Wedding planner???

I have worked with a few and in my honest opinion, if you are getting married at a hotel then there should be no need for one. If you get good suppliers they can liase with the venue and usually need to talk to the B & G direct, a wedding planner can cause all sorts of problems.

However if you are have a marquee or a DIY wedding in a village hall where you do not have someone running the show such as a manager of a hotel then i feel a wedding planner can help in this instance.

I may have just had a bad run with Wedding planners, but they seem to just put obstacles in the way of suppliers and couples communicating .

I would never consider a planner as i feel it would be a bit like Chinese whispers the message can get diluted being passed on to suppliers second hand...plus in the age of the internet and email its very quick and easy to research and communicate with suppliers 24/7

Exactly this! Seemed an unnecessary expense, plus I love organising stuff and being in control (yes I know, issues)

Hi,

We have a wedding planner but then we are getting married in Rhodes & I would not be without her, she is just amazing. If we were marrying in the UK then I'd have done it myself.

I have one but she serves more as an "on the day manager" than a planner (though she has made some very helpful suggestions regarding decor, etc.) Because our reception venue doesn't have an in-house wedding manager, and our ceremony and drinks reception are at another location, we felt like we needed someone to ensure that everything was sorted accordingly.

I offer wedding services (not a big fan of the word 'planner') and I sometimes think what we do gets a little lost in translation.

The bride and groom plan their wedding (with a little help from family and friends). I see my role as 'wedding assistant' - someone who is there to do the fetching and carrying, the timing, negotiating prices, saying 'no' on behalf of the couple when needed, correspondence, sourcing, family liaison, 'blame the planner' when the couple need to make a difficult decision and generally be a support to the couple on the day. I'm the couple's personal assistant really.

I know the tips of the trade on how to save money and wont be convincing you to have this and order that - in fact my mantra is 'save, save, save money'. Plus my suppliers offer discounts to couples who engage me so in the long run you should save money. I've saved FOTB from spending thousands at the bar because they got tipsy and a bit carried away - I've taken drunken fist swinging blokes out onto the lawn and given them a damn good telling off (including a groom once!!!) - I've stitched dresses, saved centre pieces from going walkies out the door with guests, got red wine out of a dress, rescued the bridal suite key from some prankster guests who stole it and all manner of jobs on the day because I'm on the look out.

Venue co-ordinators (and I know because I've been one) are only responsible for your reception so if the cars don't turn up or the florist doesn't show it's not up to them to sort it out. Also, venue co-ordinators are not independent. They don't work for you whereas your wedding support person does. Corporate and private are very different. Corporate isnt a lifetime of memories. Your wedding day is.

Re: communicating - getting your supplier team around the table with you for a wedding meeting is important to ensure everyone knows what's happening then nothing gets lost in translation.

I have heard horror stories about planners though - some who even failed to turn up to the wedding - but I have heard that said of photographers and caterers too AND venues double booking and not getting the food right. I know to some however that 'wedding planner' is a dirty word It's horses for courses at the end of the day. I personally think its about working with someone you really trust on all counts - whether that's a wedding planner or someone else but don't underestimate what a good wedding assistant can do for you ?