I hear this all the time! And it is a very valid point. Why would anyone hand over the reigns of planning their own wedding – an event many dream of since they were in pre-school? It can’t be hard?

It’s definitely not difficult! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have chosen it as my career. However it is a ton of work and extremely time consuming.

Here’s the thing, we are all very busy people. Between full-time jobs, household errands, commitments and committees, most of us are over scheduled. Contrary to popular belief, hiring a wedding planner is not an indulgence reserved for the rich, famous and/or spoiled. It is best needed for the professional, full-timer working person, like you. Because the average wedding takes upwards of 100 hours to plan, the right planner can be worth her weight in gold! The right planner saves you time, stress and yes, money.

Here are six reasons why all brides- and grooms-to-be should consider hiring a wedding planner.

1. Saves Time. A wedding planner will help economize your time, so you are free to work on things that matter – like preserving your energy and staying balanced. Those that are about to marry should focus their best attention and creative energy on personal, unique and fun aspects of the day.

2. Streamlines Decision-Making. You may find that planning a wedding is overwhelming. It becomes way too easy to bury your head in the sand once you are faced with the endless decisions you have to make. Venue, types of flowers, lighting arrangements, invitations, dresses, who to invite, who you may offend, who has what food allergy, what separates one photographer from the next, how will guests be entertained, where will they stay, and on and on and on. This is when the expertise of a professional consultant can be a huge relief.  She will access vendors that fall in-line with your vision and narrow the choices to a reasonable 2 or 3.

3. Leads Your Team of Vendors and Manages the Event (to your wishes). A planner not only manages, but acts as your team leader. She plans, schedules, directs and orchestrates the tasks of all the day’s vendors – the people and their roles in making your wedding come to life. She is the point person.

4. Knows and Calls Upon Reliable Talent who Deliver Consistently Great Products and Services. She has the resources to not only locate the most efficient vendors (so you don’t have to scour through the seemingly millions!) at the best deals. A good planner finds vendors that not only fit your budget and individual style, but those specific vendors that work cohesively together in delivering you and your guests work and service that will exceed expectations. She has the name and contact for the best cake decorator in the area, knows florists and designers who would work well with your needs, can summons specialty linens, tables and chairs with a push of her phone and can distinguish one photographer from another.

5. Savings are Passed on to Clients. A wedding planner’s professional status can oftentimes score you major discounts. For instance, I work with a specialty linen company that rents their product out to other professionals in the wedding industry (wholesale) as well as to the end consumer (retail). What they charge me is 20% less than what they would ultimately charge you, if you ordered directly from them. Savings like these are always passed onto my clients – I don’t collect a single drop of money from transactions like these.

6. You Still Have Control. Even as this work is being pulled together for you, a good planner will still let you decide the creative direction. She will also let you specify how you would like things to work and flow, because she knows that the day is all about you and your spouse-to-be.  Her job is to make the planning process absolutely seamless.

But, however involved you want to be in planning your wedding, most consultants will customize packages to fit your needs and wants. A wedding is a fabulous celebration of you and your soon-to-be spouse’s awesome love for one another. Worrying about all the little details when you should be enjoying yourself detracts from the magic. Consider hiring a reputable wedding planner for your very special day.

Diana Ma is a wedding planning expert who has produced weddings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. She is the owner of Diana Ma Weddings & Events. For more information, visit http://www.dianamaweddings.com/index.php.

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