{"id":2523,"date":"2020-12-23T08:06:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-23T00:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/?p=2523"},"modified":"2024-04-26T04:56:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T20:56:09","slug":"8-things-you-need-to-know-if-you-arent-hiring-a-wedding-planner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/8-things-you-need-to-know-if-you-arent-hiring-a-wedding-planner\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Things You Need to Know If You Aren't Hiring a Wedding Planner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With dozens of decisions (colours! cake! flowers!) and dozens more logistical details, planning nuptials can daunt even the most intrepid couple. It's no wonder that so many choose to hire a wedding planner to coordinate their big day so they can focus on the fun. But if you're up for handling it on your own, you can pull it off \u2014 as long as you approach it with a pro's mindset. Consider these tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hire a Pro on a Limited Basis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You may find that the investment pays for itself. \"The money and time a planner can save is valuable,\" says wedding planner<\/a> Carl, of\u00a0TWP HK. \"I can negotiate discounts a couple cannot and make recommendations on DIY and budget-saving<\/a> places that many people would not consider, or be able to do without a little direction.\" To save money, you could recruit a planner only at the beginning to help choose vendors or hire a coordinator for the day of the wedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If You Go DIY, Know Where to Start<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Bent on doing it all on your own? You'll need a place to jump in. Carl recommends two key launching points: \"A budget and a guest list,\" she says. \"The two are related, and cutting the guest list is the single best way to save money.\" Once those details are in place, you'll have a better sense of the type of wedding that suits you best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think Twice Before Hiring Family & Friends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Someone who's emotionally invested in your wedding lacks the objective judgment that's necessary to handle the process smoothly. \"I try to steer clear of the recommendation of using family or friends,\" Carl says. \"It never works out like you want, and you are strapped with the emotion of trying to express dislike or needs. It's hard enough expressing wants and needs using a professional for the work, let alone a family or friend.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Ready to Tackle the Basics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From the outset, couples need a firm timeline and some general ideas about the type of wedding they want, Carl says. This helps take the stress out of making fast decisions when necessary. \"So many couples get engaged at the same time, and they are up against each other for the same pool of vendors and venues,\" she says. \"If the (bride and groom) can prioritize what they want, they will be able to make decisions faster and get the vendors they really want for their wedding.\" Have one or two backup dates in mind in case your first choice isn\u2019t possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose Organizational Tools Wisely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Brides and grooms who orchestrate their own wedding need to stay on top of invoices and receipts, keep copies of contracts, track costs and deal with countless other details. Carl likes the Web-sharing tool Google Docs for keeping important information consolidated and accessible. \"It\u2019s a great way for couples, parents and anyone else who is involved to share documents,\" she says. However, if you'd rather go old school, wedding-plan journals are available in bookstores. A plain three-ring binder works too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Diligent When Hiring Vendors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The last thing you want is a band whose lead singer cracks off-colour jokes, or a caterer who puts out dry, cold food. \"Get references and check them,\" Carl says. \"Taste food, sample product, ask questions. You are spending a lot of money on this day, even on a budget.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anticipate Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Things can and do go wrong, and you'll need to prepare as best you can. One of the biggest tasks a planner takes on, Carl says, is day-of logistics. \"Who is going to put out the place cards?\" she says. \"Who cues the band? Who loads the leftover favors and alcohol in the car at the end of the night? Who sews a bridesmaid into a dress with a broken zipper? Those are just a few of the many \u2014\u00a0many<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 things that cross my plate almost every weekend.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep the Process in Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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No wedding, however well planned, is perfect. Yours won\u2019t be, either, and that's OK. \"It's important to remember that this is just one day and one party,\" Carl says. \"Try to enjoy the process of planning. It should be a fun time of decision-making and celebrating your engagement.\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With dozens of decisions (colours! cake! flowers!) and dozens more logistical details, planning nuptials can daunt even the most intrepid couple. It's no wonder that so many choose to hire a wedding planner to coordinate their big day so they can focus on the fun. But if you're up for handling it on your own, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wedding-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2523"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2531,"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2523\/revisions\/2531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theweddingplanner.com.hk\/staging\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}