The Right Help: Wedding Day Consultants vs. Wedding Planners
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Planning a wedding can be very time consuming. Before you rush to hire a professional wedding helper, consider your individual needs. Here’s a guide to understanding the different services Wedding Day Consultants offer as compared to Wedding Planners and what to expect from their different levels of expertise.
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Wedding Planners-The Full Service Wedding Consultant
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They’re called many different names from Wedding Coordinators, Wedding Planners to Wedding Consultants. Regardless of the title, these individuals are considered full service consultants. They are usually brought on board to handle every aspect of your wedding.
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A Wedding Planner might be right for you if…
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You don’t have the time or desire to plan an entire wedding.
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You have a big budget to play with.
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You want someone to handle all of the wedding details for you.
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Many consultants offer a complete range of services, such as:
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Doing all research and legwork.
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Establish an organized timeline.
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Finding invitations and overseeing printing.
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Coordinating out of town travel for family and friends.
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Locating wedding reception sites.
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Hiring florists, musicians, photographers and other vendors.
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Negotiating contracts and fees.
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Coordinating wedding day set-up times and deliveries.
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Overseeing all reception elements.
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Planning and booking the honeymoon.
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Many full-scale consultants are often paid 10 to 10 percent of the total wedding budget. For a referral, contact the Association of Bridal Consultants. The Association of Bridal Consultants can be found online at www.bridalassn.com.
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“Blueprint” Consultants
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If you’re a novice to party planning and would like some professional assistance, you might want to meet with a consultant once to help you with the preliminary legwork. A one-time meeting with a consultant can offer services, such as:
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Finding the best reception sites in your price range.
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Giving you names of the best and most reliable vendors.
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Help you brainstorm ideas on how to create special themes.
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Negotiate fees (and get you discounts you wouldn’t ordinarily receive on your own).
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Wedding Day Consultants
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If you feel you have everything under control, but want the comfort of knowing a professional planner will oversee the small details you don’t want to think about, hire a wedding consultant for the day of your wedding. Although many reception sites offer these services, some do not. A wedding day consultant can:
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Oversee all wedding day deliveries.
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Manage the placement of chairs, tables, etc.
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Oversee floral arrangements, place cards, table cards, etc.
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Keep everyone (officiant, wedding party, guests) on schedule.
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Coordinate the wedding procession.
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Work with the caterer and musicians to coordinate the flow of the day/evening.
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It’s important to note that the billing processes vary from consultant to consultant. Before your first meeting, be sure to have a full understanding of how the consultant charges for their time. And when you do finally decide to hire a wedding consultant, make sure you have a written contract outlining your expectations and verbal discussions.
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