Oftentimes I hear brides and grooms telling me all the reasons they can't afford a wedding planner and I just want to BEG them to reconsider that stance for sooooooo many reasons. You can't afford NOT to have a competent wedding planner on the ground handling all the details you've worked so long and so hard to put together. Here are just a few reasons why you should think twice before skipping a planner. I'm likely going to repeat myself a few times here, but trust me, I speak the truth!

I'm not going to touch on Destination Weddings in this post because we've got one specifically dedicated to that in the works so just stay tuned!

1. Peace of mind!

This is the biggest and the most important reason you should have a wedding planner that is both competent (and I stress that word) and professional (another word that deserves much emphasis) handling all the details of your big day. A real true event planner will have a whole team with her (or him!) so that no detail goes unnoticed.

Oh, what's that? Your auntie used to work at a flower shop in college back in '87 and she's going to do all the planning AND the flowers? Oh, your mom's cousin's best friend's step-brother's nephew's girlfriend does planning on the side? First of all, no. Second, do you really want your loved ones or some random person "working" your wedding instead of enjoying it? Don't you want to spend that wonderful day WITH your friends and family versus ordering everyone around and making sure people have done their "jobs" as well as making sure the vendors are on point? Wouldn't it be brilliant to have someone there to make sure all that happens while you get to be the Bride and not the Planner?

Furthermore, that person is more than likely not a professional wedding planner. Without the experience of a seasoned planning professional, when the average person gets hit with a high-stress, highly unpredictable day things can go very wrong. I'm not trying to scare you, but if things get hairy, can your mom/sister/cousin/aunt/friend handle the stress? And do you even want to expose her to that? Don't put the people you love to work at your wedding. The margin for error, stress and drama is exceptionally high when you do that!

Event & Wedding Planner jobs have landed on the top 5 lists of most stressful jobs for the last 5+ years. Simply put, we're used to this shit!

2. You will get access to our connections!

We've spent years carefully curating a list of vendors* we trust and highly recommend. We've built relationships with people and we know how they operate, we know that they are true professionals and we can attest to their abilities to deliver on their promises. We know exactly who to match you up with to fit your design and budget. We know who to guide you toward and who to steer you away from.

And even aside from discounts, we can open doors to vendors that may only work with clients that have wedding planners. That's right, there are many venues and vendors that will only work with people that have a planner. Without one of us, you'd likely never even know about them!

*PLEASE know that our Preferred Vendor list is not built on kickbacks, charging vendors commissions or referral fees. We find kickbacks to be not only dishonest, but wholly unethical and would never suggest a vendor based on them paying us to do so.

3. We can help you SAVE money!

Yes, you heard me right. We can save you money by helping you spend it smarter and negotiating better terms with your vendors. And sometimes our Preferred Vendors will offer discounted rates or throw in a little something extra for Scarlet brides. I'm not saying we will definitely be able to get you discounts and freebies with every single vendor, but sometimes it will happen. We work very closely with our preferred list for many reasons and occasionally they'll toss in a little lagniappe (a little something extra) for our clients. Let me reiterate that, we cannot guarantee discounts from everyone, but sometimes they will be offered. Do not go into a relationship with a planner simply because you think she's going to get you bajillions of discounts and get you a free wedding because you will be sorely disappointed, but certain vendors are able to extend discounts and upgrades for the clients of a planner they love.

We can also help you spend your money smarter by showing you where you can source things for less, talking you OUT of wasting $250 on a custom aisle runner you will probably trip on, and introducing you to the wonderful world of new talent! Love a high-end designer's flowers but can't afford it? We can introduce you to new talent that is very similar to their design aesthetic for a fraction of the cost. Bringing me right back to point #2 again, we know people!

4. Time!

Did you know it takes roughly 250-300 hours to plan a wedding for 125 people? Do you really have that much time on your hands? We do!

5. We can handle the drama!

If we know beforehand that Aunt Carol and Uncle Victor don't get along we can make sure they don't have any run-ins during the wedding. We can help you with the seating chart and make sure to seat them far, far away from each other at the reception (and we even keep an eye for trouble!) instead of them accidentally ending up at the same table and someone getting stabbed. This has legit happened. Buy me a margarita and I might just tell you that story!

6. We are your new, super organized, wedding loving best friends!

In addition to all the normal stuff like putting your timeline together and creating floorplans, we are one of the only people you know who will never get sick of your wedding! We spend hours gathering all your important personal belongings, helping you make your seating chart, putting together and delivering your Welcome Bags, helping keep you calm when your future sister-in-law gets a mad classy, monstrous new skull & crossbones tattoo right across her throat 2 days before your super traditional cathedral wedding (airbrushing isn't that expensive and works really well!), performing amateur relationship counseling when the groom insists on wearing his ratty old beat up Chucks with his custom Vera Wang tux (just let it slide!), coming with you to fittings, helping you pick out just the right shoes and earrings and then helping you again when you change your mind, keeping you hydrated & fed the day of the wedding, and answering every call and text you send our way. We keep track of payments for your vendors, help the best man and the MOH write their speeches if they need us, hand out all the tips, and we keep your event running seamlessly, handling whatever gets thrown our way.

And, honestly, the only thing we want at the end of the night is for you to hug us and tell us that you love us before you head off into Happily Ever After. That's the stuff we live for. Make your planner feel like she's loved and we will move mountains for you. Always.

7. We have brilliant ideas!

What? It's true Sure, you've seen all kinds of cool stuff on Pinterest but so have 100 million other Pinners. Most wedding planners & event designers strive to create unique events customized to the exact taste & budget of each client. And that means we get to know you as a couple and then come up with truly unique ideas for just y'all. We don't just copy our other weddings or another designer's work.

Or maybe you want to do something completely wild? We have crazy out of the box ideas (and the right connections!) to take your event to the next level! Want to hear more? Schedule your complimentary consultation with a Scarlet Wedding Planner today!

I know some of y'all are still worried that you cant afford a planner, but here's one last piece of advice, the ages old saying: "You'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar" is one that will never go out of style. There is not one client that's been genuinely being kind and honest about their needs that has walked away without us finding a way to help them.

One of my absolute favorite past clients was on a tight budget and totally overwhelmed with planning, but she reminded me so much of my little sister, and on top of it she was absolutely delightful and gave me all the warm fuzzies when we talked for the first time that I knew I had to work with her and she's become one of my dearest friends (love you, Em!). So don't let your idea of what you can and can't afford stand in your way of at least talking to a wedding planner!

Happy planning, my loves!

Sara

enjoy a few photos of the SPD crew in action!