Hiring a Wedding Planner

Q: Does it pay to have a coordinator or consultant for a $20,000 budget wedding or should I do it myself?

A: I can certainly tell you of many benefits to hiring a wedding consultant. Many people plan their weddings on their own, or with the assistance of friends and family members and this is totally acceptable, but a wedding consultant can certainly assist you in numerous ways. For one thing, a wedding consultant plans weddings on a full-time basis, which means that reputable vendors and contacts are at their fingertips. This benefits you by saving you time; you won't have to meet with a number of vendors before finding the "right one". In addition to this, weddings tend to have common "glitches" that a consultant is likely familiar with through experiential learning.

Having a consultant present could mean altogether prevention of these mishaps, or at the very least, you'll have someone there that is capable and experienced in handling these situations as they arise. If you're finding that you're allocating "jobs" for your friend and family to be responsible for on the day of your wedding, you may want to consider hiring a consultant to take care of all the details so that you and your loved ones can simply enjoy the day without feeling burdened by responsibilities. Other benefits to having a consultant include access to discounted prices with various vendors, constant availability of someone to assist you with regards to all aspects of the wedding, and most importantly, you will alleviate quite a bit of your own stress and save quite a bit of time.

That said, a good consultant will be able to work within any budget. A budget of $20,000 is still quite large and you shouldn't have problems finding a consultant to assist you. I would certainly welcome the opportunity of working with you. Just make sure that any consultant you think of working with does not charge by the hour, or based on a percentage of the total amount spent on your wedding, as you want to ensure that your best interests are at heart at all times.