Do it yourself

If you don’t have a lot of time then that’s when hiring one is useful

Even if you don't end up using a wedding planner, having a day of coordinator is highly recommended!

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Thank you for responding and I understand :-)

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I see. I'm making the time to plan its exciting :-)

Wedding planners can be useful because they have built relationships with lots of vendors and can help you save money and have experience running events and bringing your vision to life. You can absolutely plan a wedding on your own, you can even find great deals, it’s just up to you. Some people are good at planning, some aren’t. I personally love lists and doing diy projects.

It depends on how hands-on or hands-off you want to be. Some people have a particular vision and others would prefer to show up the day of. Also, planners tend to offer different levels of services based on how much work you choose to put in.


But a day-of coordinator at minimum is a must. So that you can relax and enjoy yourself without having to deal with any potential behind the scenes mishaps.

Its up to you. Now a days ppl have family or friends help plan their wedding.

I did all my own planning! I don’t think it was too difficult especially since my wedding will only be 50-60 people. I have a day of coordinator with my venue which is probably most important so
That things move smoothly day of. With sites like WW and just a simple google search its easier to find vendors and compare prices.

I think it largely depends on how big a wedding you're planning, and how much you plan to spend. For big, fancy do with with 100+ guests, I think a full service planner helps with organizing options for all the different things that have to be done.

We're having a smaller, but still somewhat fancy/formal wedding, only about 80 guests (postponed to next year, and so now also doing a much smaller wedding this year with less than 15 guests) and I decided on a Day of Coordinator instead of a full on planner. I knew I was able to make my own decisions on decor, etc, and our venue made things easier too because they provide a lot of things a planner would normally help coordinate (linens, place settings, tables, chairs, etc). So my DOC just helped remind me once a month of upcoming payments for my different vendors, and reminded me of upcoming deadlines for things that needed to be done, but I'm really looking forward to having her to manage the decoration and "run the show" behind the scenes so all our family and friends (and us!) can relax and have fun on the day of.

It really depends on how much you want to take on. For my wedding, my parents were able to take on a lot of the research and handle some of the coordination, setting up appointments, etc. so we were okay without a planner for the most part. We ended up choosing a venue that includes a day of coordinator and all of the catering and rentals, so that was really helpful. If we hadn't, we would've hired a DOC. We had to postpone our reception, but we're doing a smaller wedding this year and even having to organize all of the details for a 15 person event was a lot of work, so I would highly recommend getting some professional help unless you have a lot of time, patience, and desire to coordinate every detail.

I did not end up hiring a professional wedding planner, although I did meet with a couple, due to budget constraints. I did however "hire" a couple friends who are basically professionals to help. (they say they are doing it pro-bono but I'm going to pay them something for sure!) Thankfully they have just about everything I need for serving food and a lot of decor items we needed, so they have been extremely helpful with my smaller budget. I could not plan this wedding by myself with my anxiety!! My point is, even if they are not "professional," I would highly recommend getting a friend or person you know is really good at this stuff because helps a lot! Especially with Day Of coordination stuff, you don't want to be running around finding a chair because Aunt Sue forgot to RSVP, when your supposed to be walking down the aisle! Good luck!

I think this largely depends on your venue. I planned a wedding of 115 guests without any outside help from anyone other than my fiance. Our parents went on venue tours with us, but that's about it. I used free resources like Wedding Wire and The Knot to keep me organized. However, our venue (a country club) included catering, linens, and tables, and all that type of stuff. There was also an event coordinator who served as my DOC (otherwise I would have hired one of those). I can definitely see the need for a wedding planner if you have a completely blank slate venue and need to get everything. And, as others have said, if you have the money and zero interest in actually planning the wedding or have limited time, then a wedding planner is also a great idea.

This is really a personal choice based on your timeline, the time you have to dedicate to it, and how tight your budget is. I would prioritize a DOC over a full-service planner. We've also gotten great deals by negotiating and watching sales, so the money saved from a planner wouldn't have been much more than we're already saving. The biggest thing is time and stress. I have the time and I'd be more stressed not being hands-on with everything, so it wasn't necessary for us.

I definitely used a DOC, and intend on diy my own centerpieces and backdrop decor for reception and ceremony

I did everything on my own with the help and advice from my family, but I definitely hired a day of coordinator. You’re gonna need a day of so that way you can relax and not worry too much on everything.

I'm planning my wedding on my own, but our venue comes with a coordinator who not only handles everything the day of, but also makes suggestions based on what we discuss in our planning meetings. If you're an organized person you can definitely do it yourself, but be sure to get the day of coordinator if your venue doesn't offer this already. You want to be able to relax on your big day.

View Quoted Comment I do as well

View Quoted Comment Yes I’m planning my wedding on my own and I’m loving every moment of it. I hope I don’t have to worry too much about anything

View Quoted Comment I love diy projects

View Quoted Comment I totally get where you’re coming from