Weddings Made Easy: Why Hiring a Planner Works

Whether brides are looking for a traditional ceremony, a destination wedding or a day that is tailor-made for the couple, wedding planners can use their contacts and expertise to help brides create the day they’ve been dreaming of since childhood—all without breaking the bank.

Destination: I Do

Jessica Campbell is an event coordinator for Adventures on the Gorge, an outdoor adventure resort in Lansing, WV, where her focus is on destination weddings. Her services come with the bride’s venue selection, and she coordinates all the details for a minimal charge.

“Many of my brides that use a coordinator are located out of town and are terrified they are going to forget something,” says Campbell. “The wedding planner alleviates that fear.”

Campbell says one of the main benefits of hiring a wedding planner is having a significant portion of responsibility lifted from the bride by making sure to cross the t’s and dot the i’s. The wedding planner can keep the brides on point to guarantee they are getting everything done in a timely manner and that nothing falls through the cracks.

“I work with the vendors to ensure details like scheduling, and I deal with any unpleasantness that may occur with guests,” says Campbell. “I am there from the first look at the venue until they say their goodbyes.”

For weddings at Adventures on the Gorge, Campbell recommends setting a date for the wedding first and then securing the on-site lodging. “I ask my brides to send out a save the date announcement that asks guests to book lodging immediately,” she says. “The resort is usually booked to capacity, and I don’t want people to be unable to attend the wedding because they neglected to make a room reservation.”

Katlyn Hatcher, who was married at Adventures on the Gorge in September 2013, worked with Campbell to plan the wedding. Hatcher is a native of Vienna, WV, who now lives in Uniontown, PA. Due to a hectic work schedule, she had limited time to visit the venue for planning.

“Having a coordinator was such a huge help in the planning process. Jessica provided us with several lists of local vendors with contact information right at the start, which was so helpful and a major time saver,” says Hatcher. “As time went on, she was there to walk me through each decision, assisting me and making me feel secure that everything was taken care of. I had heard so many horror stories of the stress of planning a wedding, and I can honestly say it was a very enjoyable, low-stress process. My family kept telling me how calm and organized I was, but it wasn’t me; it was because I had a professional walking me through it.”

Bouquets and Budgets

Despite the abundance of services offered by planners, brides are sometimes concerned about the added expense of hiring someone to help them plan their wedding. Yohana Williams, an independent planner based out of Morgantown, WV, says that not only does a wedding planner save sanity but a planner can save money, too.

“A wedding planner can save you money by recommending the best vendors for your budget and style, the ones that will go the extra mile for you, the ones that will show up on time and provide outstanding customer service,” says Williams. “A wedding planner knows where to get exactly what you are looking for, saving you hours in sending emails and making phone calls to find that ‘perfect’ something. A wedding planner will also review your vendor agreements to get you great rates and negotiate airtight contracts.”

Wedding planners will also help a bride stick to her budget. “I use my expertise to advise the bride on where people tend to overspend and where they can find the best deals without breaking the bank,” says Williams. “I work with the couple to determine the aspects of their wedding that are most important to them and then work to make it happen. Part of my job is to ensure that they don’t spend more than they can afford—having them on board seems like a no brainer because ‘I do’ and ‘I’m broke’ don’t belong in the same sentence.”

Gisela Cartagena, a resident of Morgantown, WV, enlisted Williams’ services last April for her wedding in her home country of Puerto Rico. Cartegena originally set a budget close to $15,000, though she anticipated the cost to create her dream wedding would be higher than that. Williams was able to find compromise between Cartagena’s wants and her budget in order to create an event the bride would love.

“Her knowledge of which photographers, decorators, bakeries and invitation printers were good and affordable was extremely helpful,” says Cartagena. “The wedding was amazing! I had no stress at all. I knew she had it all under control.”

All in the Details

While wedding planners can streamline the process to make brides’ decisions easier, they are careful not to take the personality out of the event. Planners understand that brides want their wedding to be personal and not the cookie-cutter celebration that excludes touches of individuality from the bride and groom.

Lori Horvath is a coordinator at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, WV, where she manages everything that happens within the venue including room set-up and menus for weddings. While wedding planners tend to help more with tasks outside of the venue, like picking out the wedding dress and invitations, Horvath’s job as a coordinator is exclusive to the location, where the staff is mindful that catering to a bride’s needs is important to keeping the wedding personal.

“I tell all of the brides that I want their day to be as special as they do,” says Horvath. “A bride can make her reception personal by something as simple as bringing in pictures of her grandma’s or mom’s wedding day, using favors and decorating the tables and venue.”

Maria VanDyke of Canonsburg, PA, worked with Horvath to plan her wedding after seeing the success of her sister’s wedding at the same location.

“I didn’t want the same wedding, but I did use the same vendors and location because I loved it,” says VanDyke. “Lori helped me differentiate my ceremony from my sister’s by customizing the food and decorations. She gave us multiple options to fit our budget, and she had great ideas to help me make the wedding my own. She worked with us to get us exactly what we wanted.”

Plan with a Pro

Weddings are all about the details, and in order to get everything just right, planning involves a lot of time making site visits and contacting vendors. Event planners like Campbell can alleviate the stress of a destination wedding by being the on-site liaison in charge of the check list for the big day while coordinators like Horvath oversee the transformation of a venue into a personalized tribute to the new couple. When it comes to following budgets and getting more for your money, independent planners like Williams make it possible to shop from a list of vendors who are guaranteed to come through on the big day.

Regardless of the type, size or location of the wedding, a planner will ensure the big day is both special and seamless. After all, the focus of the bride on her wedding day shouldn’t be on arranging details; it should be on feeling beautiful and blissful at the beginning of a lifetime of love.