Orange or Grapefruit Juice in Your Mimosa?
I just spoke with a bride yesterday who told me that her biggest regret of her wedding was having her mom be the "planner." She said even though her mom was intially excited about doing it, she was super stressed out at the wedding and she didn't get to enjoy it. The bride said she didn't even get to spend anytime with her mom on her wedding day because she was so busy and stressed out.
I can't even begin to tell you how many weddings I have been at where the bride is pulled in a billion directions while I am doing her hair. Her phone rings off the hook, her mom is a ball of anxiety, and the groom didn't know he was supposed to be ready by 1pm . It's hard to relax when you are telling 80 people where they are supposed to be and what they should be doing.
The only decision you should be making the morning of your wedding is whether you want orange juice or grapefruit juice in your mimosa. (Or perhaps Caribou or Starbucks?!?)
But how does one achieve such wedding day bliss? One option is to hire a planner. It is a big investment, but I really believe it will help you to experience more joy and peace on your wedding day.
But maybe a wedding planner isn't in your budget. In this case, enlist your most organized pals to get on board. Having a few trusted friends take over for you on your wedding day will be extremely helpful-and this person shouldn't be someone who has any other role in your wedding.
That is exactly what I did for my wedding two years ago, and It was wonderful. A few days before my wedding, I told my friend-the super organized can plan a party for 500 people on a whim extroverted take charge problem solver super girl I don't know how she does it friend-all the information I had in my head for the wedding day and had her take over. She was the point person, she answered the questions, she made the decisions, she solved the problems, and she saved the day over and over again. She went to the grocery store when the caterer forgot something, and took over for the DJ when he forgot what to say. But not all of us have friends who are able to do that, so in that case I think a planner is worth considering. Here are a few reasons why a planner can be helpful on the day of your wedding and during your engagement season:
1. Peace on your wedding day. A planner will know each and every one of your vendors, who the contact person is, what they are supposed to do, when they are supposed to arrive, etc. This allows you to sleep well the night of your wedding, wake up relaxed, and spend quality time with your best gals and family. You won't have to answer 10 phone calls while you are getting your hair done or have to figure out what to do about the groomsman's ill-fitting tux.
2. Less stressful engagement season. I read that the average person spends 10 hours a week planning their wedding. (according to a survey on forbes.com) That is a lot of time!! To give you an idea of cost I chatted with my friend Josie from Sixpence Events and Planning. She said the industry average in Hennepin County is $3200. From what I have seen you can find full service planners starting at about $2,000 to upwards over $6,000. The average cost for a day-of wedding coordinator is around $1,200.
3. Vendor satisfaction. There are so many vendors to choose from, it is hard to know where to start. Planners can help you filter through the mix and find the good ones. They can also help you read through contracts and find hidden fees. Having a planner can help you and your fiancee know you made a quality decision and be really happy with your choices at your wedding-and not feel like you got sold.
4. Bringing your vision to life. Many of us have our dream wedding in our heads already-or we have a hodge podge of ideas that swim around with no place to land. Planners are great at helping to bring your hopes and dreams into fruition. They can help you know where to begin, who to hire to make your vision a reality, and how to bring it all together. Then, on your wedding day, they will be there to execute it all. Megan Latterner of Megan Mary Events likens a wedding planner to a quarterback on a football team-they are vital!
My overall advice is to ask for help while you're in the planning stages, and to delegate people to help you the morning of your wedding. It is such a beautiful and important day that you will have put so much time and energy into, you don't want to miss out on actually enjoying it!
If you need a place to get started, these are a few local planners I know personally and would recommend:
Happy planning!
