting from your wedding planner and then compare.

6. And the rehearsal? Some wedding planners plan weddings throughout the week including the weekends. Because of this, they may not include the rehearsal as part of their planning package. Or, they may send someone else to coordinate your rehearsal. It can't hurt to ask.

7. Whatcha wearing? Most wedding planners and their assistants wear all black. {This is the standard in our wedding planning firm.} However, this may not be true in all cases. Check out what your wedding planner is wearing at your initial consultation. Is it professional? Unless he/she just came back from running a marathon, it better be. This is a good indication of the professionalism they will exude on your wedding day.

8. Kickbacks...uhh no thank you. Some wedding planners accept a commission or 'kickback' every time they refer a client to a vendor. Sounds harmless, but if a photographer was giving me $1000 for every client I referred, in this economic climate, they may just become my absolute favorite photog. {Don't judge.} And in this lies the dilemma, am I referring this photog to you because he is great, or because he is great for my bank account. Kickbacks beware.

9. Lastly, ignore tips 1-8 and go with your heart. I have had initial consultation meetings with brides where...I can't quite explain it...but something magical happens. We look in each others eyes, and it's like I've known her for my whole life, she is just the one for me...she completes me. And the wedding planning begins...

Project Wedding