Wedding Planners Save You Money!

I've been saying this for years.  I honestly hate being in a position to have to explain why a couple needs a wedding planner.  Recently, I just decided to let it go.  I won't debate with anyone anymore.  If someone cannot see the value of the service that we provide for themselves, then chances are they won't hire me, and I am wasting my breath trying to explain why they need me.

Then again, I have provided proposals for people who chose to get started with planning on their own, and three months later they call me desperate for help.  I recently monitored a twitter feed from brides discussing their wedding regrets.  The top thing that was mentioned over and over was that brides would have hired a planner so they would be less stressed, and that they would not have imposed on family and friends so that they could have enjoyed the wedding day as well.  Amen, twitterverse, Amen.

Anyway, it is very nice when others appreciate our efforts enough to write about it.  I wanted to share this article from a great wedding website I enjoy reading:  One Wed article: 5 ways a wedding planner can help save you money

I would like to add a few thoughts of my own:

Negotiations:  It just so happens that I am a former paralegal.  Add that to my wedding planning experience and I can tear apart a contract like nobody's business.  All of our full service clients receive complimentary contract reviews for everyone of their vendors.  Sidenote: I almost always ask for a change - sometimes minor issues, sometimes MAJOR issues.  This is a great benefit we provide to our clients.

Discounts:  I receive a standard 10% discount from my preferred rental companies, and typically, I receive up to 25% on lighting contracts.  Some bands even discount my clients up to 10% because they know that I take good care of them and listen to their input.  I definitely have my favorite vendors that throw in extras and go the extra mile because we have formed a relationship over several years.  Guess what?  Every penny that is discounted is passed along to my clients - I do not accept kickbacks.

Budget Help:  By far the most difficult aspect of planning is working with clients on their budgets.  I prefer to have a face to face meeting when we discuss this.  People are always surprised at how much things cost, and I have seen brides cry when they think they have a good size budget to work with and they begin to realize they may need to change some things.  I like being there with them in the moment to offer suggestions on other ways we can achieve their vision.  Believe me, I am married to a Dave Ramsey wannabe, so I understand budgets.  I think we do a fantastic job of honoring our clients budgets and talking them through choices that will still give them a beautiful wedding that their family and friends will enjoy.

The highest level of service:  If anything is repeated over and over from our clients, it is our organization, our calm demeanor on the wedding day, and our willingness to help.  FAVOR Events views the entire family as our client, regardless of who signs the contract.  Would you like return calls and emails within 24 hours? Check.  First to arrive at your wedding venue? That would be FAVOR Events.  Last to leave your wedding venue?  Yep, us again.  If the caterer forgets to take our the trash - we do it.  All in a days work, and it is truly our pleasure to serve our clients on this momentous occasion.

Are you thinking you will tackle your wedding planning yourself?  Or maybe you will have dear Aunt Edna helping you?  We would love to sit down for a complementary consultation with you and Edna to talk about how we can help you.  At a minimum, you should check out our Month-Of Coordination Offering.  We look forward to speaking with you!