How a wedding planner can help you with your dream day — and how much it'll cost you to hire one

Right after you get engaged, you'll probably feel a flurry of excitement. But soon after, you might start to get nervous as you think of how much work you'll need to do to make your dream wedding happen.

As you start to envision your big day, you may consider hiring a wedding planner to help you pull the event off.

But hiring the right person can be tricky, especially if you're unclear on what exactly a planner does.

Insider spoke to Emily Monus, a New York-based wedding planner that specializes in vegan and LGBTQIA+ weddings, about what her work entails and why planners can make such a difference for couples.

Think of a wedding planner as a project manager

Monus told Insider that a wedding planner isn't unlike a project manager or a stage manager.

"In the simplest of terms, a wedding planner is your wedding project manager," she told Insider. "They will guide you through vendor selection and communication, organization of details, seating plans and layout arrangements, and timeline coordination."

"Then, they oversee the execution and production of your special day," Monus said, so you don't have to worry about anything but saying "I do."

"A show would never be as successful without a stage manager or production manager keeping things organized and running in the background — a wedding is really no different," she added.  

The benefit of having a planner is that you don't have to spend as much time handling the nitty-gritty details of your wedding. 

A professional who knows exactly how the day should go will do it for you, and they'll also make it easier for you to make choices because they can guide you toward good options when it comes to venues, flowers, decor, and more.

And as Monus told Insider, planners often provide emotional support for engaged couples as well. 

"I can serve as a sounding board and trusted advisor during the process," Monus said of her role. "We keep the best interest of our couples in mind the entire time, whether it be guiding them through familial struggles, staying true to their vision of the day, or emotional support."

If you're going to hire a planner, it's best to do it early in the planning process

You don't have to have a wedding planner to have a beautiful wedding, but if you want to hire and can afford a planner, it's best to book one before you start making any big wedding decisions.

"If you really want somebody who's going to help you from soup to nuts, find the planner first," Kristen Maxwell Cooper, the editor-in-chief of The Knot, told Insider. "They oftentimes will know about venues and little nuggets. That's their job." 

Monus echoed Cooper, telling Insider that planners can make every part of planning simpler.

"Often wedding planners have relationships with other vendors, which makes for a very smooth wedding-planning process since they may have worked together before," Monus told Insider.

Plus, planners can help you save money as you make these big decisions, as they know the industry inside and out.

"They can help you negotiate better rates with vendors, and many have partnerships with services that can offer you discounts on your stationery," she said. "They know all sorts of tips and tricks to help you save money that you may not even be aware of since you've likely never planned a wedding before."

You can also use your venue's day-of coordinator instead of hiring a separate planner

Wedding planners help you with the entire process of getting married, but some couples don't need or want someone to be that involved with the process.

A day-of coordinator, or a wedding manager, is a good solution for people who want some help but don't need hands-on planning for their entire engagement. 

"A wedding planner is usually there from the start, planning and guiding you through the whole process, while wedding management just comes on later — typically the month before — to learn all of the details that you have already planned and tie up any loose ends with vendors," Monus told Insider.

A day-of coordinator is a great option for many couples as long as they understand the more limited scope of what their role entails.

"It's important that a client understands this difference as well as their own limitations in order for them to have proper expectations about what services the planner will provide," Monus said.

The cost of a planner varies based on the services you get and where you live

There isn't a set cost for every wedding planner. Indeed, cost varies from planner to planner, though location and type of service help determine the price. 

The national average cost of a wedding planner was $1,500 in 2019, according to a study conducted by The Knot, but where you live and how much help you want will determine the cost. The more you want a planner to handle, the more expensive it will be.

"For full service, you can expect a minimum charge of around $5,000, but that tends to go up depending on size and scope," she said. "Often full-service rates will be calculated based on a percentage — usually 20% — of your wedding budget."

If you're just paying for a wedding month or day-of coordinator, the cost will be more like $1,800 to $2,000, according to Monus. And many planners will offer something in between and allow couples to customize the services so it fits their needs.

"I've developed a middle-range service that I call Wedding Consulting that offers a set amount of consulting or planning hours and wedding management — my most popular offering — for $2,800 with an option to add on consulting or planning time if needed," Monus said. 

It's best to find a planner you connect with personally, especially since you'll be working so closely with them

You'll want to keep your budget in mind as you look for a wedding planner, but it's also important to think about the kind of person you want to work with.

Couples work with planners for the duration of their engagements, so hiring someone you get along with — and who understands your vision for your wedding — is key.

One way to narrow down your options is to look at how a planner has positioned themselves in the industry. Many planners specialize in certain types of weddings, as Monus does, which can make it easier to know if they will be a good fit for you. 

Monus recommends asking potential planners a mix of personal and professional questions when you're interviewing them.

"Ask them about some of their favorite weddings they have coordinated and why that wedding sticks out to them. Ask them about a challenge they've had during a planning process or production of an event and how they solved it," she advised. "Learn about what they like to do for fun, and how they got their start in event work, which will help you get a good sense of their personality."

Whether you end up hiring a planner or not, you can find a way to have the wedding of your dreams; a planner will just help you cut out some of the stress along the way. 

You can learn more about Monus' work here, and you can read more about how to plan a wedding here.

• Read more:
• Everything you need to know before shopping for a wedding dress
• A step-by-step guide to planning your dream wedding
• Sorry, a COVID-19 vaccine doesn't mean you can have a big summer wedding in 2021
• The biggest mistakes brides make when shopping for wedding dresses, according to designer Pnina Tornai

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