What Does a Wedding Planner Do?
Wedding Planner
There are many duties performed by a wedding planner. This type of professional consultant is used to assist in the planning of a wedding, which for some couples can be expensive and complicated. Wedding planners are there to make sure everything goes smoothly and that the couple has the wedding of their dreams. These professionals make planning a wedding and reception less stressful and more fun, which is how it should be. After all, weddings are a celebration of love and commitment, and a couple and/or their family should not be overwhelmed with stress while planning such a happy event.
The first step after hiring a planner is to meet with them. If the couple is planning the wedding together they will meet with the planner, but in traditional scenarios it will be the bride and her family. During this first consultation, the budget will be discussed as well as the overall type of wedding that is to be planned. The planner takes the budget and the preferences of their client then scouts and recommends venues for the ceremony, possible reception locations, caterers, DJs or bands, photographers and florists.
The wedding planner does not take over the planning completely; the couple still has plenty of say when it comes to what they want or do not want. They are the main decision makers when it comes to who to hire and the details like what kind of flowers, what kind of cake, what color decorations, and so forth. Of course the planner can take as active a role as you wish; if you want to give him or her a set of guidelines then leave everything in their hands, you can do that. It all depends on how involved the bride, groom and possibly the bride’s family want to be in planning the details.
The cost for a wedding planner will vary depending on various factors. Your location and the expertise of the planner has a lot to do with price. A planner who has just opened his or her business will charge less in order to build up a clientele. And of course a more experienced planner will charge more. Some wedding planners charge by the hour, others charge a percentage of the price allotted for the wedding, usually anywhere from 10 to 20 percent.