This week I am going to tackle the monumental task of creating a comprehensive guide to hiring a wedding planner. As a planner, it is easy to forget that you, the couple, haven’t done this before. You’ve never planned a wedding or worked with a planner. There are questions swirling around your head and there are questions you haven’t thought to ask. Enter me, your friendly neighborhood wedding planner, to walk you through hiring and working with a planner. (Hold for applause.) Grab a snack and a pen, settle in, and absorb this blog!

Do I need a wedding planner?

I may be biased, but you should absolutely work with a wedding planner! You may not need a full service bespoke planning package, but even Event Management will lighten your load and make the whole process more enjoyable. Planning a wedding is a full-time job—believe me, I know. It’s my full time job! Why wouldn’t you want to make it as easy as possible? A little insider knowledge for you: most venues now require that you have at least a wedding coordinator. Keep reading for the answers most couples have when considering hiring a planner!

How much does a wedding planner cost?

So glad you asked! The short answer is that it depends. You have to take into account where you live, the level of planning you are interested in, how long the planner has been in business, and the quality of the service they provide. I can speak most knowledgeably about my neck of the woods here in Charlottesville, Virginia. Here, most basic coordination packages start around $2000-$3000 and go up from there, and if you find someone charging less than that, there is probably a reason. You get what you pay for when you invest in a wedding planner. I want you to focus on the word invest here, because that’s what a quality planner is—AN INVESTMENT.

What are the advantages of a wedding planner?

We are the super glue that will hold your big day together! The following is just a small taste of the ways a planner can and will save your wedding day:

• Take as many responsibilities off your plate as you want: All of those parts of wedding planning that give you a headache are the parts your planner lives for.
• Keep you on schedule and on budget: Pesky things like timelines and budgets not your forté? No problem. I guarantee it is your planner’s bread and butter.
• Insider knowledge and advice: How many weddings has your planner planned? More than you. They are the best tool in your belt—use them.
• Vendor Communication and the fine print: All of those emails, meetings, deadlines, and contracts. Yeah, we’ve seen it all before. We got you!
• Design: Take advantage of our experience and eye for detail to help take the vague blue sky dream in your head and make it a reality.
• The list goes on.

How do I hire a wedding planner?

You’ve finally admitted that maybe you want a little—ok, a lot of—help making your wedding happen. Now what? How do you find, reach out, and hire a planner? So many questions. I have the answers.

How do I find a wedding planner?

Chances are you have booked your venue when you start looking for a planner. Let me let you in on a secret: your venue has a handy-dandy list with wedding planners on it, and you can visit their websites and see which one would be a good fit for you as a couple. If you haven’t booked your venue yet or you don’t jive with anyone on their list, then you can check out sites like The Knot, Wedding Wire, and Style Me Pretty to see planners in your area. Tip for you though: those listings are paid, and there is nothing wrong with that, it is just something to be aware of when searching. The list you see is an advertisement. Instagram is also a wonderful place to find a planner! That wedding photographer you’ve been instagram stalking probably follows a few bomb wedding planners.

How do I reach out to a wedding planner?

As planners, we want to serve you, so we make it as easy as possible to reach out. Most planners have an inquiry form set up on their website that you can fill out, and someone will respond within 24 hours. Every planner’s instagram will have a link to contact them. Another great way to stay in touch with a wedding planner you are interested in is joining their mailing list, where they might run specials, list open dates, and new blogs. (You can stay connected to Lemon Drop Events Co. here!) We want to hear from you. After the initial inquiry, your planner will set up a consultation to see if you are a good fit, and then it’s off to the races.

Questions you should ask a wedding planner?

Now that you know a little more about wedding planners after reading this guide (hold for applause again), I want to give you a list of questions that will help navigate your initial consultation with a potential planner.

• How many wedding do you take on a year? This will give you a good idea of how much time they can really offer you. At Lemon Drop, for example, we take on no more than 15 weddings a year to ensure that all our couples recieve they highest level of personalization and service.
• What is the typical budget you like to work with? This is an important question for both you and your wedding planner. Neither of you want to waste the other’s time and this is a quick way to see if you mesh. I know no one likes to talk about money, but it will save everyone wedding heartache.
• Will I be working directly with you? This question is particularly important when you are working with a larger wedding planning firm. You might gel really well with the planner doing your initial consult, but that may not be the planner who has availability on your date.
• Is my wedding date open? See the above question. You love this planner!!! Are they actually open on your wedding date? We like to answer this question before you can ask it by adding a “proposed wedding date” to the Lemon Drop inquiry form.

Ready to hire a wedding planner?

You have all the knowledge, now you can move forward in your planning journey fully equipped to find the perfect wedding planner for you! As my mentor once wrote, “there is no such thing as a perfect planner that knows it all. No wedding planner is a guru.” You just have to find a wedding planner you connect with to make something beautiful and perfect for your day!

Ready to get started? Inquire here to schedule your consultation with Lemon Drop Events Co.

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