“Should I Hire A Wedding Planner?”  

Written by Angela Strauman

 

The love of your life has just proposed, you said yes, and voilá! You’re engaged! Let us be one of the first to say, congratulations on your engagement. But…now what? You may be thinking; Where do I start? I am way too busy to do this myself. There are too many options. Should I hire a wedding planner? Usually, there are two main responses to these emotions, one being; “I’ll hire a wedding planner.” Great. You’re already reaping the benefits of stress-free planning for your special day. The other response, from the highly organized people out there, is, “I’m not going to hire someone, I can totally do this myself.” To this we say, sure, of course you can.

However, to simplify your life, we did the research and doing it all yourself, may not be the best way to go. We had the wonderful opportunity to chat with the highly acclaimed, Lauren Grech, CEO and founder of LLG Events to see her perspective on the big question, “Should I hire a wedding planner?” She has the expertise and knowledge one would only hope to have in making such an imperative decision. Here are our thoughts!

• Reasons Couples Should Hire A Wedding Planner

To begin to answer the question of “Should I hire a wedding planner?” We thought it best to look at the reasons why couples hire a wedding planner in the first place. Lauren had some great insight on this. First of all, planners have expertise in the industry; which means your wedding isn’t their first rodeo. Comforting, yes? They know what they’re doing down to the way the floor shines. When couples decide to plan their own wedding, there are logistics they may forget to take into consideration that could create huge problems, both prior to the wedding or on the wedding day itself. For example, one big consideration is pricing within a couples budget.

“Without a planner, couples think that “oh $200,000 sounds like a lot of money, when in reality, yes, that’s a lot of money, but they don’t know how to spend that properly within the wedding industry. […] When you hire a planner, [a planner] can help show you, based on our knowledge of each of our vendors and what they cost, where you can make the most out of your […] your investment.” 
-Lauren Grech, CEO & founder of LLG Events

It’s your special day, and you want it to go well. Hiring a wedding planner will help organize those logistics so nothing falls through the cracks. Not to mention, a planner will help make sure your money is going where it matters and not wasting time and money where it doesn’t. Their expertise in the industry regarding prices, vendors, and who’s going to be the right fit for you on all fronts, from venues, to vendors, etc., guarantee you and your guests will be well taken care of. Which is a huge thing to look at. Your wedding planner has contacts and knowledge of the best of the best in the industry. Whether you want a dreamy luxurious wedding or a fun boho wedding, they know exactly who to call and who is going to fit the vibe of your wedding to make it absolutely perfect.

 

• Objections to Hiring a Planner – Our Thoughts

Still wondering, “Should I get a wedding planner?” We’ve got more thoughts for you and answers to objections you might have. From budget, to guest experience, to staying on schedule, to communication with venues, here’s another reason why you should get a planner; Lauren says it best:

“I think that anybody can plan a wedding, like, it could be very easy, and if you want to do it yourself, go for it. I mean, but [from our perspective as a wedding planner], you hire a professional to design an experience, create a story around you and your fiance, and your guests. And also, to make sure you are on track with your project, on track with your budget, on track with how you communicate with your guests and how you communicate with your vendors. You know, I wouldn’t do my own taxes, I wouldn’t buy my own house without a real estate agent, there are just certain professions that you go into, you know to hire a professional. And I believe that with wedding planning, if you are spending a certain amount of money and you care about your guests’ experience, and you don’t want to make this your full time job, then you should have a professional managing it. Every single day we are working on a couples wedding. Whether it’s sending emails to bands, organizing their floor plan, working with their venue, like we’re constantly working on a project. It is an everyday  job. For you [the couple], if you’re going to take it on, you need to have the time for it. You need to have the experience to say ‘okay this is the budget that is required for this type of event I’m expecting and looking to have.’ And most couples don’t have that experience because most couples are doing it for the first time. So if you want it done right, if you don’t want to spend too much money, or waste money on vendors [because you] didn’t realize […] how much a venue is going to cost [hire a wedding planner.] Most people don’t realize that, if they spend 50% of their budget on their venue, they don’t have money for anything else. And that’s something that planners can help you prevent. [From spending too much money on the wrong place, when you don’t have enough money for other things.]” 
-Lauren Grech, CEO & founder of LLG Events

**Insert mic drop here**

• Inexpensive Is Not Professional and Experienced

Another thought we have as to your question of, “Should I hire a wedding planner?” is that you get what you paid for. If you’re looking for luxury, style, and professionalism, and you decide you’re not going to hire a planner, or you’re going to hire the cheapest option, don’t be surprised if you end up with a big ’ol mess. Hiring a planner who is right for you and your wedding from the beginning is imperative for a successful wedding..

“[Sometimes], we end up getting couples that have worked with a previous planner that they thought was cheap and inexpensive, and was easy to book at the time. But then they realize that cheap and inexpensive doesn’t mean professional and experienced. And ultimately we end up having to rescue that wedding because they made a poor decision or poor investment in the wrong planner. 
So, […] we really try to educate and prevent clients from […] hiring somebody [who] is doing this as a hobby, not as a full time job; that doesn’t treat this as a career, [and] as a profession. [A professional is needed for success.]”
-Lauren Grech, CEO & founder of LLG Events

Simply by reading this article and making the decision to hire a wedding planner for your special day, you are already leagues ahead and we really can guarantee you’ll have an even better experience for yourself and your guests.

• Planners: Top Secret Insider Information 

The secrets out, it’s true; planners get special inside information and perks. Still wondering, “Should I get a planner?” now!? Let us lay it out for you, there might be a photographer or venue you really wanted and they said no to you. Guess what? Your planner, (being the super connected, knowledgeable-guru in the industry) might know them, can call them, and can get you exactly what you want. That inside information and those connections are only accessible for the professionals in the industry.

“Absolutely! […]That’s across the best entertainment companies, that’s even with the best venues, like if you wanted to work at the New York Public Library for example, you have to come in with a wedding planner. You can’t just walk off the street and say “oh, I want to get married at the New York Public Library, one of the most exclusive venues in New York. You have to come in with a professional. And the reason being, is because they know that with the right professional, we bring the right teams, we bring the right experience, we help the couple and guide the couple on what is required to build out that venue; so the experience is flawless for the couple, but as well as the vendors. So, most vendors prefer that you work with a planner so that they don’t have to do much overhead in terms of the work because they know that we’re gonna come in and we’re gonna provide the floor plan, we’re gonna provide the timeline, the must have photo list, the must have music list, so we make sure that, we take care of all of the things the vendors need before the vendors even ask for it.”
-Lauren Grech, CEO & founder of LLG Events

•  Last Thoughts on “Should I hire a wedding planner?”

So long answer short, you can plan your own wedding, sure, but really that level and quality of excellence comes into question when you do. You want excellence? Then hire the planner.

“[…] I highly recommend anyone that is planning a wedding, especially in the luxury market, has to have a planner. And now in the day and age of covid, and postponement and everything that we experienced with covid, planners are more imperative than they were in the past.”
-Lauren Grech, CEO & founder of LLG Events

The evidence is clear. “Should I hire a wedding planner?” Yes. You will make your life so much easier, and in turn your guests, your venue, your vendors, your parents, and your Great Aunt Tessie will thank you. Hire that wedding planner, and you will have the successful wedding of your dreams.

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