12 Reasons Not to Hire a Wedding Planner

For some couples, the idea of not having a wedding planner terrifies them. There’s so much pressure these days to have a picture-perfect, magazine-worthy wedding, having anything less can make you feel like a failure—about your own wedding! However, there are some very good reasons to not hire a planner because even without one, you can still have a beautiful day. You can also have the wedding you want, not someone else’s idea of perfection. Read on for a full dozen excellent reasons to skip the professional and enjoy planning your wedding yourself.

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1. If your budget is really tight…

This is the most important reason to skip a professional planner. Most planners charge either a package deal or by the hour—and just like cell phone minutes, that hourly rate can add up in a hurry. There are plenty of tips and guidelines online and in bridal magazines to help you put your wedding together yourself. Even if you’re a complete novice when it comes to planning parties, if saving money is a priority, trust yourself to find a way to DIY.

2. If you really do have plenty of time…

If your wedding is at least a full year away, unless you work full time at an extremely stressful and time-consuming job, you’ll have time to organize a reasonably sized wedding. (By reasonable we mean 100 guests or so.)

Wedding planners are there for busy couples—with plenty of money!—who either need to have a large wedding or just don’t have time, for whatever reason, to pull things together all alone.

3. If you love to DIY…

Wedding planners have excellent ideas, but they can be complicated and/or expensive. If you’re a die-hard do-it-yourselfer, especially when it comes to parties, you have all the experience you need already. A wedding is just a party on a bigger and/or fancier scale.

4. If you trust your own tastes…

Why should you count on someone else to make decisions on your colors and venue and menu? If you have good taste in clothes, you can choose a lovely gown, and bridesmaids dresses, all by yourself. Shopping for wedding apparel just takes a little adjustment because wedding gowns are cut to fit differently than your average dress. Bridesmaids dresses, however, are a lot more like regular clothing and really just need to be comfortable and attractive.

5. If your venue is all-inclusive…

When scouting for venues, especially for your reception, ask if they either have an all-inclusive package or if they have reliable vendors they already work with. Some reception venues actually “demand” that you use their florist or baker or caterer. If that’s the case, then have a quick look at what those vendors have to offer. If your overall impression is positive and you like their basic selections, sign on the dotted line, and your reception planning work is 90% done.

6. If you have trustworthy friends and family itching to help…

Keyword: Trustworthy. This goes back a bit to DIY. If, in your DIY project experience, you have friends or family who have done a good job and been there for you when you really needed them, give some serious thought to letting them help with your wedding.

Tip: Assign each person one job only. That way once their particular task is complete, they can relax and enjoy your big day right along with you.

7. If you prefer to be very hands-on…

With a wedding planner, you may well forfeit a lot of control. The idea behind a planner is for that person to take over and run the show. But if the idea of not knowing exactly what’s going on and when makes you nervous, don’t hire a planner.

Tip: If you have an acquaintance who’s good at organizing things, why not let that person be your “stage director” on your wedding day? Their only job will be to make sure things run smoothly, handle any hiccups, and carry out the plans you made for your big day.

8. If you prefer limited opinions…

There are some brides who end up not enjoying their wedding because their planner suggested too many options. Granted that’s their job. But if you already have a pretty good idea of what you want just from thumbing through magazines and perusing Pinterest—or if you’ve been “planning” your wedding since you were little and have an album full of styles that just need to be brought to life with a phone call or a dress order—you don’t need someone else messing with your dream. Just shop around to find vendors who carry what you already know you want!

9. If you don’t want to deal with yet another personality…

This can be especially true for couples who need to deal with sticky family situations. While a professional planner is supposed to relieve that hassle, you and your fiance are the only ones who really know who needs to be handled with kid gloves. You may have a relative or two who truly needs and wants your wedding to have certain things or run a certain way. If you have a planner whose ideas are too conflicting, you’ll just cause yourself more headaches, not fewer.

10. If you don’t want to a complete stranger running your wedding…

Face it: Unless you happen to already be good friends with a professional planner, you don’t know this person, and they don’t know you. One of the key jobs for a planner has to do with making decisions on last minute changes, and unless you’ve purchased a package deal with unlimited consultation hours, you may end up with altered details that you just don’t like because you weren’t informed ahead of time.

