The true value of a wedding planner???

I also heard that they SAVE you MONEY.... because they know where to find the deals and how to cut costs.... I didn't hire one because I am doing well on my own... but hire one if you can...by all means

Never a waste if you can afford one in your budget, I was lucky enough that my BM assist her ML in wedding planning and can help but I will be having a day of planner

I'm kinda at the beginning of working with my wedding planner so I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it all yet but my venue requires all weddings to have planners SO i'm stuck. I'm thinking its going to be worth it in the end due to them having connections (some even get price breaks because of their relationships and continued business) knowing the good vendors to use, plus the day of it's HER job to make my day stress free... just be careful of who you choose!

I hired a wedding planner, since we were getting married in Cabo I had no clue how to contact vendors. Our wedding was only 35 people - she was a godsend. I emailed her ideas, she sent me photos, then she sent websites/photos of previous wedding vendors. It was absolutely stressfree. She arranged all the vendors - from caterers, DJ, etc. Only thing I did on my own was the photographer.

Here's my two cents: If you've got your heart set on some vendors, hiring a coordinator won't hurt, but it probably won't help you save much money.

If you're hiring the coordinator from the get-go so you don't have to worry about vendor selection, they could easily pay for the difference between what you would normally pay and some "agreed fee" that they use when they work with other vendors.

If you have the time, you can probably do a lot of the work yourself and have friends/family help out as much as possible. But using friends and family usually comes at the cost of lack of experience. Do you mind if a few things don't flow exactly like clockwork in your wedding?

If you'd rather not worry about anything, you want to make sure everything is done right and smoothly and know that someone will take care of every detail, then hiring a coordinator is your best bet, regardless of how much they cost.

If you are a person who does not handle stress well, a day of coordinator is a good thing to invest in. Otherwise, as my sister recently experienced, you will have people asking you what you want them to do all day long. My sister hired the coordinator, but this wonderful professional was already booked the same day for another wedding, so she was only able to decorate. We really missed her that day, and could have used her guidance and expertise. My sister was able to keep her cool, however some people are not so good with that, so I always suggest having someone, even if it is a family member or friend to designate as leader for the day, and direct all questions to him/her.

Wedding planners mostly save you money with wedding vendors. So you can still get a lot of things less expensively by using people who are not traditional wedding vendors. For example, we got our reception venue for $750, and got five hours of open bar for $250. In DC, either of those prices is unheard of, even with a wedding planner, but we got them by using a club that is not a traditional wedding vendor.

I saw a post at one point by a wedding planner that talked about how she could save money on limos. Our method of saving money on limos was not to have a limo, so that kind of discount would not have helped us.

However, if you are considering using traditional wedding vendors, and are flexible in which ones you want, a wedding planner may save you enough money to make it worthwhile to have one. Or if you just don't have time for extensive research and DIY, a wedding planner can remove a lot of stress.

I had a wedding planner and was SO HAPPY that I did. We had 150 guests and a 140k budget, so there was a lot to work with. She didn't really help us stay on budget though. So if that is something you want, make sure your planner is willing to make sure you stay within your budget. But she was amazing....and cheap.....her total fee was only $750. And she went to endless meetings, found us great deals, she did all the flowers, and made my vision come together. She was awesome and I never had to stress about anything because it was all taken care of.

Soundwave Entertainment, Orlando, djsoundwave.net

Professional and highly reputable wedding planners and coordinators are priceless. However, there are many out there that do not have the darnest clue what they are doing! This is really true with any vendor to be honest. Do your research! Full wedding planners run anywhere from $2000 - $5000 depending on services needed whereas day of coordination which usually kicks in about 1 month out averages about $800 - $1200. Good luck! Professional coordinators are a brides best friend and will make your day worry free!

Well I'm biased, of course BUT I save my clients money - often. I procure things for my clients at true wholesale prices (but I have to charge tax) and I just passed on a 15% dicount on sparklers to one client and the 5% I got on disposable dishware to another.....

Wedding planners are a dime a dozen. Some are worth triple what you pay for them, some aren't worth the money their business cards are printed on. I can go to Kinko's, order some cards and proclaim "I'm a Wedding Planner!"

