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So what exactly is a wedding consultant? She (or he) is a specialist who plans weddings, or assists in the planning of weddings, on a professional basis. She is part Martha Stewart, part Miss Manners, plus a whole lot of other things! A professional wedding consultant is a wealth of creative ideas and insider's know-how. She's got connections with the best vendors in town and has learned to become an ace negotiator to get you the best value or 'deal' for your money. She's oozing with imagination, and knows where to find all of those unique and dazzling touches to transform your wedding into an absolute fantasy. She knows the tips and tricks to avoid trouble - but she also knows how to trouble-shoot when the need does arise. She knows what needs to be done when, and she knows the "whos" and "hows" to make it all happen. She's an organized, people person with a penchant for detail and a superb sense of style. She is the bride's advocate and adviser, her counsellor, and her buddy, all rolled into one. Ask anyone who has been involved in planning a wedding and they'll quickly tell you that the process can be like a full time job. So much to do, so much to learn - and so little time to do it all! Few brides-to-be are experienced in orchestrating an event as large and important as a wedding. There are endless details to arrange, many logistics to organize, large numbers of vendors and service providers to hire, schedules, time-lines and budgets to manage... and as a result, so much room for oversights to occur and for things to go wrong. The reality is that few couples have the level of time in their schedules required to successfully plan, manage, and execute such an event effectively; unfortunately, however, many couples don't realize or acknowledge this until it is too late, when parts of their wedding dream have already disintegrated into disappointment. In a recent survey conducted by SuperWeddings.com and the International Institute of Weddings, 72% of recently married brides who did not use a wedding coordinator for their weddings said that based on their experience, if they could do it over again, they would indeed hire a wedding coordinator to assist with the planning process, or at least to be on hand to supervise the wedding day itself. And 49% reported that if they could only change only one thing about the entire wedding, this would be the thing they would do differently! Many brides and grooms run themselves ragged in the months leading up to the wedding. Equal numbers of couples tell tales of a wedding day that went by in a blur because there was still so much for them to attend to and worry about that they had little time to relax and enjoy the moment. The wedding coordinator can help alleviate these situations by being on hand to take care of time consuming tasks and trouble shoot for you when required, making it all so much easier and more enjoyable for you.
Callie, 27, of Boulder, Colorado says, "I thought I could manage easily without a wedding coordinator, but by the time my wedding was over with, I felt like a wanted to hit the 'rewind' button and go back and hire one". But there is no re-wind button in real life. Especially not when it comes to a monumental occasion like your wedding day. Callie had planned a few events in the past for the company she worked for and had assisted friends with their weddings. "It's not like I'd never been involved with something like this before, so I thought, 'Who needs a coordinator?'". There were things that went wrong along the way during the planning process, creating unnecessary stress which could have been avoided had a wedding coordinator been involved, but, says, Callie, what really made her regret her decision not to hire a wedding coordinator was the way the wedding day itself worked out. "It went by as a complete blur. I was so concerned about making sure everything was unfolding correctly, checking on this, and checking on that. I didn't realize how much there would be for me to do on the actual wedding day, until there I was and different vendors were coming up to me constantly with different issues that were arising. It was kind of alarming... it didn't fit the picture I had of being this relaxed bride, just enjoying her wedding. Then I kept thinking to myself, 'Okay what's next? Any minute now someome else is going to bring me another issue to deal with'". Callie says she couldnt relax, and never got to really "take in the moment". "I couldn't just 'be there'", she says. "I found myself rushing around confirming things and checking details all day through, and suddenly it hit me, 'I am not a bride - I am a wedding coodintator'. Then I asked myself, 'So what am I doing in this white gown? This is my wedding!'. Then I just wanted to cry. I felt like I was working, taking care of a stressful job - not enjoying a wonderous celebration". Callie says it was at that moment that she realized she had "played it all wrong" by not hiring a coordinator. "I didn't want to spend the extra money. Where did that get me? I would have been much better off having a professional there to do the work, so I could have the memory of being a bride". The role of the coordinator is to make the planning process and wedding day go more smoothly, and to offer the expertise which will result in a wedding day which will be more spectacular and unforgettable than the bride would have been able to produce on her own. Wedding consultants have vast knowledge of the products, services, and vendors available in the area and can recommend those which are a perfect match for the couple's "vision" and style, saving them endless research time and opening up a world of possibilities. Often they can suggest unique or hard to find services or products which are perfect for the couple, but which the couple would have been very unlikely to find on their own. The coordinator can be involved to any extent the bride desires - as much or as little as is required.
