Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Q&A: Wedding Details: Can We Afford a Consultant?

Q.

We're not sure if we can afford the services of a wedding consultant, but we desperately need help -- we both work full time and our jobs require frequent travel on the weekends. What are our options?

A.

The good news: Skilled wedding consultants are trained to work within a variety of budgets. While it's true that many are hired on a soup-to-nuts, start-to-finish basis (which can get expensive), wedding consultants can facilitate wedding planning in other capacities too. For example, you can schedule a consultation where the consultant provides a blueprint -- usually a preparation guide and a list of trustworthy, talented vendors to check out. You can also hire a wedding consultant to oversee things on the evening before and actual day of the wedding. Or you can contract a wedding consultant to work with you on a freelance basis (to scout out a location, and advise on catering firms and florists, for example), in which case they're paid by the hour. These selective services should run quite a bit less than full-service help. Note that the billing process depends on your coordinator: Some consultants charge by the hour, others charge a flat fee depending on what you need them for. So make a list of things you know you want the consultant to handle, then call a few to see what they charge.

mdfriedman13
I did the exact thing. Honestly my friends and everyone were offering to help and it was great but at the end of the day I really want everyone to be able to relax and have fun at the party and not have to worry about the details. I found someone I feel comfortable with that will do a great job and when I need her to do something I know she'll do it and do it right. She'll even take care of things I don't need or want to know about which is great. Hoping to have a very carefree day and I believe worth every penny.

ohla
I've worked as a wedding coordinator's assistant and I am now planning my wedding in May. It is the best money you will ever spend, believe me. If you can only afford her for the "day of", DO IT. We've done weddings where everyone was willing to help, but as the event goes on, your helpers want to party and have a good time. Hire someone who know her sole purpose for being there is to get it done beautifully. You won't regret it...


As published by The Knot.Com

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