“We are engaged!” What an exciting time for you! That wedding of your dreams will start to become a reality! We have had the privilege of assisting many couples through the wedding planning process, and our favorite times always include seeing the joy on the faces of the bride, groom, and their family and friends as they all thoroughly enjoy their day.
Once the ring is on her finger, find your wedding planner. Too often couples come to us after they have already booked their venue and other vendors. Hiring a professional planner should be the first step for every couple as they start to plan their big day. You will enjoy the benefits of the planner’s years of experience and professional expertise if you hire your planner first.
We’ve collected six of our top reasons why hiring a planner first can not only save you time, stress, and money but also help you to make the right (and best) decisions for your event.
ONE ~ The Venue
Planners are incredibly important sources of information for you in your venue search. There are so many variables to consider when pricing out venues. Couples do not always realize the additional fees and upgrades they may need to add on to get the event that they want. If you have a planner on your team who understands your vision, s/he can provide suggestions for how each considered venue will work for your style and lay out the associated costs with those details. Some venues are all-inclusive, some are not. Rentals are included with some venue packages, but not all. Planners can break down the pricing of each venue to give you the full picture for a true cost comparison of the venues on your list.
TWO ~ The Vendors
A seasoned planner who works in the vicinity of your wedding venue will have a network of trusted vendors to recommend to make your day run smoothly. We source vendors within this network who best fit both your style and budget. Sometimes planners are even able to get slightly better rates with these preferred vendors because most credible wedding vendors want to work with expert planners as much as we want to work with them! Established planning companies often have exclusive partnerships with local companies, such as rentals and stationery, that could help couples save on these services as well.
THREE ~ The Contracts
In addition to vetting the right venue and vendors, we also review contracts to ensure that our couples are protected. It happens far too often that couples have booked a venue and/or vendors before we meet them, and then they realize that they weren’t the best fit for their budget, style, personality, or their ideal wedding weekend. Now they are stuck in a contract with regrets. Of course, a good wedding planner can also help to remedy these tricky situations, but it’s better to avoid them altogether by hiring the planner first!
FOUR ~ The Budget
Spending part of your wedding budget on a planner can help you to save a great deal of money on your bottom line. The earlier a newly-engaged couple can book a wedding planner, the better for that budget. Through our budget consultations, we are able to break down a couple’s overall wedding budget in relation to their guest count to offer guidance on what range they should stay in for each vendor and service. We have our couples focus on their top three priorities for their wedding so that most of the budget goes toward their favorites whether that is the venue, the food, the band, the flowers, the photographer, the cake, the bar, or something else entirely.
FIVE ~ The Design
In designing an event of large scale, we know what is needed for guests and vendors alike. Each guest will need a chair, a table, a table setting, and a napkin. Your bartender needs a bar – maybe 2. Your caterer needs tables, and the number of tables depends upon your menu, guest count, and manner of service. Tables need linens, and the sizes of those linens are very specific for each table for the look that you desire. The band needs a stage, maybe a tent, or even a generator! Can you save a few dollars by using the flowers from the church at the reception? What other colors will look good with guava or pomegranate or cerulean? You have questions. We have answers!
SIX ~ The Confidant
Your mother or aunt or sister or best friend has very specific things in mind for your wedding. You don’t know how to tell her that you have your own ideas… that you want to explore options and trends. How can you choose just the right song for your first dance or the other special dances? You just aren’t sure how to keep the peace during an exhilarating yet incredibly stressful time. We can help. Our clients talk to us. We give our clients unlimited communication from beginning to end. Your lead planner becomes your sounding board, your advisor, your partner, your confidant. When we arrive on site, we head to the bride’s getting ready location to pop in, say hello, and let that bride know that all is well… the planner is on the job!
If you are looking for a fabulous location for a destination wedding, look no further than Charleston, Hilton Head Island, Savannah, and the Golden Isles, then give us a call! We would love to help you to plan the wedding of your dreams in one of the dreamiest places on earth. Just remember… hire us first!
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