Reason 199 on Why Hire a Wedding Planner?

At Party of 2, prospective Brides and Grooms may ask us why they need to hire a wedding planner and among the many standard and obvious reasons we supply them with can include; reduce stress to themselves and family members, find potential cost savings and help couples stick to their budgets, help insure their wedding vendors deliver on their contracts and couples receive the best value for their dollars spent, act as their emotional “outlet” when they need to talk and the list goes on.  What sometimes may not be so apparent to couples are the little nuances to what certified wedding planners can provide, or what we are calling reason #199 on “Why to Hire a Wedding Planner?”

One of the very real ways, we at Party of 2, assist our couples during their wedding planning process is in the area of Wedding Etiquette.  It’s our job to point out to our couples what the standard requires for any given situation given the parameters of the event as presented by the couple.  It’s our job as wedding planners to let our couples know the wedding “rules,” present the potential “fallout” if the “rules” are not followed, present alternatives if they are available, and then support are couples in their decisions.   As wedding planners, we are not there to make judgments on our couple’s selections or dictate their actions, but we are there to advise them on their choices.

Our couple may choose not to follow etiquette, which is their right to do so, but it is very important that we alert them to the potential consequences of their actions.  A good example of where a wedding planner may have been needed recently played out this past week, in Maryland, where a groom updated his Facebook status upon saying his “I do” at the altar.  The fallout from this event has been heard “round” the world as people have chimed in on the “appropriateness” of this action.  Whether etiquette has been “breached” was heavily debated and the bride was quoted as saying she was “anxious” about the fame and that she was having trouble sleeping!

We suggest that had Party of 2 been the wedding planner for this Maryland couple, we would have one, at the very least had a healthy discussion about moving forward with this idea, not because we can’t see the humor or the playfulness in the moment, but to remind the couple that this is the first impression your guests will have of you as a couple, and is this really the impression you want to leave with them? Two, and as a result of our discusion, our bride would not have been so taken by surprise at the response, provided the groom was forthcoming with us.  We would have asked these types of questions;  Are you thinking through what Great Aunt Mildred will think or are you just playing to the under 25 crowd? Is this interruption in your ceremony going to have an effect on your guests, or each other, and what will that be?  Does this fit the formality/informality of your event? When you look back on this moment, will you have any regrets?  Once we would have worked through all these discussion points and then if the couple felt comfortable with their decision, then we would have supported their decision and put in place any measures needed to help support that decision.

Wedding Planners wear many hats before and during a wedding. Just as you would never select a lawyer without making sure he or she had passed the bar exam, Party of 2 suggests you never get married without having a certified wedding planner at your side!

If you need help planning your wedding, give Party of 2 a call today, at 916-479-3093!

###

prtof02@gmail.com