Today is September 17, 2020! It’s even more confusing than ever to navigate through the wedding process, where to go, HOW DO I GET THE HELP I NEED? Well, to be honest, it’s a personal choice in how you interact with personalities. Hiring a seasoned planner is always the best choice for a few reasons: They have a TURNKEY system in how things flow, and have an amazing resource you will have access to. We DO not expect you to have an additional five-thousand hours (I am exaggerating of course, but you get it) to research the right venue, ask the KEY questions, read through contracts that are pages long.
It’s tedious, overwhelming and CONFUSING. Having a seasoned planner that will navigate through red tape is priceless. We speak the language you are trying to learn. Even for those of you who have been involved with planning your friends wedding, it’s not your JOB to know everything.
Here is the top 10 reasons why you should hire a planner that WORKS well with you:
- Interview process – Schedule a series of video chats to get a feel for their personality. It’s imperative you listen to US on this. Phone calls are effective, but they can’t give you facial expressions and genuine, heartfelt advice. Be sure you record it, or have the planner record it and send it back for reference.
- Q&A – Ask the planner WHY they chose this profession. It really does matter, their story. Behind your engagement, every planner has their own unique story how and WHY they chose this profession.
- Service boundaries – Ask your planner if they provide unlimited contact throughout the process. It’s a MUST. No matter what options you have chosen for your planner to achieve, connection during the process is crucial. We are in the SERVICE business. We form connections with vendors in the community and become a RESOURCE for your wedding, USE IT! Most planners don’t allow you to have unlimited ANYTHING, WE DO! It’s our job to provide the best service and resources to plan your wedding, no matter what level of service you decide to invest in with SBE.
- Liability – Make sure your PLANNER has liability insurance! This is a HUGE one to swallow for smaller planners. Most every venue/homeowner will require a planner to carry insurance. Magic numbers is 1,000,000 in coverage with a 2,000,000 aggregate policy. DO NOT HIRE A PLANNER WITHOUT IT. This will protect your investment and give you peace of mind.
- Back up plan? – Does your planner design a weather/backup plan? Let’s face it, Southern California has been so unpredictable in rain, heat, and cold weather. This is something you should be sure of, without a backup plan, you can have utter disaster. Ask your planner how they would structure your backup plan.
- Does your planner emulate your ideal work-wife? Yes, work-wife. Hiring a planner to alleviate daunting tasks and take the guess work out of the process is truly just the beginning. Get to know them, ask personal questions about themselves. You must TRUST your planner with personal family and friendship issues.
- Price comparisons – This is probably the most sought after task brides/grooms will have difficulty in analyzing, PRICE. I will make it simple for you: Choosing on price alone will get you in trouble. While most planners work on a flat fee, be sure they are reputable and can provide a custom, detailed plan of action pricing portfolio for you. All clients are different and require certain levels of price points based on the investment.
- Vendor Selection – If you have any doubt, this is one of the best reasons to hire a planner. Relationships and partnerships have been built, with years of working together as a team. Choosing vendor partners that work well together, have experience of how to work with YOUR planner is a sure fire way to be sure everything goes off without issues. It takes time for a group of vendors to work together in unison. Choosing vendor s that don’t work with planners, or haven’t is a no brainer to cross off your list. Your planner is the heart and brain of the logistics, and if vendors don’t usually work with planners, don’t plan on communication to go well.
- Length of time – How many years of experience should my planner have? This is the “tough” decision for most couples that are on a budget. Be sure to hire a planner that has 5 years or more producing weddings and working with vendor partners. The more experience a planner has, the easier your life will be. They take on the tasks of figuring out what will work best for YOU. Experience takes time to develop, and doesn’t happen overnight.
- Sincerity combined with a NO-Nonsense attitude – Your planner should be genuine, sincere and really understand that this process is emotional. He/she will be in your corner at all times, and you should get the impression that they will drop the hammer when they need to. It’s not all lights, glamour and LOVE dealing with so many elements and personalities. Your planner must be able to get the job done, and have a NO-NONSENSE approach. Time is important, especially in the descent of your wedding. They should be truthful about the process, pricing of vendors, etc. It’s not necessarily what you WANT to hear, but you will thank them later to avoid any hiccups or backlash.
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