Why Do I Need a Planner?

 "Why do I need a planner?" "What exactly do you do?" 
These are big, important questions that perhaps we have never addressed on the blog. Today we are here to give you the top 10 reasons why you need a planner. 

1. TIME: Most couples work, have families, social obligations (we've even worked with couples who were in the midst of a cross-country move/house purchase while planning) that do not allow for the dedication that it takes to plan a wedding from start to finish. As planners, we can give you the gift of time. Leave the vendor communications, price comparisons, and contract negotiations to us and avoid juggling it all and overextending yourself. We will loop you in when it comes time to make a decision or accomplish another item together. 

2. MONEY: We do this for you in several ways. We (1) know the industry well and can intelligently point you in the direction of the vendor with the best value in our experience. We also take the time to "shop around" and compare several quotes for you to see where we can get the most bang for your buck. We (2) also often receive discounts from vendors that we happily pass along to our clients. And (3) many venues offer discounts (sometimes up to $1,500) if you have hired an approved planner.

3. STRESS: Wedding planning can be stressful (see above items #1 and #2) and we know that. It is part of our job to relieve those feelings of anxiety and angst. With a bit of trust in our process and knowledge, it is our goal to guide you on a journey that will be enjoyable for you. Getting married is a big life event and we take that seriously, but we also love to have fun with you and one of our favorite things to hear is when clients tell us that they go into wedding day feeling at ease, knowing that someone has carefully listened and planned every detail with them.

4. EXPERTISE: As much as we love your family members, your mother or aunt (likely) are not experts in the wedding industry. Use our expertise and knowledge! We will give you advice and tell you stories about why something worked in the past....why it didn't. After planning and executing so many weddings, we really have a good sense of what creates a fabulous wedding. Lean on our guidance!

5. ORGANIZATION: We keep you extremely organized, to the point where if you wanted to, you could glance at one document of ours and see a pretty darn detailed outline of your entire wedding. We keep you on track with vendor payments, due dates, important deadlines and tasks, etc. You will have a lot on your mind, and especially in the last few months, your brain may feel scrambled. We try to minimize that as much as possible. Our software also has some great features such as a calendar, budget tool, and to-do's - all to keep you organized!

6. POINT PERSON: Leading up to wedding day, and ON the actual day, you get to say "Talk to my planner." We typically take over vendor communications a month out from the wedding so that you can focus on your family and last minute details. When you do not have a clear "go-to" person, or more than one person acting as such, vendors can get confused and wires can get crossed. 

7. DESTINATION: If you do not live in the area, having a planner on the ground is priceless! We act as your doubles and are happy to meet with your vendors, go to your venue, whatever is needed to ensure that you don't have to make constant trips back and forth to know what is going on. We pride ourselves on being tech savvy and have been known to Vox and Skype with our out-of-area clients! 

8. VISION: Pinterest is fabulous! We LOVE it. It really helps us get an idea of what the client's taste is and what direction they may want to go in for the design of their wedding. Let us help you hone in on a color palette, theme, ambiance. How can we create table centerpieces using your pins of vintage decor? How can we bring to life the romantic lighting that we see on your board? We love when we are involved in the design process, and thoroughly enjoy bringing your pins to life. We can even host a mock-up of your finished tablescape so you can feel, see, (and sit at!) one of your guest tables.

9. VENUE COORDINATORS AND PLANNERS ARE NOT ONE IN THE SAME: Please see this previous post. And this one too for the low-down.

10. PACK-UP!: Picture this: your wedding is over, it was fabulous. But it's midnight and after a LONG day for all, all of your decor items, linens, flowers are still set at the venue. Who is going to gather all of these items, pack them back up, and haul them out of the venue so that they are stored in a safe place until you want to see them again? We can almost guarantee that you are not going to want to do that. Your family may offer, but they too will be tired. Packing up is something that we can do, and as simple and silly as it sounds, we promise that this alone is well worth hiring a planner for!

Cassi & J.B. - April 12, 2014

We were so excited and honored to be the planners for Cassi and J.B., a fun-loving couple who chose to get married at the beautiful barn, Desert Foothills, in April 2014.   Although they live in California, we got to know them well through our talks over the phone and few in-person visits. They were a joy to work with as we wrapped up the last few weeks of their planning with them and we were anxious to see all of the decor detail and fun elements of their big day come together! We think the color palette, pops of sparkly details, and fabulous vintage decor from Something Old, Something Older was the perfect way to compliment the rustic beauty of the barn.

Carrie Zimmer was the photographer and did a phenomenal job of capturing the romantic elements of the evening. We were lusting after the photos after seeing them - and still are to this day!  ENJOY!

Here are a few of our favorites... All of the following photos taken by Carrie Zimmer.
Flowers by Tylers Custom Designs.

Wedding Budget Addendum: Suggestions for handling money and accepting cash from family

Your parents are generously contributing money to help pay for your wedding enabling you and your partner to have an amazing wedding.  Does this come with certain implications?

First of all, money is a touchy subject. At Sip and Twirl, our number one rule with regards to wedding budget is to create a separate "Wedding Bank Account" for all monies to be used toward your wedding budget.  Managing a budget is simplified when all of the funds are in one place.  It is never a good idea to have wedding money commingled with regularly monthly expenses such as mortgage, bills, etc.. This tip can be especially beneficial if there is money coming from other sources (family, etc.).  If family members are planning to contribute to the wedding fund, it's best if a check is given in lump sum, if possible, for the couple to deposit and spend as they wish, when it is most needed.  A lump sum, or a scheduled series of partial payments is oftentimes less compacted than having to ask each time you need to pay a vendor, deposit, etc.. 

As a mother AND a daughter, I think about both sides of this situation.  Oftentimes, families contribute what can be lovingly referred to as "blood money" which can lead them to believe that they are endorsed with full decision making rights and veto authority. (I hope my mother will read this...we joke about how she does it to me and I do it to my kids).  Despite my occasional participation in this perspective, I know as well as anyone, this is not reasonable or fair.  Wedding money is a gift, like any other and if there are strings attached, disappointment and discord will almost certainly ensue.  What is important to remember is that parental feedback is welcome, valued and necessary...but is a function of the relationship between parents and children and not of the financial contribution.  

The other side of this is that whether or not your parents will be contributing their hard earned money to the wedding you are planning, it's always wise to be appreciative and include parents in the planning.  Whether or not they have expressed it directly, your wedding is a huge deal to your folks.  Their "Child" is getting married, a major milestone.  Your wedding is about you and your partner, but, in other ways (and to your parents) will feel like a reflection of your family, their success as individuals and as parents.  Please keep this in mind throughout the planning process. 

And one last tip!   Please get them boutonnieres and corsages and include them in the ceremony. Get them a gift on wedding day.  Tell them you love them at least 20 times on wedding day and thank them profusely.  At the end of the day, your wedding is about family and can bring you all closer together with a little planning and consideration.