Anyone using a wedding consultant?

[cassandra]

Hi! Several people have suggested we use a wedding consultant. Does anyone have any suggestions/opinions on using one? Thanks

[wedbyjean]

Hi Cassandra,

As a Professional Bridal Consultant myself (for nearly 11 years) let me give you a few tips on what to look for. (Although I'm using "she," men make wonderful WC's too).

Make sure she has ongoing training and professional experience, and hasn't just planned her own wedding (or a friends, or a sisters . . .).

Check on any professional affiliations with Wedding Organizations -- such as The Association of Bridal Consultants, June Bride, and Association for Wedding Professionals International -- this shows a commitment to the profession.

This person should be a good listener, and question asker -- she needs to know what you want and how you feel about things.

This person should not be affiliated, ie. employed by, another wedding vendor (whether it be a venue, dj, florist . . . ) because she is working first and foremost for you, NOT someone else. Also, if she is a"dj who does wedding consulting" or a "photographer who does wedding consulting," and so on, she cannot be doing either job correctly if she is trying to do more than one.

Likewise, she should not be receiving kickbacks, referral fees or finders fees from other vendors, again because she's working for you, NOT someone else.

This should be her profession, not just a "hobby" or something she does after she gets off of work from her "day job."

Ask for references.

I'm sure I'll think of more tips later. Hope these help. In the meantime you can contact me at weddings2004@earthlink if you have any questions or comments.

Jean Neuhart
Weddings From The Heart

[Charity]

I agree with all of Jean's tips except one. I am an excellent wedding coordinator, and have been doing weddings since 1996, but I have not found an "affiliation" that I felt was well worth my money and my involvement. Therefore, although I have the education, and the experience, I do not have any type of "membership".

I had a membership with the Association of Bridal Consultants, and I felt it was of no real value to me....so I ended my membership with them.

Ahhh...how I remember the reply to my first introduction email I sent our state coordinator.... excuse me if I paraphrase..."You'll never make any real money in Ohio. the only way to make any real money is to move to the east or west coasts. Wedding planners are a dime a dozen."

Well, since relocating my family to maybe increase my business was not an option for me at the time, I don't believe I ever sent her another email.

But I digress.... Wedding Planners, Coordinators, whatever you may call them, can truly be a very valuable resource. If you decide to pursue this avenue, find a consultant that fits with your personality. You will be spending a lot of time with them! Don't go with the first one you talk to, and yes, CHECK REFERENCES! I don't trust someone who can only supply me with 3 references, and they are all vague email addresses, with no phone numbers.

Consultants can save you time, money and sanity - but only the good ones. The maybe not so good ones (planning a cousin's 12th birthday does not make you an "Event Coordinator") can make everything worse!

Good Luck to you!
Charity

[cassandra]

Thank you so much for your valuable information. What is your opinion, if any, of using an on-site consultant? I was kind of thinking that they might not have my best interests (specifically monetarily) in mind. But maybe I'm just being pessimistic...

[wedbyjean]

The on-site consultant (one who comes with/works for the venue) is not the same as a wedding consultant. His or her role is to coordinate with his/her staff with the rest of the event. They are mainly interested in the services their staff provides -- catering, cake plating, and cleaning up the room so their staff can go home. The on-site may or may not be present for the whole event -- it's not unusual for them to leave once things get underway.

A wedding consultant who provides on-site supervision has your needs, desires and best interests in mind.

When it comes to making recommendations, the on-site venue consultant often merely has a list of vendors who have worked at their venue. Beware, some venues will only put someone on their list if the vendor pays for it! Whether they've paid to be on the list or not, they aren't necessarily the best vendor to suit your style, budget, needs and desires. A wedding consultant's recommendations ARE based on your style, budget and so on.

Hope this gives some clarification.

Jean

[As You Wish]

I can't find the article to quote it- but I recently read that the average bride spend 8 hours a week on wedding planning. If you don't have that much time and energy to dedicate to the big day, hire someone to help you with the details. If you go with someone who is experienced they can often save you their fee in discounts from vendors. My biggest caution is to find someone who will help you plan YOUR wedding. Bad consultants are worse than bridzilla at pushing there wishes on you.

