United with Love - Fresh Inspiration For Washington DC-Area Weddings

Should I or shouldn’t I?  When it comes to wedding planning, you are either all about it, or couldn’t care less.  Regardless of what camp you reside in, it can be stressful just knowing where to begin.  Enter:  the wedding planner.  We’ve seen the movies and heard the stereotypes.  Thankfully, Janice, owner of Bellwether Events, wrote two great posts for us:  Five reasons to hire wedding planner, and five reasons not to hire a wedding planner.  If you are on the fence, unsure of what to do, read through Janice‘s advice on both sides of the issue.  I think you’ll find it helpful as you set out to plan your wedding.  Take it away, Janice:

Photo Credit:  KateHaus Photography

Budget
If you have never spent $50,000 (just a random number that I picked) on one event/night/party before, this is going to stress you out. “How much to spend” and “what things are you overlooking” are just two of the many questions that will haunt you as you work on your budget and begin to hire vendors.  I think you should hire a planner because they have spent that much on one event/night/party before.  They can tell you what things in DC, MD, and VA actually cost (as opposed to the estimates in the online tools you may come across), and they will make sure that nothing is overlooked.

Time
Maybe you are having a short engagement, or maybe you have a super demanding career leaving little down time for your personal life.  And, possibly you don’t have any/many local friends or family members who can help you accomplish wedding-related tasks during this time.  These are all great reasons to hire a planner.  Wedding planners are here to do the legwork for you, and to help you have a normal life while you plan your wedding so that you can enjoy your engagement with your fiance.  We will keep your planning process moving forward, and make sure that everything actually gets done so that your wedding day is magnificent.

Confusion
There are so many magazines and blogs that you could spend hours pouring over.  There are seemingly infinite wedding professionals in the Washington, DC area that you could look into.  Where do you start?  How do you narrow your focus?  A planner will help you with this.  A planner knows about all the beautiful things on the blogs, but will help you find your own wedding theme or feeling.  A planner knows a lot of local vendors and will be able to point you in the direction of those that match your budget, taste and style.

Trust
After you look at about eight websites, send about five email inquiries, and have two to three in-person interviews, you will find the one.  Your wedding planner.  Your new friend and confidant.  Someone who you like and trust to help you plan your wedding events.  You will trust them to point you in the right direction, keep you on course, and reel you in when you get distracted.  You will trust them to do their job and make the wedding day smooth and stress free.  They will understand what you want and make it happen without you having to worry about it.

Attitude
This is what is overheard at my weddings:  “People keep asking me if I am stressed out, but I’m not at all!”  There is no better testimonial to me from my brides.  Wedding planning should be fun, and if you are getting guidance from a professional that you like and trust, you will really enjoy the experience.  And, that will show on your face and in your smile on the wedding day, and in the photos that live on after the wedding.

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Thank you, Janice, for your words of wisdom!  For more from Janice or if you are looking for a wedding planner in the DC area, be sure to visit her website.

Check back in a bit because we will have Janice’s five reasons to not hire a wedding planner.

Looking for more help?  Check out our tips and advice page.

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