What is your experience with wedding planners?

Question

I am an up and comming wedding/ event planner in Kentucky. I was wondering what experience you have had with a planner. what did they charge, what did they handle?
If you are a planner, what is a good way to break into the bussiness?

Answer 1

You will have to know every single place you can get wedding supplies within about 80+ miles. From invitations to food to dresses. Your best bet is to get yourself setup with catering bussiness and bakeries. So when someone calls on you, you can immediatley suggest to go for samples. Keep a scrapbook of events you have done to show as references and ideas. Never leave home without a camera. For a little extra touch give the bride a small photo album of her picking out and sampling the things she will use in her wedding. It is also something she will show off and help spread your name around to others.

Answer 2

My wife has a close friend who's a planner. When she and I got married last year, we hired her (Christine) to handle mostly day-of execution, and we did all the pre-planning.

Even with that, I was still skeptical... I'm in the event business, and I didn't see the value in it.

So, she did a little work in advance, vetting vendors, giving us suggestions on venue, etc. Not a lot of time was put into that.

And at one point, I got REALLY annoyed with her, because she was pushing a photographer on us way too aggressively.

But we got over that (and the photographer we chose did the most amazing job of any wedding photographer ever... and I am NOT just saying that because it was OUR photos) and I must say that she (Christine, the planner) did a fantastic job running things that day. We could not have done it without her. She organized everything, her assistants helped fill in when the caterer understaffed the event, and they made everything super, super easy.

I don't plan on getting married again, but I heartily recommend her whenever I get the chance. She went above and beyond the call of duty the same way I do for my (non-wedding!) event clients. It was money well-spent.

If you have experience planning events, you might not need to hire a coordinator for everything. But you, your friends and family shouldn't be responsible for making things happen that day. You should all be guests at the event. Let a professional sweat the details, be the bad guy to the vendors, and make sure that YOU enjoy the day!

Christine Stieber (coordinator)
http://www.the-perfect-day.com

Joanna Pinneo (photographer)
http://www.joannabpinneo.com

Big Moment Films (photo montage)
http://www.bigmomentfilms.com

Answer 3

Okay, I'm a planner and, unfortunately, I do agree with some of the negative points made by some of the people who have already answered. I can give you the following recommendations:

1. Take wedding planning courses, preferably from the Association of Bridal Consultants. There website is http://www.bridalassn.com.

2. Develop a website. I use Yahoo Geocities but I pay for one of those ad free Geocities sites. It's a nominal fee and you will get a lot of business from it. Every one of my clients has found me through my website.

3. Make up some business cards and carry them with you EVERYWHERE you go. You would be surprised how many peopel will just randomly ask for your card. My cat's veterinarian wanted a stack from me when I was up there two weekends ago - she's been married for 5 years.

4. Find one good planning site, like The Knot, and advertise with them. However, don't advertise on every planning site out there because it get's too expensive and not overly worth it.

5. Do you have something that is unique to you in the area you live in? For example, I live in Ontario, Canada and I also do wine consulting on the side. My clients love it because I can help them choose which wines will go great with their menu rather than having someone at the reception hall trying to push one particular winery. I can recommend from every winery in Ontario, which is around 100.

If you know your stuff, and you take courses from the Association of Bridal Consultants, you will be vastly more informed and educated about etiquette and traditions of wedding planning than most wedding planners out there. A large majority of the wedding planners out there have planned their wedding and maybe a few others for close friends and consider themselves experts. I personally have a certificate stating that I passed a course from a nationally recognized Association with A+ Honours. It is a huge asset to have that and you can add those credentials to your business card.

These suggestions should get you pretty well started. If you want to, check out my website so you can get some further ideas:

http://www.geocities.com/patgd25

Answer 4

The only experience I have had with a wedding planner was when my cousin got married. She had 200+ people at her wedding reception. The planner didn't do a very good job. There was not enough seating, nor was there enough food. People who attended were complaining and it was all because the planner did not know what she was doing. She was paid a bundle of money $20,000 to $30,000, and it was a complete bust. I'm not saying it was all her fault, but my cousin and her mom should hav been more careful about who they hired. I've been to weddings where there was no planner with about the same amount of people (200+) and everything was smooth, enough food etc etc.

Answer 5

I am a event coordinator in CA and I agree that there are many overpriced and under qualified people in this field. However, that's true in many businesses. Look at lawyers.

I started out working for a Country Club and have branched out on my own. One of THE biggest assets you can possess is a sense of humor. Presenting a calm and upbeat persona is important. Smile. All the time. And don't take anything personally (unless you've done something "bad"), there is a ton of emotion surrounding most weddings, and you cannot get involved in it. They will rarely know you long enough to ticked off at you - it's usually about something well beyond your control. Being organized and observant is also a huge plus. Remember, no one will respond well to a stressed out, cranky, bossy, witch. That goes for your clients as well as other vendors and staff.

Contacts are very important as well. Get to know other people in the industry. Go to bridal fairs or shows. Talk to everyone! Read. It's good to not only be familiar with Christian traditions, but other culture's traditions as well.

There are classes available for wedding consultants. They are expensive but many can be done at home and if you haven't been involved in the industry for long, can provide some great information. However, nothing beats experience.

Also, keep in mind that you will work your tail off. Find a couple great black suits and some extremely comfortable shoes. Don't schedule anything personal for any summer weekends.

As far as what to charge, some planners charge set fees for their services and some charge a percentage of the budget. Your best bet is to research what the average amount people in your area are paying for their weddings and base your fees on that. Obviously, you can't come in for $10,000 to $20,000 if weddings in your area average that much all together. Don't price yourself out of the business before you get started. You can always go up!

Good luck!

Answer 6

Wedding planners are unless I wouldn't even go there my dad hired a wedding planner for my wedding spending bout 4 grand on her and she was hopeless do all the work your self it's worth it

Answer 7

I first started out doing the photography for weddings & a couple years ago I had a lady not show up @ the rec. to cut the cake, well the cater came over & said well how hard could it be & she started to cut the cake (like she was @ a b-day party) I took the knife & cut the cake properly. I add the price in with my photography so actually I wouldn't know what to tell you to charge. It is very stressfull I would suggest getting a contact list of different services that you TRUST to start, refer them & have them refer you!

Answer 8

Invest in business cards and make up little holders that say "SO and SO's Wedding Planning Ltd. endorses this establishment" Ask businesses if they will put them out in their shops....it's a win win for both of you...hopefully you build a reputation and start bring them customers! Every bride is different as far as where they go first...let the businesses know you're marketing yourself in florists, bakeries, photo studios etc. Maybe you'll catch a cake obsessed bride and bring her to a florist she's never heard of.

We had 2 wedding planners, one for everything at the Church and one for everything at the Reception: made everything so much easier

Answer 9

I agree with kitty most wedding planners are over priced.and haven't got a clue to what the heck they are doing.So thats why i'm planning my wedding myself on a low income budget. because most planners don't listen to the bride anyway.sorr but its a well know fact. good luck

Answer 10

I did not have a need or desire for a wedding planner.
Most places have a wedding coordinator at your church or reception site so you always have a "go-to" person. Most intelligent people should be able to iron out the rest of the details on their own.