[iluvweddings]

A wedding planner is a great idea!!! - I have coordinated approximately 40 weddings over the last 3 years ( I also work full-time) and I think that a single bride does not have the time or knowledge to put together a wedding stress - free.
What I initially do is meet with a bride, I have a simple checklist to gather ideas to see what her style and taste is as well as budget, and date of the event.
I have a written guarantee for all of my brides that I will save them at least 10% of their budget (also my fee) by using my services, or all of my services are free. How I explain it to each bride is - if your budget is $10,000 - my fee will be $1000 however, I guarantee that I will save you at least $1000 or my services are completely free. That way, brides don't feel that they are spending more for a consultant - I am a part of the budget, not an additional cost. Every wedding that I have planned, has saved $1500 or more with me, because of my negotiation skills and knowledge about the Chicagland area and it's vendors.
This is not an attempt to advertise my services, I am employed for every weekend through September - I just wanted ladies in the chat room to know that the option is out there to find a consultant that will not be an extra burden to your budget!!!

And to the young lady that said you don't need a wedding planner unless you are rich and having a $100,000 wedding. I beg to differ - I specialize in creating the wedding of your dreams for under $5000. I have done so for at least 30 weddings, and I am also in the process of planning my own wedding with a $5000 budget, keeping notes and all receipts so that I can show other brides how it was done. I am hear for the middle - class bride that still wants to be Cinderella!!

GOOD LUCK! You can have champagne taste with beer money!

[As You Wish]

You must be very organized and never sleep to work full time, do wedding consulting, and plan your own wedding- any tips on how to juggle so many balls?

[iluvweddings]

I drink a loooot of coffee!!
No, seriously - I have three assistants. All of my paperwork is stored on the computer in a general template format, and then I customize it for each client.
Once I meet someone - I give them a listing of possible locations in and around Chicago, along with themes and color schemes to choose from. Then we go from there selecting all the appropriate vendors (bakers, florist, entetainment, etc.) Most of my work is done on the actual day of the wedding, it is tiring - but... hopefully in 3 years I will be able to quit my full-time job and pursue my dream.

[sage]

Being a coordinator you have to be organized and ready for the emergencies and everything else that might come up that day. I have been coordinatoring weddings part time for the past 10 years. I fought the bug for a long time until one wedding I went to and it was a disaster from the wedding starting 40 minutes late to the wedding party filing in order. I knew I could do a better job. I would suggest a wedding coordinator.

I commend you on your efforts. I too am going to school, single parent, full time job and a wedding coordinator. I totally understand what you are going through. :)www.sagecoordinating.com

[sstark1218]

I am beginning to think I need to hire a WC. I thought it would be alright without one, but nothing is working out like I expected. I live in a small town and don't really know of anyone. What are some things I should look for and/or ask before hiring a consultant? Thanks gals!

[sage]

When looking for a wedding coordinator? Ask what packages they have to offer. References, pictures of weddings they have done. How good is their follow up with vendors? Make sure that if they have receipts for anything that you have paid for that you keep the originals and they get a copy. Don't ever worry about asking dumb questions. Make sure you vibe with the coordinator. One thing I don't like is when you feel you can't smile or feel comfortable with people you are paying. Make sure she understands that this is about your vision not their.

[toneman]

There are alot of great wedding coordinators out there, but remember one thing...THIS IS YOUR WEDDING not theirs. From experiance, I have seen many a coordinator take 100% control of what is to be your dream of your wedding. They coordinate what they want and fail to take your input into consideration. Besure the coordinator that you choose will use your dream and ideas of what you want for your wedding, no matter how un-traditional your ideas may be. Never let the venue's banquet manager be your coordinator, they are not experiance as wedding coordinators they are trained in hospitality and catering. Also talk with the other services you are hiring (photographer, caterer, DJ service, etc.) and ask them for input to help you succeed with your ideal wedding. Most of these services have been involved with helping with wedding plans. For the most part I feel that hiring a coordinator is just a waste of time and money. I've seen many a glamorous wedding that got help from these other services and didn't hire a wedding coordinator. Don't take me wrong, there are some great wedding coordinators out there, I'm just trying to show you some other options that could help.

[wedbyjean]

For the most part I feel that hiring a coordinator is just a waste of time and money Sorry that you feel this way. Is if because of bad experiences with coordinators who were less than professional? One of the things I stress is that I am working for the couple, helping them take their ideas & vision of their wedding day and making it actually happen. It is not my wedding (been there, done that). Sure, I offer suggestions on their wedding (food, decor, music, etc), but they are only suggestions. The final decision ALWAYS remains with the couple.

Most of my clients have full time jobs, go to school, have families -- their plates are full already and they do not have the time to devote to planning their wedding. There's only 24 hours in a day, work does not wait, the groceries still have to be bought, laundry still needs to be done, and so on. No one gets extra time just because they're planning a wedding. As far as a waste of time and money -- they DON'T have the time and are happy to pay someone who does.

Jean Neuhart
Weddings From The Heart