Today, Kimberly tells us how she found the perfect planner to guide her through her wedding planning…
Reality has finally set in that I’m working full time and trying to plan a wedding. YIKES! I am suddenly very overwhelmed. In my heart I might want to plan my entire wedding, but the reality is I don’t have enough energy (or time) to do so. Images from the show “Bridezillas” run through my head. I make a mad dash to the computer to begin researching wedding planners. Here are some things I learned and might help you should you choose to enlist the help of a planner:
For every bride there’s a planner – Are you more hands on and want less help with your wedding? Hire a month of planner. Looking for someone to take care of every aspect of your wedding? Full service is the way to go. In short, no matter what level of service you’re looking for, there is a planner to help.
A planner is more affordable than you might think – All planners are not created equal. Some charge a percentage of your entire wedding budget, others charge one flat fee based on the services you want. Once you know what type of help you want, you will be able to find a planner that fits comfortably within your budget.
Photo by Ralph Alswang Photography
A planner often can actually save you money (and time) – Planners have an endless network of contacts, which saves you time from having to research if they are a fit for you. A planner puts you in touch with vendors that work for your budget. She might also be able to negotiate pricing and upgrades on your behalf and extend her discounts which saves you money.
Interview, Interview, Interview (don’t forget references too!) – It’s not as easy as you think to find a planner you like, but will also share “your vision” of your wedding day. Don’t hesitate to interview as many planners as it takes to find the one that best represents you and what your day will be about. A good planner should happily provide references not just from brides, but from other vendors and outside sources so you have lots of opinions to consider.
Finding my planner has been akin to finding “the dress”. It might be the first one you try on; it might be the 10th. However, once you find it, you just know. During one of my interviews, something happened. The person I was sharing my thoughts with tossed out a fabulous idea – something that I wanted to possibly explore, but hadn’t yet shared in the meeting. Once she said it, I looked at her, and smiled. She “got” me and the look I wanted. I had found my planner.
Photo by Ralph Alswang Photography
Aimee Dominick of A. Dominick Events has agreed to help me plan one of the most important days of my life. I’m glad Aimee will by my side and share my journey down the aisle. I’ll take this moment now to thank her for helping me make decisions that will allow my day to be everything that I have ever imagined!
thanks for writing about this! i was wondering if there were different levels of “planners”. I’d be interested in using one to help find locations and vendors and get me on my feet. I wouldn’t need them too much once I got started though.
Any suggestions on how to go about actually finding planners to interview though?
The District Favorites List and The Washingtonian are both fantastic resources.
Nicole -
Thanks for taking time to read my post! Danielle is absolutely correct! I did first start with the District Favorites list and the Washingtonian. To make sure i reviewed a variety of vendors that might not be listed on either of the aforementioned sites, i did a general “Washingon Metro Wedding Planners” search on google. Most of the time involved doing this is spent taking time to look at the planners sites, review the types of weddings they have done and then start narrowing down to a managable list. The wonderful thing with this is that should you find someone that you might want to hire, but aren’t sure if they fit comfortably within your budget, you can request a consultation with them. Almost all of the planners will meet with you (for free) and then will send you back a proposal with what it will cost to plan the wedding for whatever level of service you want. You should always be an educated consumer and know that this is your money, and you should feel comfortable with speding it with someone you will trust!
Thanks again for reading, and congratulations!
Kimberly