A wedding planner does exactly what their name indicates. They handle the logistics and keep track of your budget. They also negotiate contracts and schedule vendor meetings, ensuring all these happen at the correct time. Professional planners can also attend menu tastings and site tours, helping soon-to-be-married couples choose the perfect menu and venue for their big day. And, if you’re out of design ideas, a wedding planner comes with solutions so that nothing is left to the last minute.

A wedding planner does everything from communicating with your vendors and helping with budgeting to tracking payments and handling contracts. They take care of every detail that goes into orchestrating a perfect event, helping couples bring their vision to life and relieving them of stressful and time-consuming responsibilities so that they can enjoy their wedding day to the fullest.

There are several ways to choose a professional that aligns with your needs, but researching their online presence is one of the most helpful. A proficient wedding planner should have an extensive portfolio, blog or website, and social media accounts. These are the mirror of their work, so if you’re able to find an event planner online, try to grasp their style and aesthetics. Also, focus on their brand voice and communication style. Is their work published anywhere? Do they have a professional attitude when interacting with their customers? If so, they might be just what you’ve been looking for.

Before hiring a wedding planner, you need to ensure they specialise in planning your dream ceremony. For this, you have to take inventory of your needs and expectations. Are you into traditional nuptials, or are you dreaming about a destination wedding? When these questions are answered, you can start looking for planners specialised in a particular domain. For instance, if you’re planning a destination wedding, your hired expert should master foreign transaction fees, VAT taxes, exchange rates, and travel tips.

A wedding planner isn’t meant to take the fun out of being involved in organising your event but rather be a guru in this process. You still have control over the situation, so there’s no need to worry about this aspect. If you have a busy life or career, for example, a wedding planner can take such a big responsibility off of your shoulders by spending hours making calls, sending emails, or reviewing and signing contracts. The rest of the process, such as design elements, clothing, menus, and decorations, is all up to you.

Hiring a wedding planner won’t keep you from coming up with great ideas for your big day. This professional is rather here to guide you during the process, handle burdensome meetings and day-of details, as well as be a source of inspiration for fashion, menus, and décor. You are the one planning the event, while the wedding organiser only brings your ideas to life. So no, you don’t lose control over your nuptials.

A wedding planner’s cost depends on several factors, including experience, services provided, location, and niche. If they organise your celebration from start to finish, you should expect to pay somewhere between $4,000 and $10,000 AUD. A wedding planner’s average cost is $2,500 AUD for a range of services, according to The Knot 2021 Real Weddings Study. In general, the less a wedding planner provides, the less they will charge and vice versa.

Hiring a wedding planner can be the best choice for your love celebration but are they expensive? Most ceremony organisers will charge about 10-15 per cent of your wedding budget, so if you have a budget of, let’s say, $50,000 AUD, you’re likely to pay approximately $5,000-$7,000 AUD. Prices also depend on the volume of work the planner performs, as professionals that give minimal assistance can charge several hundred AUD. Meanwhile, for a planner that helps from start to end, you can expect to pay several thousand dollars.

Wedding planners have several specialisations, including social event planning, event coordination, event decorating, luxury wedding planning, and last but not least, destination wedding planning. So, if you’re looking for a professional to help with all those stressful travel duties, you’ll most likely find one. Destination wedding planners can organise your ceremony literally anywhere, from fairytale-like castles and tropical beaches to Tuscan hills. So, if you’re planning a majestic Amalfi Coast ceremony, ensure you call on expert advice.

Wedding planners can certainly do destination nuptials. There’re planners for various ceremonies, including one that is miles away. When organising a celebration outside your city or country, you have to consider several aspects, including fees and travel impediments. As someone who has never dealt with such factors, it can be anxiety-inducing to plan a destination wedding. But it would be much easier for a planner with years of experience in this domain.

This only depends on the wedding planner you’re going to hire and their provided services. Some specialists may require all the amount upfront, others ask for an upfront fee, and others invoice the amount at the end of the event (although rarely). Moreover, there’re planners that take monthly payments, being thus more convenient. Some experts believe it’s best to pay the total and final amount no later than three weeks before the wedding, but again, this depends on the planner.

A wedding planner can be paid in advance or monthly. Some professionals may require the full payment a couple of weeks before the ceremony, while others would accept monthly payments. Nonetheless, you can establish payment requirements together and agree on the terms and conditions. The actual payment method of an event planner also relies on the type of planner you’re about to employ: day-of coordinator, part-time, full-time, etc.

Planning a ceremony is a process that takes time, especially if there’s going to be a big celebration. So, you may want to hire a wedding planner at least one year in advance to ensure everything is running smoothly and seamlessly. Award-winning organiser Nicole-Natassha Goulding recommends calling on a professional twelve months before the event, as this timeframe is ideal for finding everything from the perfect bridal dress and necessary vendors to an adequate venue.

The consensus for planning a wedding is one year in advance, but the time varies from couple to couple. While some elope after just two months of organising, others spend more than a year pulling everything together. Hiring a planner at least one year beforehand would be best if you plan a sumptuous ceremony. But if you’re dreaming about an intimate wedding, calling on a specialist planner, let’s say, three or four months in advance, is more than perfect. As you can see, everything depends on the type of event, your expectations of it, and the resources you’re willing to allocate.

The difference between a wedding planner and a venue coordinator is given by the party they work for. The former, in this case, is looking for your best interests, while the latter does everything to ensure the venue’s interests. They’re responsible for setup, menus, vendor coordination, and other aspects of the event’s location. However, the venue coordinator won’t be there if your ceremony occurs in a place other than the venue. On the other hand, the wedding planner works independently for you, so they’re present at every moment to ensure the day runs smoothly.

It’s easy to mistake a wedding planner with a venue coordinator or vice versa, but they are not one and the same. The former is responsible for ensuring an overall harmonious event, while the latter deals only with aspects relating to the wedding venue. They work exclusively for the venue and concentrate on managing their staff, unlike wedding planners, who take care of various aspects, including design elements, wedding finances, vendor meetings, dress fittings, etc.

There are hundreds of questions that need answers, but let’s focus on the basics. Some essential questions every couple should ask a potential venue include: Is the venue available on that particular date? How many guests can this location accommodate? Can the venue host my ceremony, too? What’s the rental fee, and most importantly, how long can you rent the venue? Also, what other rooms are included? Lounge area, coatroom, bridal party room, cocktail area… What about a next-day after party?

Apart from general questions about dates, rental fees, and rooms available, there’re many questions regarding food and beverage, decorations, music and dancing, and logistics. Consider asking potential venues whether there’s a caterer or not, a food and beverage minimum, or what options you have for the bar. Ask if you can bring in a DJ or band or if there’s a specific décor. Only after you have all these questions answered you’ll be able to choose a suitable venue.

The reasons why you should hire a wedding planner are countless. Apart from offering assistance on the big day, a professional planner can help with budgeting and scheduling. They’re problem solvers regarding family misunderstandings and do everything to keep things in balance, even if there are many aspects to take care of. Soon-to-be-married couples often call on a specialist planner to handle responsibilities like making calls and reviewing contracts, while others need a helping hand regarding tasting menus and choosing the perfect bridal dress. So, whatever you need, a wedding planner will most probably address it successfully.

The main advantage of hiring a wedding planner is that they take the stress out of the event for you. Whether you have the time to handle associated responsibilities or not, an expert planner can help with both minor and major issues, ensuring a smooth and seamless event. Plus, you’re still in charge, as a wedding planner is rather a guide in the long run.