Are Wedding
Planners Only for the Wealthy?
by Deborah A. Wilburn
Is it true that wedding planners are
only for the wealthy? I also wonder if a planner would actually
save me enough money to make it worthwhile to hire one.
Planners handle more than just high-end, big-ticket weddings,
according to Peter baxter, founder and MD of UWD.
In fact, a bride on a tight budget might really be able to
use the advice of someone who knows ways to save. These pros
aim to save you costs while performing their duties. “A
good wedding consultant will save the bride at least the fee,”
says Gerard J. Monaghan, president of the Association of Bridal
Consultants. “The fee is not an added expense, so if
you have £10,000 to spend on your wedding and the planner’s
fee is £1,000, she’ll deliver a £10,000
wedding for £9,000.”
What kind of fee can you expect to pay? Prices vary widely
due to variables in geography and how much work is done. Pete
cites tiers of services available that can provide a rough
measuring stick for how consultants are compensated. If, for
example, you work with a planner for about three hours, you
may pay in the range of £100–£125 per hour.
“In that time a good consultant can teach you what you
need to know to set up a budget and a monthly planning schedule,”
Ernst says.
The next level of service would be general preparation and
planning—fees for these services start at about £1,200.
This would include from five to seven meetings with the consultant,
who would plan the wedding from both the business aspect (recommending
vendors and helping you budget) and the creative angle (helping
you achieve the right mood at the reception and so on).
Finally, you can pay the planner to handle everything. Signing
up for the whole nine yards would start at around £2,500.
That fee includes preparation and planning, plus overseeing
the rehearsal dinner and your wedding day.
There’s also the matter of saving you time and stress.
“When you think about how many vendors you need and
the fact that you’ll have to interview three or four
in each category, that adds up to a lot of time,” Monaghan
says. “The planner does the legwork for you.”
Visit our wedding
planning site for further details of our planning service.
The prices quoted above are for general guide use only.
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