There are a lot of myths about wedding planners, and I am here to debunk five of the most popular ones.

A wedding planner will get you a lot of discounts.

A wedding planner may work with venues and vendors who offer discounts to their couples, but it’s important to not assume you will automatically receive discounts if you work with a planner. Wedding professionals charge what they charge based on their expertise, the couple’s specific details and several other factors. The more important value of a wedding planner is their knowledge in all things related to weddings and their ability to provide professional, quality and reliable venues and vendors that fit a couple’s budget, style, and wants.

A wedding planner and a day of coordinator are the same thing.

PSA: Day-of coordination is a myth. Someone cannot just show up on the wedding day with no information or meetings prior to the wedding and ensure a couple’s event runs smoothly—it doesn’t work that way. The difference between a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator is a wedding planner gets involved anywhere between 6-18 months before the wedding day to help a couple with a variety of planning aspects—venue hunting, searching for and hiring vendors, creating and respecting budgets, design and décor advice, plus all the responsibilities of a wedding coordinator. A wedding coordinator generally gets involved 1-3 months before the wedding day (after everything is set) to gather information and details from the couple, confirm services and times with vendors, create a master timeline and be the point person on the wedding day to properly execute the couple’s vision and run a successful event. 

A full-service wedding planner handles all the details.

Every wedding planner will have a list of services they will do in their full-service package and should clarify what they won’t do. For example, some planners may include mailing wedding invites and managing guest RSVPs in their full-service package, while others may not. Some planners will steam your wedding dress on the day of, while others won’t. It’s important to find out exactly what is included with a full-service planner and not assume they will do everything for your wedding. 

A wedding planner and a venue coordinator are the same thing.

A wedding planner is an advocate and representative of the couple while a venue coordinator is loyal to the venue. A venue coordinator can help a couple with various planning elements, but planning is generally related and restricted to the venue. A venue coordinator is also a representative of the venue whose primary goal is to do what is best for the venue—not necessarily what is best for the couple. A wedding planner, on the other hand, assists in any and all areas of planning to turn a couple’s vision into a reality, is a neutral third party, the main point person between the couple and all their vendors on the wedding day, and the one who ensures the wedding runs as smooth as possible from the big picture to the little details.

Most of a wedding planner’s work is on the wedding day.

Between securing a venue, hiring vendors, finalizing the wedding colors & design, and confirming all the big & small details to create a master timeline, most of a wedding planner’s work happens before the wedding day. Wedding planning requires a ton of prep work in advance, so a wedding planner spends countless hours ahead of the wedding day to ensure everything in order and create a seamless event. The wedding day is the final piece to implement all the details that came together during the wedding planning process! 

A wedding planner will provide peace of mind, experience and knowledge for your wedding. A planner is an invaluable resource when it comes to planning one of the biggest and most important milestones in your life!

Tuesday, April 30, 2024