A consultant does
not take over the planning of your wedding for you (unless, of
course, you want her to), but rather, she/he advises you and assists
you so that you have the all the information you need for the most
spectacular wedding possible on a budget you can afford, and then you
make all the final decisions. Wedding coordinators provide a wide range of services which can save the bride time and stress, but what many brides do not realize is that a good wedding consultant can often save them money as well. Because wedding consultants are very well connected with vendors and suppliers within the wedding industry, and because they do 'volume' business, wedding consultants are often able to secure discounts for their clients on the products and services they desire, or to negotiate much better prices or 'deals' than the average person off the street. This can result in substantial savings to the bride and groom, often enabling them to have "more wedding" for their money than they dared to dream possible. A professional wedding planner can also assist with drawing up budgets (and adhering to them!) and with developing important time-lines and schedules, in order to ensure that everything that needs to be done is taking place, and at the appropriate time, minimizing the probability of unwelcome surprises. A consultant helps to ensure that no details are overlooked thereby helping to avoid the wedding disaster stories that so frequently strike the most unsuspecting bride and groom. She also serves as an advocate for the bride and groom, ensuring that the couple's best interests with vendors are being protected so that they receive all they are entitled to, and are not taken advantage of. Planning a wedding is an overwhelming and emotionally charged experience, and some less than scrupulous vendors will capitalize on that when doing business with the happy couple - a wedding consultant knows what is or is not exepcted of vendors, and what is or is not fair and standard practice.
When asked whether there were problems with her wedding, one bride who used a wedding consultant replied, "I don't even know whether there were any problems at my wedding - and that's precisely how I wanted it. That's the way everyone's wedding day should be. That's why I hired my consultant". Couples today will find that fees for coordinators/consultants are surprisingly affordable. Often the money a consultant can save a couple due to her/his connections and contacts in the industry - and through her/his expertise and knowledge of the "tricks of the trade" - far surpasses the cost of the service. As a result, the bride and groom experience much less stress, have more time to enjoy the months leading up to the wedding, less worry and work on the day itself, and are often able to avoid costly, miserable mistakes -- all while saving money, or at least breaking even on the cost of the consultant. Some consultants even specialize in weddings for budget-brides, helping them to not only stay within budget (which can often be difficult to do), but to trim costs through savvy little known tricks along the way. Recently, CNN reported that with the growing trend towards using wedding coordinators, it is predicted that within 5 years the professional wedding consultant will be considered a standard service provider at every wedding. Most consultants offer couples a free initial consultation so the bride and groom can learn how the consultant can make their wedding better, and then decide whether hiring a consultant is right for them. Sitting down with a wedding planner for a free consultantion is the best way to learn of the many benefits to be had in using his or her services. Couples can choose from a wide range of service levels, with the wedding consultant doing as much, or as little, as the couple would like. A bride and groom may choose to hire a wedding consultant simply for one 'planning power session', as I call it, to get their wedding plans off to an amazing start; or they may hire the consultant to oversee the planning from start to finish. As yet another option, we are seeing increasing numbers of couples opting at the very least to use the services of a wedding coordinator just on the wedding day itself, so that nothing is left to chance when the biggest day of their life finally arrives. With all of the costs involved in producing a wedding in the first place, the fee for on site services of a coordinator on the big day is a small price to pay to ensure that, when the crunch comes down, everything unfolds as it should, just as you planned.
After all, you
only get one shot at the biggest day of your life.. only one chance
to make it amazing... why gamble with disappointment? Learn more about a career in professional wedding consulting.
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What
Is a Wedding Consultant...
Wedding
coordinators can also be hired to supervise and coordinate just the
actual wedding day, almost acting as the director of a theatrical
production. She ensures that all the players - vendors, guests,
bridal party, and the bride and groom - are in their places, that
they know what to do and when, so that the show unfolds as planned.
Should a crisis or emergency break out along the way as can so often
happen at an event like a wedding, a good wedding consultant is
generally able to take care of it so that the bride and groom never
even know there was a crisis. The result: a stress-free
and relaxed bride and groom who are free to celebrate and enjoy this
day they have waited so long for.
