A wedding planner can spend years building the necessary experience and contacts to achieve excellence in her profession. Acquiring the services of a professional wedding coordinator on your own special day can be a definite advantage. However, not everyone can afford to hire a full time wedding professional.
A thorough wedding planner will research numerous wedding vendors to provide their client with a number of options. A good rule of thumb is to look at a minimum of three proposals for each service provider. Even if you like what you see on the first meeting, comparing various florists, DJs and caterers can give you a good idea of the market value of these services.
While not everyone has the funds to realize their dream wedding, most couples will want to get as close as possible to this ideal. Once you’ve set your budget, be prepared to be flexible with the allocation of funds. For example, if you are torn between Dom Perignon at your cocktail reception and exotic floral arrangements, you need to decide what is more important to you. If you can’t live without the flowers, you can compromise by choosing a less costly brand of champagne or vice versa. If you have a budget to keep, accept the fact that negotiating compromise is part of your job as a wedding coordinator.
In addition, be sure to evaluate the feasibility of any wedding project based on the amount of time it will take. For example, if you love the idea of personalized engraved invitations, but don’t see yourself taking the time to stencil 250 cards, either scrap the idea or delegate it to someone else.