Will a Wedding Planner Save You Money?
The short answer: maybe.
When you think of a wedding planner, often you immediately assume luxury, expensive, high budget, etc. However, hiring a wedding planner doesn’t require you to have a six-figure wedding budget. This service exists on a spectrum, heavily depending on what you’re willing to pay and how much assistance you want.
When people say planning a wedding feels like a full-time job, that’s because it is. People quite literally do this for a living. Self-planning your wedding is significantly more accessible and doable with wedding websites, apps, and social media. That being said, you’re still responsible for all the backend work required to find vendors, meet with them, negotiate pricing, collaborate on scope, read proposals, sign contracts, and make payments.
The cost for a wedding planner can range from a few hundred dollars for a couple video chat consultations, to tens of thousands of dollars. Think of it like an attorney. You can pay one $99 to make a speeding ticket go away, or you can retain one for $400 per hour and they will handle anything and everything you need them to assist with. Wedding planners are the same. It really comes down to what you’re paying them to do and how involved you want them to be.
Keep in mind that a wedding planner is building a portfolio of their work, as well. They want to be proud of what they produce and ensure it aligns with their brand standards. They may not work with certain venues or other industry vendors that they don’t endorse. An ultra-luxury wedding planner is not going to help you plan a $30,000 wedding. When selecting a planner, ask them what their requirements are. For example, even though their fee may be $7,000, they could have a minimum budget requirement of $150k.
Now for the question at hand - will a wedding planner save you money? This really depends on what you’re using them for. If you want to be completely hands-off and just sign the checks, you’ll pay a premium for this level of service. If you’re looking to have some expert guidance, but still want to be involved, a planner can help keep you on budget and steer clear of scams and bad choices.
A wedding planner’s most valuable asset is experience. They know how to get a filming permit for that state park you want photos in. They will know the venues that are a good value. They understand what a reasonable price for catering is. They know which florists in town are professional and which ones use fake photos on their social media. There are less gotcha moments and being taken advantage of by bad players when you have a professional in the room.
A seasoned planner is going to know exactly where to begin, manage timelines, knows reputable vendors, follows industry standards, and keeps you on track. All of this translates to being more efficient, which usually equates to saving money.
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