Hello - could I have honest opinions please?

Personally i wouldnt, in this finacial climate i do not think people have the disposable income to pay out for a wedding planner on top of the cost of weddings. But of course some do!

I also work from home, love crafts and organising so for me it wasn't even an option as i have lots of time to plan myself.

I did wonder though, if as a wedding planner you could cut deals with venues and suppliers for recommending them and actually get better deals for brides. By lowering the cost of supplies, venues which in turns would pay for a wedding planner in savings... just a thought.

I don't think the market is out there. At least not much of one.

I would never hire a wedding planner who only had their own wedding as experience. If they hadn't organised a number of weddings I would be looking for them to have worked in the events industry for a good number of years. Running an event is entirely different to planning your own wedding.

I would expect to see very strong links with suppliers - hiring a wedding planner should never increase a couple's budgetary spend. Basically, the savings the planner can make you through their contacts should cover their fee.

Sorry, but I also never considered hiring a wedding planner. Could you get into being wedding coordinator at a venue?

There are courses and qualifications you would need. Also the stress of managing a perfect wedding not to your taste every time would be massive. Only met one wedding planner at a wedding fair too in 7 years

I personally would never hire them. I still have a way to go, but so far i haven't found wedding planning particularly stressful or difficult and have enjoyes deciding on the suppliers and I work ridicuously long hours. The only things that appear to be somewhat stressful are family-type issues, which a wedding planner couldn't sort anyway.

Not for me either. For me the plannings all the fun.

Hi yummymummy - I remember you! Honest opinion - I've worked with on odd occasions, and been approached by, various wedding planners over the years. Of the new ones who start up without any qualifications, courses i.e., just for the love of it, don't stay in the job for very long. Generally they didn't get much business or they couldn't afford to pay the insurance that you need to have if anything goes wrong.

It's like a lot of other jobs that look glamourous from the outside but once you're in it, it's not as much fun as it seems. The stress is enormous and all of the responsibility of making sure that the suppliers turn up, do a good job, please the couple etc are all on your shoulders. Wedding suppliers come and go at the drop of a hat. Most enter into the business thinking its a good way to make mega amounts of money but, contrary to opinion,that's just not true.

If you are really serious about doing it, do lots of market research in your area to see how many others are doing it, enrol on a course, take as many qualifications as you can so you can prove to people that you know what you are doing, and try and build up a bank of reliable, reputable suppliers.

Lots of couples actually love planning their own wedding or wouldn't trust someone to do it all for them as they would like it. If you are thinking along the lines of asking suppliers for discounts then be warned that very few suppliers will offer discounts to wedding planners because we are all working to very tight profit margins due to rising costs. I personally prefer to deal direct with the Bride and Groom rather than rely on feedback from a planner as to what the couple want as people can interpret things very differently when passing information on. I do, however, work closely with lots of wedding co-ordinators in various hotels which is different to being a wedding planner although these have a very fast turnover too as you've probably seen mentioned on here over the years!

I personally wouldn't.

The only person I know who has a wedding planner is the type of person who hired her planner just to say she has one and frankly I think her planner is naff. Countless times my friend has come to me with something her planner has found for her and I've known where it's from already because I've found it myself (or some of the lovely people on here have pointed me in the direction of it).

I want to enjoy every second of my wedding including the planning.

Hi

If im honest then i wouldnt hire one either, i have already had trouble with the person who was doing my wedding invitations as a gift (telling me what i can have and cant have, demanding to come to the venue and she aint even family). I think wedding planners are more of an american thing than british. I agree with a previous comment, how about getting into a venue and being a wedding co-ordinator, i think brides and grooms appreciate more of a contact than someone who will plan the whole thing. I am enjoying the planning bit myself and at least then when the big day does come along, i can look back and know that we organised it ourselves

?

Nope, I would never have hired one.

I did enquire with one in Sydney, as I was planning our Sydney wedding from London. I had hoped that she might have had more recommendations of venues that I hadnt seen while there myself.

I didnt hire her for a few reasons:

- The cost. I didnt feel she could help with savings much more than I did myself

- She kept recommending venues that were unsuitable, & can only think she got cut backs at those venues

- Even organising a whole wedding on the other side of the world isnt that difficult with the internet nowadays.

As others have said, maybe start off with being a wedding co-ordinator at a venue or events manager before commiting to it on your own.

Thank you for your replies. I'm not surprised by your answers if I'm honest. it was just one of my many business ideas that sprung into my head. sleep deprevation always makes ideas sound better than they probably are ?

Rainbow Florist - its nice to be remembered. especially as I've had a name change when I moved over to BT after my wedding.

My on the day organiser/planner was worth her weight in Gold ?

Instead of planning the whole wedding how about one aspect?

For example hiring out sweet buffets, making stationary or bouquets.

There are probably people who wouldn't consider a planner for the whole thing but would need help for a little bit of it.

This is a good idea, ive hired a room dresser, shes hiring me the chair covers, linen etc and will dress the venue - as its a barn. She also said she doesnt mind putting out all of my DIY stuff either so that great for me. So not a planner as such, but someone who will make my wedding look pretty - as ill be getting ready in the morning.

Thank you ladies. I do have a couple more ideas that I would probably be able to expand later on.

Our venue had a planner/organiser which took a lot of the worry away from me but this was part of the deal when we hired the venue for the wedding followed by the breakfast and then an evening do! She was brilliant and everything was worked to our budget which could be as much or as little as we dictated for the decorations. We provided the table names/place settings/favours etc and she set the whole thing up and it was done beautifully to blend in with our colour scheme and we were delighted.

As to whether I would pay out for a proper wedding planner would depend on money or lack of it, if I was artistically challenged (which I am!) and if I held down such a challenging job that I could not find the time to plan it then maybe I would do!

Swampy

Mine didn't. I hired a venue that didn't usually do wedding receptions so hired someone to set everything up and make sure the day run perfectly.

That sounds a perfect inbetween option.

One of the benefits of a "wedding Venue/Hotel" wedding is that you get a co-ordinator included.

Hey Mrs,

Personally I wouldn't have hired one when I was getting married as I am a control freak and wanted to do everything myself lol but I think there will be some people who can't be bothered with the whole thing and would happily let somebody come along and deal with all the planning.

Good luck!!

I think in the past pre internet I'd have hired a wedding planner, but because of the internet, google/loads of websites take its place. A good alternative is a blog/website that helps brides organise and recommends services/items etc. I do still see wedding planner businesses though, so I think it's still possible. I think you'd have to aim at a high end market for it though.