The reality of planning a wedding when it comes to numbers is sometimes a hard one to grasp. Lets be honest here, weddings are expensive! I have shared a few times on why a planner is important and why every bride should have one, but I am going to go out on a limb here and state that more often than not a planner is something that does not come to mind for most until the last couple of months. Unless of course your planner is with you from the start to help you design and plan which is ideal, right? When the idea of a planner sets in later down the road for some, there is not much in the budget to compensate a planner for what they are asking you to pay. Am I right?

There have been many times where a bride has come to me and says “I really need someone to help and bring the details together, but we don’t have much to spend at this point.” Or, “We have loved all your idea and we love you, but we have been evaluating our budget and a planner is something we just can’t fit in at this point.” When I receive these responses my heart hurts for those brides, because I know exactly what they are losing. A sense of calm, organization, and relief for them on their wedding day. So, I thought I should write a little something on why a planner is the one thing you absolutely should not cut out of your budget! It really comes down to those three attributes…calm, organization and relief. Sounds simple right? Let me tell you what that really means:

CALM 

The last thing you want to be thinking about when you are getting ready with your girls in the morning, reading your soon to be partners love letter to you, and sharing tears with your parents as you put your gown on is wondering if your dance floor is going to placed in the right location. Or if your escort cards are alphabetized, or if the limo is going to show up on time. If your limo breaks down half way to your ceremony, are you responsible for figuring it out? Who is going to cue your dad for the welcome speech? The list goes on, and on, and on. A planner will bring you and your vendors a sense of CALM that day and before your wedding day kicks off. You can enjoy your day, with a calm nature thinking of all the good and exciting things rather than what time during the night you need to cut your cake so grandma can catch the first shuttle home in time. Your planner will handle all of these things and more. If you don’t have one, you are simply leaving all the ifs and buts to yourself, a family member who should be enjoying celebrating your marriage, or all your other vendors who may not even know who is responsible for what. Your planner knows all the ins and outs of your day, who is responsible for what, and problem solving when and where necessary.

Photos by Erika Brown Photography

ORGANIZATION 

Your vendor team and family will love you for having an outside party organize you, them and all of the details for the weekend. Your planner will make sure all your ducks are in a row, but there is something more important than that to consider. You have spent so much of your time the past year planning for these moments, and spent a LOT of money to make it happen. Don’t you want to make sure all of your hard work comes together and you can actually enjoy it? Your planner will organize all of your details, and everything that comes with it. Oh, and they will make sure it all looks beautiful as you have always hoped for! Rather than an outside or unprofessional party placing things for you.

Photos by Lauren Swann Photography

RELIEF 

I apologize in advance for any heart flutters, ha! Don’t have a planner? I hope your wedding gown has pockets, because you will need your phone on you for any and all logistical questions. Make sure your maid of honor or parent has theirs too just in case you are exchanging vows while they are calling about how they are running late to the reception due to an accident on the bay bridge. Stressed yet??? Your wedding day should not be a big ball of stress or uncertainty. Rather it should be the best day ever, and THAT is something you can afford.

Renee Hollingshead Photography

As a rule of thumb, your planner should be about 10-15 perfect of your budget. It sounds like a lot but it will be worth every penny to have that sense of relief. Happy planning!