But there are some out there who are worth their weight in gold! They know all the venues, can often get you discounts, handle the details and run the show the day of, so you can relax. They work with your vision, interjecting some of their own suggestions if you agree to them.

I don't think it hurts to talk to a wedding planner and see what they say. They may be just what you need, or a waste of your money. But only you can decide that!

I think Meghan has hit the nail on the head. Just because someone has a business card doesn't make them a professional.Even though I've been at this awhile, I will tell you that just because someone hasn't done hundreds of weddings doesn't make the "professional." There are professionals out there who are new, but have a business plan & contracts, and are really working to develop their experience. Ask questions, get references, see how well they listen to you and how easily they catch your vision. If you develop an insant rapport with them and they inspire your confidence, you're on the right track. If they have no references or training or experience, move on.

I agree with Meghan the planners around here are 1500 bucks and I can just use that money to something on the wedding. I can do this on my own. i am excited about bringing my vision to life. With a little bit of time and creativity and google and Wedding wire ladies I think I am good to go.. But if a planner is a must then its not a bad thing. I just fear she will not get it right more then I wouldn't lol

We got really lucky and our caterer is also functioning as our day-of coordinator and all we are paying is her hourly fee. She has been a god send these last few weeks for me to toss ideas and questions off of as I'm trying to pull together the final details for the wedding. I wouldn't have paid for a planner to do the entire process but I think it's been worth the extra few hundred dollars I'm paying her to have someone I know is in charge that day so that I don't have to do it.

There are courses for planners to get certified, so you don't need to settle for someone who has only had biz cards printed.

A planner can help you save money by ensuring you don't make costly mistakes (such as having to reprint invitations, or ordering too much food, etc.).

A venue planner or caterer/planner will not be with you while you're getting ready or be at the ceremony venue (unless ceremony & reception are at the same place).

Even if you only get a DOC (actually about a month), s/he will take a load of stress off you and your parents on your wedding day.

I decided to interview planners just to see if they would be a good idea for me, and I found one I love!

She costs $1900, but she also has everything I wanted to buy for my centerpieces- so she's saving me $700 right off the bat.

She negotitated with my chosen venue and I'm saving $1300 of the price they had quoted me and I'm getting more from them for that price!

So she's already saved me $100, and a ton of stress! She gets a discount on invitations from every place I considered getting them. She also offers assistance with assembling and stuffing them- included in the above price.

It's been 3 days and she's already turned into a lifesaver!

In retrospect, I wish I had hired a planner from the beginning! But I wouldn't appreciate her the way I do now!

I am seriously considering making a shift to only working with brides that have wedding planners. I already charge brides a lot more if they don't have a planner because it greatly increases my stress in working with the couple. In my experience, brides that skimp on planners are a penny wise and a pound foolish and end up with sub-par weddings. Also, they tend to compensate for their lack of a planner by expecting the other wedding pros to pick up the slack.

In general, brides without planners will outright abuse my time with poorly thought-out ideas for their wedding and will tend to over-complicate the entire day so that, when the day comes, stress and chaos are virtually guaranteed.

So we met with the wedding planner on Sunday and we both really liked her. For one, she met with us on a Sunday which shows to me that she can work around our schedule. My FH is in the military and I work full time so we are only available to do stuff on weekends. She seemed to understand what we were looking for and even had a couple venue suggestions. She custom made a package for us and is giving us an almost unheard of price. She sent over the contract today and everything looked to be in order so I think we're going to go ahead and hire her. I feel like she can give us the best wedding for our money.

Sidebar, we went to Micheal's yesterday and saw these great looking invitations for like 40 bucks for packs of 30 or 40 (the ones that had the response cards and whatnot came in packs of 40 and the ones that only had the invites came in packs of 40). Just walking through Micheal's gave me so many ideas. I never really considered myself a diy bride but now who knows!

@ LuminEssence Photo- I understand your frustration but I feel that was a bit rude. Not every bride is going to abuse you the way you say. Mnay have planned this for so long that they would do fine without a planner.

@MarineFiance - if you decide to get invites and other items from Michaels be sure to keep an eye out for their coupons generally 40 to 50% off, they can help save a lot of money!