We are honored to have guest blogger Becca Atchison from Rebecca Rose Events behind the pen this month with an incredible article about the value of a full-service planner. You’ll want to print this one for your wedding binder!
There are so many reasons it’s important to work with a wedding planner, and because of the difference it makes to have professional guidance and oversight on a wedding day, it should come as no surprise that many venues – The Barn at Reynolda Village included – either strongly suggest or require their clients to work with an event manager (often referred to as a “day-of coordinator”) at a minimum. That said, there are some important distinctions between the level of service you can expect from a coordinator offering event day management and a planner or firm that offers full-service planning.
Photo by Heather Beerman.
Though this topic could probably consume the pages of an entire book, we’re going to break it down to share three key differences and reasons to consider working with a full-service planner, so that you can discern if it’s the right choice for you!
The Big Picture & Budget Stewardship
When you set out to plan a wedding, you can bet that you’re going to be making a large investment. I’m not talking about an investment that’s merely financial in nature, it’s also an investment of your trust… trust in vendors, professionals, and services to deliver a final result that meets your expectations and represents you as a couple in a way that feels authentic, joyful, and enjoyable.
Just as you might hire a financial advisor to help give you guidance, inform your decision-making, and/or actively manage your investment strategy, an experienced full-service wedding planner can often serve you in this same capacity when it comes to the investment you make on your wedding. Be wary of online budget calculators that tell you what “the average weddings costs.” They’re rarely accurate, and they’re never going to be in tune with your specific/individual preferences or priorities. When we work with our clients – no matter the size or scope of the project or budget – we always begin by creating a comprehensive itemized budget to help give our clients a firm understanding of what they need to expect, where they can choose to save or cut back, and what options are realistic (or unrealistic). As a full-service planning firm, one of our most important responsibilities is budget stewardship, and we take it seriously.
Without an understanding of the full picture, it’s incredibly easy to overspend and make critical mistakes without even realizing that is happening. Many couples book a venue, hire a photographer, and book a band – then they reach out to us to inquire about our services. The sad truth is that they have often spent over 70% of their budget already without realizing everything they were still going to need. Good investments require sound decision-making – and that doesn’t easily happen without industry-specific expertise and experience at the helm of your research and planning process.
(My best tip: hire a planner first and enlist their guidance as you research and choose your venue and vendors!!)
Photo by Corbin Gurkin.
2. Time
Here’s a hard fact that might blow you away. When our team plans and designs a wedding, we know that we’re typically going to spend upwards of 500 hours on that project – and that’s not including the 150-200+ additional team hours we put into the week of the wedding itself. Keep in mind that our team is highly experienced and efficient, but it still takes that kind of time.
Do you have that kind of time? Realistically, it will be more time than that if this isn’t something you do regularly. The number one stressor for couples planning a wedding is the sheer amount of overwhelm that creeps in due to the time that has to be spent putting together something so complex.
Every couple is unique, and for some, time is more abundant, and the process is fun. But if you’re a busy professional with a full-time career, or a student in college, law school, medical school, graduate school, etc. – it’s an undeniable fact that when you plan a wedding on your own, you will essentially add the equivalent of a full-time job to your plate.
A full-service wedding planner gives you the time and space to enjoy the season of your engagement and the planning process. Your enjoyment and peace of mind are invaluable.
Photo by Perry Vaile.
3. The Right Team for the Job
As with many things in life, the adage is true: you will get what you pay for. The common reason to avoid hiring a full-service planner is cost. And in the context of a wedding, it’s true that you can have a wedding without a planner. After all, the only things you really need to have a wedding are two people who want to be married, a legal officiant, and a marriage license. Everything else is a choice. But remember, that if you’re choosing to invest in a celebration with your family, friends, and loved ones, the choices you make will determine (a) how much you spend, (b) how enjoyable the planning experience will be, (c) how enjoyable the wedding day will be, and (d) how well your memories are both created and captured.
Some of the most important decisions you’ll make will involve choosing your team of professional vendors, which include but are not limited to the following: the venue, a caterer, a cake baker, a photographer, a videographer, officiant, ceremony musicians, reception entertainment, floral design, transportation, tabletop rentals, furniture rentals, audio-visual & lighting, stationery, a calligrapher, hair and makeup artists, fashion elements, guest accommodations, and more.
The bottom line here is that all of the vendors you hire need to function exceptionally well together as a team. They should be insured, experienced, licensed (when applicable), and play well with others. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many individuals and companies there are operating in the industry that don’t meet that criteria, and that’s why we spend so much time researching, vetting, and cultivating strong relationships, so that we can make recommendations and source options for our clients with confidence.
Consider this: your team of pros may have never all collaborated together before – and may never do so again. They need to do exceptional work, and they have one shot to get it right for you, because there are no advance rehearsals and no do-overs for your wedding day. And all of this means that you need the right team for you, not just a random selection of folks from lists of vendors.
A good, experienced planner will take great care to help you source an incredible team. Your planner will spearhead research, the vetting process as needed, and take on countless hours of communication to make sure the vendor team is equipped with all of the information and details they’ll need to do their best work for you… and then that same planner is there onsite to actively orchestrate everything seamlessly. The right team synergy makes a world of difference!
Photo by Olivia Suriano.
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I hope this is helpful, but know that it’s truly the tip of the iceberg, and there’s a lot more to consider. If you’re on the fence about whether you need or want a full-service planner for your wedding – I highly encourage you to reach out to some to find out more. It will be well worth your while.
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Rebecca Rose Events is a full-service destination wedding planning, design, and production firm based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Their studio is conveniently located in Reynolda Village just across from The Barn at Reynolda Village! Learn more at rebeccaroseevents.com and follow along on social media for more tips, insights, and an ongoing behind-the-scenes look on Instagram (@rroseevents).