Event Planners Can Save You Money and Sometimes the Day!

As an event planner the biggest myth that I try to dispel is that we are only "for the rich people".  In reality, if you want to save money in the process of planning for your wedding, it's a good idea to hire an event planner!  We can get discounts that we in turn pass on to our clients with very few exceptions.  In my case, the only time I might keep some of that discount is when I have less than three months notice to plan a wedding or if the guest list is over 250, depending on the time of the year.  These discounts can range from 5%-20% on average.  When you think of how many vendors it takes for a wedding, that can be a lot of savings!

We save you more than money.  The obvious things that come to mind are time and stress.

Sometimes what you don't know can truly hurt you, if you are not lucky.  One bride that I was hired by later on in the planning process as a one-day coordinator, had chosen a venue that had chairs that were black.  They felt very strongly due to cultural considerations, that they didn't want the color black to be in their wedding.  She had ordered chair covers and sashes to the tune of over $600.  When I did a review of the venue, I knew from looking at the chairs that it would be a rare day that you would find a chair cover to fit those chairs!  If you want to think of an equivalent picture, think about trying on a pair of jeans several sizes smaller than what you fit into now!  The chair covers that had been ordered didn't even go half way down the back of the chair!  The solution ended up being renting wooden chairs that had seat cushions to match one of the wedding colors.  The best part?  They were less expensive than chair covers and sashes, and she was very fortunate that the chair cover vendor returned her money!  If not, imagine that much money going down the drain!  The worst part would've been, in this situation, that the black chairs would not have been covered.  In some cultures the color black is strictly for times of mourning or thought to bring back luck.

Once upon a time "Michael" and "Michelle" got married.

Fictional characters:  “Michael and Michelle” had sweet dreams and nightmares about their wedding. 

Their dreams as interpreted by their guests:

Scenario 1: With a Wedding Planner

vs.

Scenario 2: Without a Wedding Planner

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“Did you see that? How sweet was that!” 

vs.

“No, I was helping with the food! What are you talking about?”

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“I heard that it only cost $15 for the COMPLETE prime rib dinner! Everything! I have to find out who their caterer is!”

vs.

“If Aunt Mary brought the food, I would not be eating it! The last wedding she cooked the food for, I got food poisoning!”

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“A good DJ Makes all the difference! Really reading the crowd very well and everyone is having such a great time! I don't normally dance at weddings, but that was fun!”

vs.

“Why on earth did they let his cousin use an I-Pod!” Where did he go anyway? No!! He’s not at the bar!!  That's what he really came for!  All the music sounds the same!  Some variety would be nice!  I think I'll leave a little earlier than I had intended.”

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“What a beautiful cake?”

vs.

“Oh no! Here’s the cake! Did anyone remember a table to set it on?  Where is…..who is...WHAT?" 

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“This is nice. No one is getting drunk or obnoxious! That wine was really good though. They hired a bartender”.

vs. 

Oh no! Look at Michael! Someone let him have a few too many! Poor Michelle! What a memory of her wedding day! Too bad! 

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“The flowers are gorgeous! They used the same florist I used! She actually made a free bouquet for me to toss, just like they did for Michelle, today!” 

vs.

“We ordered the flowers for my wedding online, but they were starting to wilt because they got here too early.  We had to get some flowers from the store, but they weren't the color that I wanted”.

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“There wasn’t enough space to hang everyone’s coat at this venue, but the Wedding Planner found a company that provides a secured check-in for coats. They were also given suggestions on rental options”.

vs.

”Where do we put our coats? Oh well! Guess I'll just hang on to it or wear it even though it's really hot in here". 

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“I’m so glad that they didn’t elope. They felt better after they talked to a Wedding Planner who made everything easier for them.”

vs.

"That's right!  They were talking about Vegas!  I wouldn't have been able to attend their wedding with the way things are at work right now.  I cannot take any time off.  I hate flying anyway!  If I hate packing for a trip, imagine packing for a wedding!"

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“This is the first wedding I’ve been to where everything has been on time! That’s what happens when you have a wedding planner working with you from day one!”

vs.

Things are running way behind schedule! They’re going to have to pay extra for the photographer to stay longer as well as additional time for the limo driver. It took so long for everyone to get their food.”

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“It’s so peaceful here! The Wedding Coordinator made sure there weren’t going to be any conflicting activities to interfere with the wedding.

vs.

“Isn’t that terrible that they have a baseball tournament going on next door and all that noise during the wedding!  Who would have thought that the team would be in the playoffs?"

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Janis Flagg, Owner
Greatest of Days
Event Planning and Design
Wedding Officiating
http://www.greatestofdays.com/
jan@greatestofdays.com
"Creating Memories to Bring a Smile to Your Face for Years to Come!"
http://www.facebook.com/greatestofdays
http://www.greatestofdaysweddingsandevents.blogspot.com/

There are no guarantees that a wedding will go perfectly without any flaws, but having professionals in charge for your wedding, reduces that risk tremendously!