11. If you don’t like or trust the planner(s) you just interviewed…

This decision is easy: Walk away! Instant dislike or distrust, especially after interviewing a couple of planners, may well be a sign that you need to do things yourself. Trust your instincts. The last thing you want on your wedding day is to have someone running the show with whom you just don’t feel comfortable.

12. If you simply can’t find a professional planner nearby…

Unless you have nearly unlimited resources and need to have a big wedding, don’t hire a planner who lives two counties over. For one thing, they may not be familiar with or have access to your local vendors. Also, you do not want to hire a planner who’s only done one or two weddings. While it’s wonderful to support “startup” companies, when it comes to your wedding, think twice before you hire a novice, no matter how well-intentioned they may seem.

One exception to this distance rule: If you’re having a destination wedding and the venue is not all-inclusive, hire a planner who lives in that area.

In the end, it all depends on you and your groom—and possibly your families—if you hire a wedding planner or not. Your wedding is supposed to be fun, from the day you get engaged to the last dance at your reception. Whatever makes you happy—let that be the deciding factor when it comes to hiring—or not hiring—a wedding planner to run the show.

As a counter-argument—and to be fair and present both sides—here are some reasons to hire a planner: http://www.davincibridal.com/blog/a-wedding-planner-to-hire-or-not-to-hire/

Another option is to hire a day-of coordinator rather than a full-service wedding planner. Here’s some useful information on how to make that decision: http://www.davincibridal.com/blog/day-coordinator-vs-wedding-planner-one-choose/

Here are some other resources to help you build a wedding planning routine that fits your style!!

Wedding Planning Infographics & Printable Templates:

Minted_WeddingPlanningChecklistPrintable.pdf

SOURCE: Additional Planning Link – When we initially think of a wedding planning checklist, we think of endless scrolling through Pinterest and making mood boards on our bedroom floors. Fun right? Unfortunately it’s not all paper scissors and Pritt Stick. These are the five wedding planning tasks you simply can’t put off (even if the mood board is calling to you!)

Image via Stacy Bauer Photography

Money, money, money…

Let’s get the big one out of the way first… set a budget. Sit down and figure out how much you both want and are able to contribute to your wedding. If family members are helping to pay, make sure you sit down with them too. Whatever figure you come up with will affect every purchase you make, so you need to set this from the get-go. Of course it’s not the easiest of conversations, so get it out of the way right at the beginning to avoid any future stress.

Image via Med Kaerlig Hilsen

Be our guest!

Ah, the infamous guest list. You’ll get a good idea of numbers when you’re setting your budget, and this one will most definitely be important when you’re choosing your ceremony or reception. So don’t delay in deciding on a number. A good way of making your guest list is to start by writing down everyone you would love to be there. Start with a large list and then start to whittle it down …be ruthless and make that chop! Doing it this way means that if you reach a point where you can invite more people than you previously thought, you can go back to this list.

Make sure you’re realistic with your numbers initially to avoid potential stress later. It’s all about keeping this process as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. On this note: do not let relatives bully you into inviting people you’d much rather not be there. Within reason obviously… there’s always a middle ground.

Image via Malani Lust Photography

Make a list… check it (way more than) twice!

If you’re not a list person, well, become one! There are countless things to remember and usually over a long period of planning so WRITE IT DOWN! Make a checklist based on your timeline so you can tick as you go. How satisfying does that sound to the perfectionists out there?! Wedding planning checklists are your friend!

Image via My Little Wedding Planner

Love letters

When was the last time you sent any of your friends a letter? Any idea what their home address is? Like …their actual address? This is definitely one of those instances when the spreadsheet is king. Start collecting address now, so you have them all at Save The Date/invitation time.

Image via Julie Song Ink

b-RING it!

We can’t say this enough… get your engagement ring insured! For peace of mind, this is a must. Do it as soon as you can to save possible future heartbreak. First, have your ring valued – most jewellers have their own valuing service. It usually takes a couple of days, after which you will be given a formal document you can then give to your insurer. Remember to take a photo of your engagement ring to give to your insurers too.

Ring by Cannon Lewis | Photography by Leslee Mitchell

So there you have it folks! Not the most riveting of tasks but must-dos to make the day run smoothly. Get the items on this particular wedding planning checklist out of the way early on, so you can enjoy the other stuff and chill.