If you’re engaged and starting to think about the details, odds are you’ve started thinking about hiring a planner to help with your big day. You may have already decided to do most of the planning yourself and make sure you have a coordinator to help the day run smoothly, or you may already know that planning isn’t your strong suit and you need someone to help with everything, but for those of you who are stuck in the middle and can’t decide what the right choice is, this one’s for you! Here are some of the key factors to consider when deciding if you should book a full planner or a wedding management package.
Things already completed
Do you already have all of the vendors booked, the design planned out, and some small items crossed off your checklist? Sure, there’s still plenty to do, but if you’ve already knocked out some of the major aspects of planning a wedding, then you may not get the true benefits of full planning, and may just want to make sure someone comes in during those final months to bring everything together.
Organization
Are you a pen-to-paper, “it doesn’t happen if it’s not in my planner,” coordinate everything alphabetically or by colors type of person? If so, you’re probably handling keeping up with vendors, payments, and an extensive checklist pretty well. If you’re not that type of person, that’s okay, but you may truly benefit from having a planner to do that work for you.
Related: Frequently asked questions for your Wedding Planner
Stress
How easily do you get stressed out? If the slightest thing can ruin your day, you may definitely want to consider a full planner. They’ll help you remember payments, contracts, checklist items, and make sure you don’t forget any small details. A full planner can save you from feeling like everything is too overwhelming and that you would rather just elope!
Vision
When you picture your dream wedding, what do you see? Do you want a lavish event that’s heavily decorated and hosts the party of the year? Or do you want a smaller, more intimate family affair? Of course I highly recommend that you have a planner for any occasion, but if you’re dreaming of a smaller party, with plenty of family and friends to help set up your more simple decor items, then you may be fine with a wedding management package.
Location
Destination weddings are wonderful, but they’re very hard to coordinate from your hometown. Consider your choice of venue. Where is it and how from is it from where you live? How early will the venue let you come in to set up? Is it a short time frame that would require a small army to get everything done, or does the venue give you the whole day? All things to consider when choosing how involved your planner will be.
Budget
Sure, we all hate thinking about money, but when it comes to a wedding, you’re going to want to have a budget in place. However, you should consider how important that budget is. Are you paying for it yourself and have budgeted all the money you can for it or do you have some wiggle room to go over a little if needed? If you have a strict budget, a planner will be crucial to helping you stay the course and give you realistic expectations of what you can afford.
Guest Count
If you’ve invited everyone you know (and possibly everyone THEY know) then it’s probably a good idea to have a planner on board. You (or your parents) won’t want to handle all the moving parts that go in to wedding day, so it’s probably best to leave that to a professional.
Your Schedule
Do you have the time to plan it? If you have a career, maybe a family, and some hobbies or commitments in your life then you may not have the time to dedicate to your big day. Hiring a full planner can save you the time of researching vendors, recalculating that budget, brainstorming designs, emailing people over and over again, and more. Weddings are extensive to plan, and they take time and research. It’s not something you can easily handle overnight.
There you have it! I hope this cleared up some questions you may have had about what’s best for your special day. If you’re interested in hiring a full planner or a wedding management package, please reach out to me!
If you’re looking for the right team to put together your Multicultural wedding in DC, Virginia, and Maryland, contact Mimi Ebichi’s team to make your dream wedding come to life! We have a comprehensive list of wedding vendors who can cater to your personal requests.
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One reply on “The Difference Between Wedding Management and Full Planning”
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