Do I really need a wedding planner to help me plan my wedding in Cornwall by a Cornwall wedding planner.
As much as a wedding can be a happy occasion it can be stressful and complicated to organise if you are not used to planning. Weddings are now a full-time job so juggling the planning amongst day to day living can be hard work! As a Wedding Planner in Cornwall, we have always been regarded as a bit of a status symbol for the rich and famous! But now savvy couples have realised a good wedding planner can actually help them instead of taking over, and is definitely something to consider.
When you ask the question do I really need a wedding planner to help me plan my wedding in Cornwall, here’s what you need to know.
Types of wedding planners - A wedding planner, sometimes called a “director,” “coordinator,” or—a bit archaically—a “bridal consultant,” is a professional who organises, oversees, and orchestrates either an entire wedding or specific aspects of it. Their duties can range from setting a budget to setting place cards, or from culling a list of florists to cueing the band.
There are different types of wedding planners. The most common categories include:
Full-Service Planners - The perfect solution to ensure your wedding is planned to perfection. Full wedding planning in Cornwall service is for couples who are either right at the beginning or in the first few months. Every detail of your wedding is taken care of from start to finish and normally starts a year in advance, which helps take the stress and pressure off.
Partial Planners - You’ve dipped your toes into planning your wedding. Booked your wedding venue or marquee company. Secured a couple of additional expert professionals. Excellent! However, you’ve realised that although you love the idea of planning your wedding, the reality of pulling it all together whilst juggling a hectic work schedule means you need the assistance of a trusted, experienced, down-to-earth wedding planner. Designed for couples who have done a lot of their own wedding planning, but need a little help pulling the last details together.
On-the-day coordination in Cornwall (also known as on-the-day management) is perfect if you have everything planned for your marquee, tipi, or outdoor wedding celebration but just need some assistance to ensure the day runs smoothly.
What Does A Wedding Planner Actually Do? - Hiring a professional planner is a little bit like having a bridal personal assistant on hand throughout your engagement. Reading contracts, completing booking forms, chasing guests that haven’t RSVP’d, creating schedules, and then assisting with the set-up and clear-down; a planner can carry out a vast array of tasks that are a little tedious, a tad boring, and incredibly time-consuming. The result?..... You catch up on Netflix rather than spending your evenings doing ‘admin’. Most importantly we are there on the day to ensure everything goes to plan.
‘Don’t wedding planners cost a lot of money?’ It might be worth browsing through some wedding magazines or reading the blogs that you begin to realise just how many hours go into organising a wedding. It’s estimated it takes couples 250-300 hours to organise a wedding – a lot more if it’s a marquee wedding. Understanding that hiring a professional wedding planner is not an additional expense. If you think about it, your wedding day will most probably be the biggest and most expensive party you will ever host. But this party isn’t a straightforward dinner party. This is a party stretching over a full day that may have multiple locations, potentially hundreds of guests, a tight schedule, and a long list of suppliers to orchestrate. That’s a lot going on!
Paying for a professional can actually save you money, keep you in line with your budget, and give you options that are often cheaper.“You employ a professional for every aspect of your wedding, so it makes sense to employ a professional to assist with the planning process and on-the-day management too” Keep in mind that because of inside connections and experience, wedding planners have the toolset to avoid common mistakes and last minute added costs. Hiring a wedding planner might be the most cost-effective move, in the end, to save you from troubles and make the entire wedding process seamless and easy.
Money - Often planners can negotiate supplier discounts for booking through them, which you wouldn’t be able to get going directly. I only recommend suppliers because they are awesome, not because I am getting a cash incentive to put them forward so that cash incentive goes straight to you. We also have an extensive recommended supplier list so can put forward an incredible range of suppliers at different price points; a far better selection than you’ll get from carrying out an internet search or going to a wedding fair. Many vendors prefer to meet midweek as the weekends are often a busy time for them. This leaves you taking time off work leaving you using your holiday or being unpaid. Planners know of the best times to get married the prices for peak and out of season and the best knowledge of venues that hold all exclusive deals to venues that are dry and need to hire in everything but the kitchen sink!
Stress - Pulling off a perfectly planned and beautifully styled wedding can be quite stressful, especially if you haven’t got any experience planning. Creating a picture of your wedding day isn’t as straightforward as deciding what you want and booking it; there are so many details, logistics, and timings to consider. As planners we have experience of the industry and will know what will and won’t work, be able to problem-solve, know what to book and when to book it, and know to cross-check everything to ensure nothing is missed.
Initiate Family Mediation - Whether we like it or not weddings can highlight family dynamics that cause heightened emotions. Often it’s my job to work on finding compromises and hold conversations that need to happen. Usually, a simple clarification needs to happen so that everyone gets on the same page! One of my biggest jobs as a planner is explaining to Mum and Dad why Uncle Bill isn’t invited when you haven’t seen him for ten years. Or when the bridesmaids are being difficult over bridesmaid’s dresses. Having someone impartial to the situation always helps.
But our Venue have a wedding coordinator? - If you have a dedicated contact at your venue, that’s fabulous news and they should be able to take a lot of the time-consuming aspects away from you. I’ve had the delight of working with some simply amazing venue coordinators, worth their weight in gold a hundred times over. All I’d say is: bear in mind standards differ and that ultimately, they work for the venue, not for you, and will by definition have to put the interests of their employer first.
For many, hiring a professional is an easy decision to make but you might still be unsure whether it’s right for you or not? Whether you and your future spouse are behind in your wedding planning or just looking for some general guidance, my easy checklist below will help you find out if hiring a wedding planner would help. If you answer "yes" more than "no" to the following scenarios, then a wedding planner is likely right up your street!
You might need a wedding planner if:
You are way behind on your wedding checklist and schedule.
You both work full-time jobs that will prevent you from meeting with vendors on weekdays.
You do not have other outside help such as an involved mother-of-the-bride, helpful bridesmaids, or knowledgeable friends.
Outside the area – perhaps you have decided to marry outside the area you live. In which case you want a planner local who can truly recommend the best suppliers and venue for you.
You’re having a marquee at home – If you are having a marquee wedding don’t underestimate the amount of work involved not only in the organisation but in the actual set up as well. It’s a much greater challenge than a hotel or venue because you have to organise everything from scratch.
You have hired a dry hire venue – if this is the case then like a marquee you will need to hire everything in from the furniture to the caterers. Coordinating that many suppliers can be tricky and if you’re not used to this some key elements may be forgotten
You are having a destination wedding.
There are personality conflicts between the couple, their parents, and/or other people.
You're excited to be married, but just thinking about wedding planning fills you with dread.
You are having a very short engagement.
You can envision your wedding, but you have no idea how to make your dreams come true.
You can not even envision your wedding at all.
You are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and generally wishing that you had decided to elope.
Coordination – in some cases couples organise a wedding themselves but do need support coordinating all suppliers. In these situations a planner might come on board a few months before to assist the couple.
How do you know if a wedding planner is any good? - There are many wedding planners out there but hiring a good one is invaluable. Believe it or not, it takes years of experience to become a good wedding planner. Having a passion for planning and pinning photos of Pinerest is the easy bit which most every day people can do! When you hire a good wedding planner they take on a whole lot more and really are there for valuable guidance and knowledge every step along the way. They are professional personal assistants, project managers, contract managers, creative directors, consultants and at times counsellors in a niche industry packaged as a ‘Wedding Planner’.
Caroline Griffiths
