Should you hire a wedding planner, or try to do it yourself? Expert advice from Snappening.com

Deciding whether or not to hire a wedding planner is something that nags every bride and groom. Sure, your mom or best friends might have assumed that role, but relationships have been destroyed by far less. This is why I urge couples to at least consider hiring a planner, if nothing more than for sanity’s sake.

Once couples have made the decision to hire a planner, they often find that it’s easier said than done. Not every wedding planner is the same, so searching for the one that is perfect for your wedding needs can be a challenge. Our site offers an extensive professional wedding planner search option to solve this dilemma for brides and grooms in the Indianapolis area all the time. We also urge the future Mr. & Mrs. to keep a few things in mind when selecting a wedding planner and we thought they would be helpful for the BridalTweet community too. Enjoy!

How will you pay for the planner?

Planners may charge a flat fee (based on an hourly rate) or a percentage of the cost of the event (for larger events). It is possible to find a wedding planner that will offer his/her services for free, but it is rare. Have an idea of how much you are budgeting for the planner when you meet for the first time. If you’re not sure what amount is necessary, bring it up to the planner and let her help you develop a plan. This is what the planner will follow throughout the entire planning process so it is very important.

What's your wedding budget?
Have a budget in mind before you even meet with potential planners. A good wedding planner should be able to look at your budget, the elements you want to include in your wedding and tell you what is realistic and what is out of reach. Until the planner is given an idea of your budget, it will be hard for her to begin planning your wedding. Time is money today and you simply cannot ignore the fact that your sanity has a value. A very good planner should be able to help you negotiate better pricing in several areas of your budget, thus making your additional expense to have hired him little to none.

How much help do you need from your wedding planner?
Depending on the size of your wedding and how much time you have to devote to the planning process, you may need different levels of help. Wedding planners typically operate by one of three packages:

• Consultation Only: The planner won’t be at your wedding typically, but will teach you the skills to planning your own day, and normally will charge an hourly rate for his or her expertise, while you handle the heavy lifting to get the vendors selected, hired, scheduled and the overall event designed.
• Day-Of-Event Coordinator: In addition to consultation, the planner will make themselves available shortly prior to the wedding date and on event day will be your voice and direction while you get ready, greet guests and enjoy your day.
• Full Planning Services: A master of ceremonies and planning know-how, if you will. This planner will coordinate and direct all the budget, vendor selections, timeline, additional events (rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, etc.) events of the day for the wedding and any other tasks as assigned, to your specifications. Kind of like your own Steven Spielberg, this package offers the bride the greatest amount of support through the entire planning process, normally over a 8 to 12-month period prior to the wedding date.

What do you want your wedding to be like?
Make sure that you share your ideas and wedding fantasies with the wedding planner from the start. No matter how involved you can be in the planning process, keep in mind that this is your special day. A good wedding planner is a good listener, so make sure that you feel the planner is making sure to take your ideas into account at all times.

So there’s a lot to consider. Most of all? Money. No matter what your budget is, it is possible to create a one-of-a-kind wedding with the help of a professional wedding planner so don’t feel pressured to increase your spending.

Investigate your wedding planner options. What’s the harm? See what’s possible and at least consider the possibility that it will be worth your while to have help from a professional who can deal with details – so you can focus on the fun!

About Snappening

Snappening is an online event planning database service headquartered in Indianapolis. It was born out of real-life need by a real-life consumer doing what we all want to do most--plan an exceptional event to create a lasting memory. Since its 2011 launch, the site has provided more than 120,000 consumers, venues and professional planners with an online service that makes event venue and event planner searches quick and easy, as well as provides highly localized event planning inspiration, tips and tools. Snappening's mission is to be widely recognized as the most comprehensive and complete event planning listing service for all special events and private functions. The site estimates a time savings of four to eight hours by bringing all options together in one well-appointed location. For more information, visit Snappening.com.

About the Author

Crystal Grave is a seasoned business influencer, public speaker, strategic planning expert and avid social media marketing maven. Her 15 years of branding, public relations, marketing and sales experience have afforded her the opportunity to plan hundreds of personal and professional events for anything from a handful of friends to more than 50,000 attendees.

Crystal has an extensive network of professionals in and around event industry and has relied upon this network to create an incomparable online event planning service. Snappening is the result of tireless research and development with professionals in a variety of disciplines along with feedback and suggestion from a variety of consumers, professional planners and venue managers.