"Learning From The Experts"

Although they are technically not considered a "wedding expert," I would say that a previous bride has a lot of insight that they can share with future brides.  I asked one of our previous clients to comment on this and hopefully it will help future brides to hear it straight from the source...

Previous Bride's statement:

Hiring a Wedding Planner:  An Investment in Sanity

I almost didn't hire a wedding planner for my October 2008 wedding.  Like many brides out there, I thought "I can handle this," because I loved planning a wedding.  How hard could it be to pick out flowers and cake?  I didn't hire anyone until just a few months before the wedding, and my only regret was that I didn't hire one earlier!
First of all, wedding planners can save you a lot of time and money.  They know who the best vendors in town are, and they can get you a discount on their services.  Having reliable vendors at your wedding is so important.  You can spend a ton of money on someone and they can provide you with a poor product.  This doesn't happen with wedding planners; they use reliable vendors who they've worked with before and who have motivation to provide top notch services.  I had many of my vendors booked before hiring Shayna, and we wound up changing some and I could have booked others at lower prices with her help! She also gave me some really great vendors, who I was very happy with.

Second reason to hire a wedding planner - your sanity.  Someone has to be in charge on your wedding day.  Decisions have to be made like where does the wedding party go when they arrive, who will tell the band what time to make announcements, what happens if it rains, what happens if the limo driver doesn't show up -- do you want that stress on the happiest day of your life?  And if it is not you, do you want that stress on your mom or sister or best friend that day?  No.  Hire someone to deal with it -- Shayna has dealt with and solved every problem you can't even imagine could happen.  Book a wedding planner, and you're booking your peace of mind.  

Third reason to hire a wedding planner - you never have to be the bad guy.  No one likes to see a Bridezilla.  Especially not on her wedding day!  Let your wedding planner take care of dealing with those stressful issues.  If you're not happy with the way your makeup artist did your trial, have your wedding planner talk to her about it.  Or if the band is playing the wrong songs, she can step in and tell them what to do.  All a bride should do at her wedding is smile and enjoy herself, and wedding planners make this possible.

Finally, wedding planners know so much more about weddings than the average bride ever would know.  There were so many details planners think of and plan for that I never knew existed!  They know all of the customs of tipping and helped me prepare for that before the wedding day.  Hiring a good wedding planner, like Shayna who knows the industry, will provide you with a wealth of knowledge you can't get anywhere else.  

I have nothing but wonderful memories from my wedding day.  I don't ever think I've smiled as much as I did that day and it was because I was happy with my vendors, I was prepared, and I didn't have to deal with any details.  What's the point in going through all the hassle of planning a beautiful wedding if you can't enjoy it?  And why not save some money in the process?  This is why a wedding planner is a must.  Trust me.  You won't regret it.