Sparkling Events & Designs: Do I "really" need a wedding planner? ------> My answer "It Depends"

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Congrats! You're engaged and what is the first question that comes to mind? Do I really need a wedding planner? Can't I just rely on the coordinator that the venue provides? As an event planner, my answer is always "It Depends". I know that doesn't sound like something a wedding planner should be saying but let's be honest... brides and grooms can definitely plan a beautiful successful wedding themselves. It just takes A LOT of work. I planned my wedding on my own without a wedding planner and it was beautiful. However, I also have many many years of project management experience that allowed me to plan my wedding using my project management techniques as I would manage any multimillion dollar project. 1) Define Scope, 2) Define Activities, 3) Define Budget, 4) Identify Resources 5) Define Project Schedule, 6) Execute Schedule, etc.... I could go on and on. The one thing that I did learn is that having a wedding planner to do even the small things would have been a great deal of help and stress relief for me. We did hire a Day of Coordinator because there was no way that I could have made sure that things went as smoothly as they did. Our Day of Coordinator was the point of contact for all of our vendors and family members. She ensured that our day went off without a hitch...or at least if there was a hitch...we didn't know about it! :)

At the end of the day, the decision is yours but also remember that hiring a wedding planner doesn't mean that you loose control of your wedding. Most wedding planners have various packages with different degrees of services and can help with just about anything. Make sure that you find a planner that compliments your personality and style and will still allow you to drive your ship!

I found a few articles that would help you in making your decision: