Why (or why not) did you hire a wedding planner, & can a planner actually save you money?

Not Money- Time, theyll save you hours and hours

Mine has saved me a few dollars and lots of stress! She found me my DJ, hair person, new seamstress

If your goal is to save money on your venue, then you will be looking for a very established, very reputable wedding planner. She's going to cost money, but in the long run, she may save you enough to make it worth your while, or she may be able to get you into a better venue on your budget. Building up a solid relationship with quality vendors doesn't happen in a year or two, so with this type of planner, you're really paying for a reputation that can open doors for you (in addition to keeping everything else organized and under control) .

I mean no disrespect to new business owners (after all, we all remember our first wedding), but wedding planners pop up all the time, so you have to do your research. You might find one who isn't as experienced or expensive, and she may not be able to get you deep discounts because she doesn't have that kind of gravitas yet. However, she can still save you from headaches and stress because of her excellent organizational skills, and she may have a great sense of style, so she can put decor together that you wouldn't have even considered, but love.

We don't negotiate with wedding planners. We speak to the bride, get her budget and her vision, and we work up a quote. If it's too expensive, and the wedding planner calls and wants to renegotiate the price, there really are only two options: either the quality or quantity of the package is reduced. However, if that wedding planner was David Tutera, and he promised to make me his preferred florist if we sharpened our pencils...well, that would be a whole different ballgame.