What the heck does a wedding planner do?

I am right there with you. I think a wedding planner is just more practical if you want to have less stress on your hand. I personally do not feel that they are necessary but I have read some blogs or articles that have said a day-of coordinator could be something to splurge on. I plan on looking at the cost of some in my area and if it's a reasonable price I'm a higher one just for the day up to make sure everything is in place so that's one less thing to worry about.

I don't find the value in a planner because I actually really enjoy the entire planning part of the wedding. I will, however, have a day of coordinator who will come in a month or so before the wedding to help run the day/deal with vendors day of/set out decor the way I want/etc. I think a planner is beneficial if you're not a fan of planning events or have too many other things on your plate (school/work/etc.) that would make wedding planning difficult.

It’s not for everyone, but there’s a lot of things I didn’t care about and let my wedding planner completely decide and she also dealt with my budget.

View Quoted Comment Well, I could see that. A day of planner. Thats something to think about. Even so, I just feel like having everything organized and taken care of things day of is like a mom or sister responsibility. If I cant get help, I might think about it for the ceremony, but something tells me my dads gf would love that responsibility.

View Quoted Comment What did you not care about? I just want to know I guess if theres a reason and id be missing something

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I would say if you are doing something low key then I would not spend the money but if you are doing something to a larger scale with a large crowd then I do not feel it could be a bad investment. With my tight budget if I had hundreds of dollars then I could get some more alcohol for my guests lol.

View Quoted Comment Lol theres an idea. We'll get plenty of alcohol, and no one will notice if it wasnt planned well. Thatll keep the two of our families nice and happy

We aren’t getting a planner but getting a day of coordinator. We met with her early on after booking our venue and we’ve asked her opinions and suggestions, but booked all our other vendors ourselves. She will do everything day of and the weeks leading up so me and my mom and aunts and everyone don’t have to do anything. She was about 800$.

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Exactly. But ya know what anytime a bride told me after the fact any issues or drama that happened at their wedding I did not notice because I was just relaxing at the reception. I think any party we do would be so low key that if no one helps me then I would hire a DOC.

View Quoted Comment I didn’t care about plates, napkins, silverware, cups, flowers, rental furniture, or colors. She also communicated and coordinated with all my vendors so I didn’t have to and she purchased all the stuff for and assembled our welcome boxes.

We didn't get a planner but did get a day of coordinator to make sure things were taken care. We hired all vendors and made all the decisions. The DOC set up the space and cleaned up afterwards. Money well spend and for less the price of a full on planner. I wouldn't have family or friends handle things the day of. I would allow them to enjoy the day as well. If anything went wrong that day I didn't hear about it. Our coordinator handled it.

It's a lot more planning than you think. There are a lot of details you won't see coming, and unless you delegate a relative, no one to run the show. I've known really organized brides who planned their own weddings, and it got out of hand a lot. I'm eloping, but if I were getting married the traditional way, I'd definitely be hiring a planner.

If you tend to be really organized, good at logistics and budgeting, enjoy researching things, and don't mind coordinating all the details of your day, then a wedding planner isn't really necessary. However, a lot of people aren't as good as those things as they like to believe, and a wedding planner can be super helpful for keeping your planning timeline on track, setting realistic goals, sticking to a budget, and making connections with vendors.

My job involves coordinating people and events, managing budgets, making cost effective decisions, managing multiple priorities, etc. so planning my own wedding doesn't feel like a huge stretch. I didn't really want to have a wedding that was someone else's vision, so my FH and I have been doing all of the planning ourselves and it's been fine so far.

Many people do like having a day of coordinator to take care of the "wrangling" of people and details on the day of, so that the couple isn't having to relay all of that information constantly. Costs of a DOC in our area start at $1000, and that just seems like a lot to have someone basically follow a script you put together. I have a couple friends who have lots of experience with planning/helping with weddings and are super organized, and will probably ask one of them if they wouldn't mind doing it for us, or at least get their input on whether or not they feel a DOC would be worth it for us.

Another thing to keep in mind is how big and elaborate your wedding is. If you are having a 200+ person wedding with separate ceremony and reception locations, a horse drawn carriage, ice sculptures, and live performers as entertainment, a lot more effort is required to coordinate all those details then a small, casual wedding on the family farm with a BBQ and lawn games.

With our budget and the cost of everything in New England, I've pretty much written off a planner or day-of coordinator. We're doing a 40-person, fairly laid-back wedding at a local brewery, my dad is officiating and their won't be a dance floor (we'll close the ceremony with the first dance and daddy/daughter dances). Our venue coordinator is pretty amazing, and my family has already offered to help set up the decorations (all DIY after getting some quotes back from florists 😬).


My best friend had about 100-120 people and she had a day-of coordinator. For a larger, more formal/traditional wedding I'd probably recommend a DOC if your budget allows. Ours just doesn't so I'm keeping everything as low-key as I can so that I don't have to worry about it.