In the past 6 months, I have heard from couples (and in one case, their family member) who have had regrets that they didn’t hire me. In one case, they didn’t hire a Planner at all and were completely overwhelmed with the amount of things that came up on the day. They didn’t enjoy their day at all because they were busy doing my job. The other couples hired other Planners because they appeared to be cheaper or offered more. Although when all was said and done this wasn’t the case at all, as they didn’t follow through with the promises made.
Here are a few suggestions to avoid time wasted shopping around:
- Hire a Wedding Planner. Even if you can’t afford a full package, at least book a Day of Package to help you enjoy your day.
- Hire a Wedding Planner who is in your price range instead of focusing on the absolutely lowest price. In the long run you have no idea where your Wedding Planner will save you money. The $1000 extra you spend in fees, can easily turn in to a savings of $5000, if you hired the right Wedding Planner. Hiring the cheapest Planner (or any vendor) can sometimes backfire and turn into a very costly situation.
- Don’t hire a Wedding Planner who offers to “probably” do something. “I will probably get you upgraded”, “I will probably be at the rehearsal”, “I will probably save you this or that cost”. If I say I am going to do something, I do it. Although I always try and get my clients more than they expect, I certainly never promise unless I know it’s going to happen.
- Never hire a Wedding Planner with a deal that is too good to be true. How are they making a living if they are charging $200/per wedding? They would need to do 200 weddings just to be above the poverty line! So they are obviously working another job, not paying their assistants, not having enough assistants, doing this as a hobby and potentially not going to be in business by the time your wedding arrives.
- Narrow your decision to a few Wedding Planners and book an initial consultation to meet them and see if they are the right fit. Don’t waste your time calling 30 Wedding Planners to compare the pricing, it really is a huge waste of your time and not a true indication of which Planner will really help you stay on budget.
- Get a referral from a friend. Did they hire a Wedding Planner they were happy with? I love word of mouth referrals and am thrilled that most of my business is through referrals from other Wedding Planners, friends and past clients.
Happy Planning!
About Jennifer Borgh:
Specializing in destination weddings and local weddings in Toronto and York Region, Jennifer Borgh with her team of exceptional assistants and vendor connections ensure every single detail of your wedding is taken care of. Jennifer Borgh Events is a boutique planning company and doesn’t overbook. Jennifer Borgh plans weddings and honeymoons FULL time and is therefore available when you need her!
Her extensive background in events has taken her all across the Caribbean. Being Certified by The Wedding Planners Institute of Canada, Sandals and Travel Industry Council of Ontario leaves destination bridal parties completely worry-free in her capable hands. www.jenniferborghevents.com
Such a great article! And so true!