So What If You Can't Afford Franck or J-Lo As Your Wedding Planner?

Submitted By: Delores McCarty, Magical Memories Wedding Planning

Movies have created for us an image of the wedding planner - just think of Franck from Father of the Bride or J-Lo's character from The Wedding Planner. Although we do learn the value of having a wedding coordinator from those movies, we are led to believe that only big-scale weddings like those depicted in these movies are appropriate for wedding consulting services. Further, in these movies we don't see that there are many options of wedding consulting services available other than the full planning packages.

There are thousands of weddings that happen every year without the assistance of a wedding consultant. In the beginning stages of budget planning these couples usually decide against hiring a wedding planner concluding that their resources would be better spent elsewhere.

However, if you were to ask a newlywed bride (or a mother-of-the-bride) who had the responsibility of planning every last detail if she could have used some professional assistance in her planning, the answer will undoubtedly be "yes". After the fact, many brides, grooms, and mothers who did not hire wedding planners finally understand the enormous undertaking of planning a wedding and why a professional wedding planner is a good investment.

Did you know that bridal/wedding consultants' fees usually pay for themselves?

Take into consideration that consultants are providing you with a network of reliable vendors from which to choose; can often get discounts on products and services through their networking contacts; have probably already addressed any problems you might encounter many times before; and, more importantly, they can shoulder some of the stress you would otherwise bear; thus allowing you to focus on more personal decisions and actually enjoy the whole experience.

In addition, what you may not know is that most bridal consultants offer various levels of service or customized packages to fit your needs in various price ranges. Usually, there are at least the following types of services available:

1. Full Service Planning: helping you from start to finish, selecting vendors, planning every aspect.



2. Wedding Day Directing: Directing the rehearsal, wedding and reception only to make sure that the plans the couple has made go smoothly.



3. Consulting only: For those couples that are handling all of the details themselves, but may need some help along the way to find a certain vendor, or answer specific questions.

What about the coordinators at the event facilities?

There is some confusion in that many ceremony or reception sites have their on-site coordinators and often require customers to use them. However, you should be aware that those on-site coordinators are hired by the facility to act as hostesses for the facility and oversee the use and protection of the facility. It is their duty to help you understand the guidelines established by the facility for use. Examples of some of their responsibilities are: showing you what can and cannot be done at the facility; opening and closing the facility; and adjusting heating and air conditioning. Although these professionals usually have a very good knowledge of the facility and can be of great service, in most cases, it is not their responsibility to make sure that all of your specific personal requests are addressed; to handle your emergencies; nor to manage your vendors to make sure everything runs smoothly. And, in many cases, these on-site facility coordinators do not even attend any part of your event. Instead, they rely on their staff for your big day.

For your personal sanity and to make the wedding a wonderful experience from start to finish, check into the services of a professional experienced bridal/wedding consultant. Unlike in the movies, they aren't just for the rich and famous.

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