The preconceptions of hiring a wedding planner.

Hiring a Wedding Planner is still a relatively new thing in the UK, but why? In America they seem to have got to grips with the whole idea, with most couples seeing it as the norm to hire a planner. So why do we still see it as a luxury? When really the wedding planners aim is to save you Time, Money and your stress levels!

I set myself up as a wedding planner soon after I got married (I know it is the old cliché). I spent 18 months planning my wedding and I let the whole planning process consume me. However I know first hand the benefits of using a planner because I used one myself! My husband and I got married in Ibiza and hired a planner straight away to help find a venue, cater and minister. For the most of it I did the rest. What I found most helpful though was knowing that there was someone else who was responsible for things, someone who was at the end of an email or phone to help me with issues I felt were out of my control.
Looking back on it the most important thing was knowing that, on the day, I didn’t have to worry about anything, that my lovely planner was there to fix things and make sure everything was set and if there was a problem I knew nothing about it until afterwards. I woke up on the day of my wedding, not the nervous jittery bride everyone expected me to be, but a calm happy bride, safe in the knowledge that everything was in the hands of a professional. I never got to know that the water nearly didn’t get delivered, that there was a problem with the electricity that nearly resulted in our not having a DJ, and I didn’t have to deal with moving the ceremony location because it was too hot for my guests to sit in the sun.

However people still think hiring a wedding planner will cost too much money - Not true! It is our job to save you money. We will do this in many ways.
1) We will work with you on your budget and make sure you don’t over spend. When a couple tells me their budget, I will then sit down with them and work out where best to spend that money, this way we can decide what is important and where we can save money. I will write up your own budget plan and keep a check on you so you don’t go over it!
2) We are constantly working with venues and suppliers building up relationships and negotiating discounts which we will then pass straight on to you………….see still saving you money
3) We will negotiate for you. I have been taught by my husband who is in sales, never to take the first price that is offered to me, so we as wedding planners will negotiate for you, and make sure you always get the best price.

People still see hiring a planner as a Luxury – Not true!
In this day and age when our lives are so busy and most of us have busy responsible jobs it is more of a necessity. It has often been quoted that the average wedding takes 200-250 hours to plan, that’s a full 5-6 weeks to plan the perfect day. I have even heard of brides giving their jobs up because the planning has too much for them and they need to focus on the wedding! Why spend hours and hours researching and searching for each specific supplier when we can do all the foot work for you. Any decent planner will have files and files of supplier’s details and know which one will suit each specific wedding. Our job is to research these things for you, saving you hours and hours of internet surfing, ringing round and endless quotes, so letting you enjoy your wedding plans, instead of dreading the whole process.

People think a planner will take over and they will loose control of their day – Not true! A good planner will be able to dip in and out whenever needed, we will offer advice when asked and give you a solution when needed. We know it is your day and you want it the way you want it, it is our job to make your vision come to life. We may have our own taste and style but we would never enforce this on our brides and grooms (unless they wanted us too!) We know when to step back and be quiet, just as we know when to come forward when something needs to be said.

A Planner will want to plan my wedding from beginning to end – Not True!
Obviously it is an honour when couples give us the opportunity to plan the whole thing but planners these days offer many other services. Some people hire us to chase-up their RSVPs, others to pull things together in the last few weeks when things have got a bit out of hand. Others will book us to find them the perfect venue, while others who have planned the whole thing will hire us for the day so they can have piece of mind and relax and enjoy all their hard work.
Most planners will have a number of different services they offer, most are pretty similar but you will be surprised how many different options there are for brides and grooms, we can help as much or as little as you wish, no job is too big or to small.

Why do I want to hire a wedding planner when my venue already has a wedding co-ordinator, they do the same thing don’t they – Not True! Yes a lot of the venues around the country these days do have their own ‘on site’ co-ordinator who will help with issues within the venue. However a wedding planner works independently, they will not have specific ties to the venue’s business as a co-ordinator will, neither will they have ties to specific suppliers. On sight co-ordinators will also be working with mark-ups to try and make sure the venue makes more money, a planners job is not sales orientated, they will work independently, always getting you the right price and the right service. Remember it is our job to save you money! It is also true that sometimes the on-sight co-ordinator isn’t actually present on your wedding day, unlike your wedding planner.

Wedding Planners only work on big fancy weddings – Not True!
We are happy to work on any size wedding, from a small intimate family wedding to a huge scale production. Every couple is different, which is what makes every wedding different and our job so special.

A wedding planner’s job, as corny as it may sound, is to make your dreams a reality. We will do everything in our power to make sure you have the best day ever, and in the process keep you as calm and stress-free as possible, saving you much needed time and of course save you money!
When I tell people what I do for a living they often say to me ‘’I wish I’d used a planner’’ Well I did, so I know first hand the benefits, I was so impressed I became one!

Kelly Hood – Boho Weddings & Events
www.bohoweddingsandevents.com
07989 431821