A Bride’s Best Friend

With the cost of weddings ever increasing, it’s tempting to take the work in house to save money, but outsourcing to a bridal consultant can save not only money, but headaches as well.
By Beth A. Clayton

The average American wedding takes about 250 hours to plan. During a year-long engagement, that is an average of 5 hours a week, with more hours typically accumulating as the big day draws near. It may not seem like a lot, but that’s three dinners with friends, four Pilates classes, five episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, or one great date with your hubby-to-be.  Every week.

According to Tonya Shadoan, president of Circle City Planners, a good wedding consultant can take about 150 hours off a bride’s hands. Of course, these services come with a price; usually around 10 percent of the total wedding budget, although some coordinators charge a flat hourly rate.

Planners today do much more than line up a caterer. In a nutshell, a good coordinator helps a bride and groom develop the overall look and concept of the day and then implement it on the day of. This includes helping the couple establish and stick to a budget, being a point person for vendors, negotiating contracts, developing an event timeline and helping the bride navigate the choppy waters of etiquette. All of this helps the bride and her family sit back and enjoy the day. “The last thing you want to be doing as a bride is ordering people around,” says Gloria Boyden of Events By Design.

But can you afford all this convenience? Yes, say local brides and planners, if you know a few things before signing on the dotted line.

First, research your options. Most wedding coordinators offer a variety of services based on the couples’ needs. At Circle City Planners, couples can choose from five different packages. The Platinum Package offers full-service coordination from start to finish, including unlimited contact with the coordinators, and includes fun extras like a brainstorming activity to help the couple define the tone of the wedding. For those who prefer to do it themselves, the Wedding Weekend Orchestration package guarantees the event runs smoothly, right down to pinning boutonnieres on the groomsmen before their stroll down the aisle, but leaves the actual planning to the couple.

Boyden prefers to have a consultation with couples to determine their needs and expectations, and then provides a quote based on that. She will even allow brides to “pick her brain” for the best vendors or reception ideas for an hourly fee, and then save money by doing the legwork themselves. 

But a word to the wise to do-it-yourselfers who hope to trim their budget by forgoing professional help: Don’t overestimate your ability to handle it all your self. While hand-addressing 250 invitation envelopes seems doable when you embark on the planning journey, you may start to feel overwhelmed a few months down the line, when dress fitting, cake tasting, and photographer interviewing is in full swing.

One time having a bridal consultant is almost always a must is private residence weddings. While backyard bashes can be a fun way to save a little money and add a personal flair to your day, the logistics involved, from coordinating arrival of catering to making sure there are enough restrooms on site, mean a lot of opportunities for things to go wrong. A coordinator helps a bride and her family think through these details, and may even running interference with last-minute issues. “I don’t wash windows, but I have been known to dust!” says Boyden.

While most bridal consultants say they will work with any size budget, there is a certain point when spending that portion of the budget on the planner may not be the best use of funds. For instance, Boyden says that for a budget of $10,000 for 150 people, adding a consultant may be stretching it. “Their budget will basically cover food and beverage,” she says. “You have to be realistic.”

That said, Shadoan says she recently saved a couple $4,000 when she noticed a loophole in their catering contract. “Many times I essentially save couples enough money to pay for my costs,” she says.

Wedding coordinators may also be able to negotiate better rates for brides with vendors to whom she brings lots of business. When dealing with a reputable planner, those savings get passed on to the bride.

Dollar signs aside, can you really put a price on the peace of mind that comes with knowing that someone other than you is responsible for keeping feuding family members or tipsy groomsmen from stealing the show?

If you decide to engage in what may be the second most important relationship you have during the engagement period, here are a few things to keep in mind…

1. Think twice before hiring someone who isn’t a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC).  Boyden says that because there is no formal certification required for wedding consultants in the state of Indiana, most legitimate consultants become active members of this trade association, which requires continuing education for members.
   
2. Have initial consultations with a few coordinators. In addition to finding a good value, brides should look for someone they enjoy being around. Meeting with your planner should be fun!
   
3. Beware of prices that are too low. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. A consultant who doesn’t seem to be charging enough to support her business may be receiving “kick-backs” in which vendors pay her a fee for referring business to them. While not technically illegal, the ABC strictly forbids this practice since brides often end up paying too much for lack-luster services.
   
4. You don’t want your coordinator to be too in demand. If a consultant does more than 20-25 weddings per year, she is likely too busy to attend to details personally, or may become burnt out and not devote appropriate energy to your special day. Boyden tries to avoid working on weddings more than two weekends in a row. “I like to give some breathing room between weddings so I stay fresh and refreshed,” she says.
   
5. She can have ideas, but it is still your wedding. If your consultant seems too wrapped up in their vision of your day to listen to your version of your day, move on. “Nobody should take over your wedding,” says Boyden. “Only a handful of weddings have filled the image of the wedding I would have had. But it’s not my wedding.” 
   
6. Always ask for recommendations. Shadoan suggests asking for names of brides who are currently planning their wedding, rather than those whose weddings have passed. Most brides remember their wedding fondly, but those who are in the midst of planning stress can give the most honest answers.
   
7. Use common business sense. You should not be expected to pay in full upfront, or sign anything on your first visit.
   
8. Make sure your planner has enough support staff. The rule of thumb is one staff person per 100 guests; your consultant and an assistant will likely be unable to handle an event with 300 attendees.