A wedding planner can take many forms. There is the traditional person who handles every detail for you, from scheduling your dress fittings to decorating the reception location. This type of planner offers a full range of services and can be an excellent choice for large weddings, destination weddings or fast approaching ceremonies. An experienced full service planner will know where to get orchids delivered in December to your Bolivar wedding, how to book reservations for a river cruise wedding in Hannibal, and where to find the perfect shade of blue to match your flowers in Moberly. He or she will make sure deposits are given on time, handle any ice sculpture problems and make sure the band has everything it needs to serenade your guests into the night. As a couple, you will still make all decisions, from the lettering on your wedding invitations to the ceremony venue. The wedding planner will make sure those decisions are carried out which leaves you time to shop for the perfect dress and write your vows. This is the most expensive type of planner, but for many brides the certain knowledge that the details are being taken care of is priceless.
Many wedding planners also offer an à la carte type of service. Here you can choose which services you want or need assistance with, which leaves you to handle the other parts of wedding planning yourself. For example, if you are being married in the family parish in Joplin and the minister is your brother, you can be fairly certain those arrangements will go smoothly. However, if everyone in the congregation is invited and you have never planned anything bigger than a movie get-together in your basement, you might look to a planner to handle the reception for you. Websites such as Rings Around Heart, in Independence, will give you a good idea of the possible packages you might find helpful. Some reception venues offer an on site wedding planner to help coordinate all your vendors such as the caterer and the wedding cake supplier. Take a hard look at these services to see if the extra fee is worth the relief of not having to handle 15 phone calls about cake frosting substitutions the night before the wedding.
When looking into hiring a wedding planner, get references and call them. Ask your other vendors if they have any experience with the person you are considering. A good wedding planner will have a solid reputation in the community and will have no problem with you checking up on them. Look for someone with several years of experience planning your type of ceremony in your type of venue. Make sure you have met the actual individual who will be handling your wedding details. Some companies have sub contractors to handle different aspects of a wedding. You need a contact you can call in an emergency who knows the entire plan for your wedding. Look for someone whose ideas and suggestions fit with your own dreams for your wedding and who respects your wishes. An experienced rural wedding planner is a great option for an outdoor county wedding, but might not fit with your bright lights,big city wedding dreams.
Letting a wedding planner help you create your perfect wedding can make good sense for some brides. A wedding, even for 50 guests, can be a huge undertaking. Forfeited deposits and missed reservations can add up in a hurry. What you thought you were saving by handling everything yourself may end up costing you more financially and emotionally. Letting a wedding planner worry about where to find a unicorn wedding cake and how many pew bows are required can be worth its weight in gold.