Five Crazy Reasons Why You Must Hire A Wedding Planner (Things that wedding planners will never tell you but wishes you knew)

You have been dreaming about your wedding ever since you were a little girl or if you have not got a clue about where to start, and now that you’re engaged you are excited/ overwhelmed about the planning process.

Let me give you a little insight, planning a wedding isn’t all fun and games, there’s a lot to do to prepare for your big day! Here are some secrets as to what a wedding planner does for you (that you don't know about) so that you can judge whether or not you need to hire a wedding planner.

I feel like a therapist ….

When I am forced to step in to help with family drama. My insight is to be polite, respectful and neutral (which depending on the situation may be challenging even for me). Often, meddlesome people just want to be heard out and sometimes need to be appreciated. Since I’m an independent third party, I’m able to bring neutrality to emotionally charged situations and offer a fair solution.

I do manual labor and other dreadful tasks…

I cannot even tell you how many times I’ve been on my hands and knees, sweating. I sometimes have to count the napkins and linens before they go back to the rental company. I’m talking dirty, smelly napkins, with food, gum and whatever else is on them. Talk about gross!

Or at almost every wedding help the bride wear her shoes, to getting under her skirt to bustle the gown and at the most recent event I even had to pack up a wedding suite of strewn dirty clothes and intimate wear so that the bride could be surprised at the upgraded suite the hotel was giving them. 

Just because you got cheaper rates online ...

Doesn’t mean you can do my job better than I can. Yes, you may have found lower rates on certain websites or online offers, but you don’t have access to the contract and package perks that I’m able to negotiate. Plus you got a wedding planner to help you with the logistics, the stress and the planning of your entire wedding. Not just because you wanted cheap rates, an offer always has its hidden terms. 

This is a full time job and then some…

On the big day we are steaming the bridal gown, pinning boutonnieres, making sure that the time lines are being met, making sure there are no spots on the glasses, allowing gum to be spit out in our hands before the ceremony, using our pockets as dustbins for your sweaty tissues, writing the groom’s speech at the last minute and the list goes on! Basically dealing with any situations that arise and ensuring that everything runs like clockwork.

We are quick on our feet…

I had a situation once where the florist forgot one of the bridesmaids bouquets. Within minutes I had one ready for her by gathering some flowers from the centerpiece arrangements and ribbons that I had in my emergency kit.

At another wedding as the lovebird’s ice carving was being wheeled into the venue, the waiter tripped and the birds fell slicing off their heads. Within 30 minutes we manage to bring in the resident band to perform for dinner and the ice carving was never missed. 

You get what you pay for…

The biggest mistake you can make is choosing the cheapest vendors in the hopes of saving money. Really research your vendors, because you truly get what you pay for.

We know some trade secrets and with our connections, we catch information about other vendors through the grapevine. Trust us when we disagree with your choice of vendors, there is always a valid reason. 

Having said that, most wedding planners are passionate about their work and for me all I need is a guest (someone I don't know) who comes up to you at a wedding and say “That was a job well done, it was a fantastic wedding” and all the sweat, blood and tears are forgotten. Even for the most challenging wedding I have even planned, when I look back at the photos all I have is great memories  and good friends.