Posted on 7th April 2013
at 11:48 am
by iwbadmin /
blog, Wedding Blogger, Wedding Culture Ireland, Wedding Planners, Wedding Questions, Wedding Tips
Guest Blogger Alert!!!!
Bláithín O’ Reilly Murphy – The Wedding Expert
First off, Ill be open and honest; I am a Wedding Planner… and while you might instantly think… hmmmm this is going to be one big sales pitch, it’s not… I am going to share with you how you can plan an amazing wedding, save loads of time, have little to no stress and save bags of money… by using a Wedding Planner.
Before we start, lets address the big questions that often surrounds Wedding Planners – their fees. Some Wedding Planners cost big money, its true, as do some venues, some photographers and some bands. Its a question of relativity and what you hire a Wedding Planner to do.
If you hired a Wedding Planner to help you plan your entire wedding, start to finish, you will probably pay in the region of 10% – 20% of your wedding budget. Which can range from €1500 – €5,000+, for a personalized professional service that last 18-24 months, for ad hoc services this can be as low as a few hundred euro. { Not so much when you think all the time, advice and information you will be getting, is it?}It is even better value when you consider most Wedding Planners, if not all, will actually save you money… most often, the cost of their fees and more!!
{Good} Wedding Planners know weddings inside out, where the deals are, what is value for money, what is a rip off and how to create, manage and keep a wedding budget on track! They also have access to excellent discounts and great deals. All invaluable, regardless of your wedding dreams or budget.
It goes without saying that if you are a busy couple, with high hopes for your wedding, but are time poor, a Wedding Planner is an excellent investment for you, particularly when you consider the average brides spends 253 hours planning her wedding. Do you have that much time to spare? But of course, there are many couples out there, who have the time, but perhaps not the knowledge to plan a wedding; a Wedding Planner can help here too…
You do not have to hire a Wedding Planner to help with your complete wedding. Perhaps all you need is a couple of hours to get you started or to ‘pick their brains’ on some ideas and to get better informed. No problem, you can hire a Wedding Planner on an hourly rate, for 1 – 2 hours or buy a block of consultations to help you as and when you need it.
Or perhaps there is one task;
- finding the venue,
- choosing your wedding theme or colours
- buying the wedding dress
that you could definitely use professional help on, you can hire a Wedding Planner to just help with that too.
Ultimately a Wedding Planner can help you with all or as little of your wedding as you need. And having someone with professional, realistic, unbiased advice can help you save time, stress and money, particularly when your wedding day, will most likely, be the single most expensive ‘purchase’ of your life {second to your home, and I am sure you wouldn’t buy a house without consulting a professional ~ would you?}
So how do you find a Wedding Planner and most importantly the one that is right for you?
Google and Wedding Directories will give you a list of Wedding Planners servicing your area {or give me a call :)}. Be sure that you are looking at actual Wedding Planners and not other Wedding Suppliers who have just purchased a listing in that category. Because you will {potentially} work with your Wedding Planner for some weeks, possibly months, its important they are a good fit for you and your wedding. Most Wedding Planners offer an initial ‘free’ consultation; use this and meet with the them {in person or via Skype/ Phone} and get a real sense for who they are, how they work and their understand of your vision for your wedding day.
Establish:
- How long they’ve been a Wedding Planner.
- How many weddings they work on in a given year.
- What qualifications or background they have.
- If they have insurance.
- Ask to speak with past clients.
- Do you like them?
- Do you trust them?
Remember: a Wedding Planner’s job is not to take over your wedding, but to realize and help you create your wedding.
Whether you decide to use a Wedding Planner for all, or part of your wedding, be sure they are the right one for you and that you will enjoy working with them. Planning your wedding should be fun and as stress free as possible; a {good} Wedding Planner will ensure this
The Wedding Expert
is the case!
Today’s blog post was brought to you by Wedding Planner, Author and Speaker Bláithín O’ Reilly Murphy, The Wedding Expert who writes the daily wedding blog WeddingHigh.com and is author of Distinctive Weddings; Tying the Knot without the Rope Burns and soon to be published Bend, Kneel or Bow; What to do at a Wedding Ceremony and 101 Ways to Propose.
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