Welcome back everyone! In today’s post we reveal insider secrets of our very own Industry- Wedding Planning! When we started out in 2009, most of our clients were NRI’s looking to have a destination wedding in India. However, over the last few years, more and more people in India are hiring wedding planners as well. The concept of a full- time wedding planner is no more a luxury and rather seen as a necessity.
When we started out a few years back, having a wedding planner to assist throughout the planning process was very common in the West, but the concept was not well -known in India. In India, most budget-minded couples wouldn’t hire wedding planners as they were seen as an additional expense. Not many knew that hiring a wedding planner can actually save costs. Wedding planners can negotiate better rates on the wedding venue, catering service as well as wedding vendors. They are professionals who work with venues and vendors on a regular basis and hence get discounts and privileges that you may not get while planning your wedding on your own. Most Indian venues work in favour of planners as they know the planners will give them continual orders.
However, nowadays the concept of wedding planners is soon catching up among Indians as well.
SO, WHAT DOES A WEDDING PLANNER DO?
A full-service wedding planner offers beginning-to-end assistance with your wedding. They will get to know you, your tastes, and your needs, and help you craft a budget and timeline. They will make recommendations for decor design, catering and entertainment for your guests while helping you choose flowers and decorations that suit your budget and style. If you so desire, they will organize a wedding theme, colour palette, and other details as per your preferences. With their connections with a broad range of vendors and can help you find ones that fit your budget as well as score some great discounts. In this way, wedding planners save time and cost as well as give you a stress free wedding day.
WEDDING PLANNERS IN INDIA- NECESSITY OR LUXURY?
So while wedding planners can seem like a big investment, between discounts, budget control, and creative solutions, hiring a wedding planner will help you make the absolute most of your wedding budget.
At My Wedding Planning our main strength is creative wedding decor. Our lead planner, Ruchita Parelkar has trained under a well-known wedding planner in UK and has several years of experience in this field. She says, “In my opinion the main job of a wedding planner is to give the clients a truckload of creative ideas- right from cost saving ideas to brilliant and unusual decor. However, I also think that the most important aspect of wedding planning for us is to give our client a stress-free wedding.”
Wedding Planners will save you stress during the planning process and especially on the actual day of your wedding. They’ll also serve as your creative partner by providing a wealth of ideas, insights and opinions. Don’t have time to research vendors? Wedding planners do all the planning and legwork. That way, you just show up to appointments, approve designs, sample menus, and so on. Also, planners know the best vendors to hire, and they can help you get great rates and negotiate contracts — after all, as I said before wedding planners work with vendors all the time!
In general, wedding planners are invaluable assets to your wedding if you are looking for statement wedding decor and an event that impresses one and all. You can also end saving money by hiring a planner as they can get you some good deals! Some might think of them as a necessity, others as a luxury! The choice is yours.
SECRET TIPS TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR WEDDING PLANNER
- In general, the earlier you decide whether to hire a planner, the more value you get for your money.
- Be wary of wedding planners who recommend vendors just because they can make some money off it. Make sure your wedding planner is not getting a commission from vendors as this might be against your best interests. Ask your wedding planner to give you multiple choices and then decide for yourself whom you think is the best vendor.
- If you cannot afford full wedding planning, try to get a planner’s professional expertise to cover parts of your wedding. This could help you save money off your wedding budget. You could opt for ‘Partial Wedding Planning’ or even go for ‘Day of Wedding Coordination’.
Don’t know what that is? Check out our services for more information:
http://www.myweddingplanning.in/wedding-services/
BEFORE MEETING THE WEDDING PLANNER
Google them, check out their Facebook pages. See if their style and aesthetic matches your own.
Next, think about what you want from a wedding planner.
- Do you want the wedding planners to take control of your wedding planning and deal with every aspect?
- Do you want to plan most of your wedding but leave the difficult parts like negotiation, logistics etc to the planning company?
- Do you just need a bit of advice and consultation, and are happy to do the actual planning yourself?
- Are you actually after wedding styling (what your wedding will ‘look’ like, decor and accessoriess) rather than planning, and need to talk to a decor stylist?
Once you know what exactly you want from the wedding planner, it will be easy to discuss this in the first meeting.
Once you know what you want and have a fair idea of what planners are offering, then it’s time to shortlist a few and make an appointment to see them. Almost all planners will offer a complimentary, obligation free consultation. Use this consultation to discuss your wedding ideas, how they can help you and to see if you like them.
WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL WEDDING PLANNING SERVICES?
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE FIRST MEETING?
- Meeting the planner will reveal a lot about their personality, passion for wedding planning, friendliness, approachability and working style
- Go through their previous work portfolio and find out if they have done weddings similar to yours
- An idea of how it all works—the process, what they have to offer, how they work in tandem with clients.
- A ‘feel’ for the planner—Do you like them? Can you see yourself spending a lot of time with the planner to create your dream wedding?
- A quote for the services (or packages) you want.
- Do you think they will work hard to negotiate and reduce your wedding cost as if it were their own wedding?
- How many weddings do they take up every month? Will they dedicate enough time to your wedding?
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN FINALIZING A WEDDING PLANNER?
- Firstly, you need wedding planners who are easy to contact and responsive to your needs. If they don’t return your calls promptly or don’t seem organized, look elsewhere.
- Make sure you speak to a previous client that has been serviced by the planner. Recommendations will help you understand the work pattern of your wedding planner better.
- Beware of wedding planners who are getting commissions for recommending certain vendors.
- Make sure that you like the taste and style of your wedding planner– you want your big day to reflect your personality and be ‘you’. If your wedding planner shares your sense of aesthetic, nothing like it!
- Like any vendor, you’ll want to have a clear contract with your wedding planner that spells out their duties, costs and expenses, and deposits and payment schedules.
- Make sure your wedding planner has not taken more than 1-2 more weddings other than yours in that particular month and has enough time to plan your wedding.
CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING PLANNER
So let’s say you meet with a few planners and you like all of them. How do you decide whom to choose?
- CONSIDER COSTS AND EXPERIENCE: Not necessary to go with the cheapest wedding planner but one who is value for money. One who will provide a dedicated service and has planned and executed many similar weddings in the past. Experience matters!
- ONE WITH MANY IDEAS, INSPIRING AND CREATIVE
Make sure your planner gives you many ideas by the minute! Wedding planners need to be creative and give spectacular ideas that you may not think of! Creative planners will make the most of your budget and ‘wow’ your wedding guests.
- MAKE SURE YOUR WEDDING PLANNER DOES NOT RECOMMEND VENDORS DUE TO VESTED INTEREST
Be aware that some planners only recommend those vendors with whom they get a commission. Meaning that these planners get ‘kick-backs’ from these vendors for using them and not always because they are great vendors to use.
COST OF WEDDING PLANNER
While I cannot tell you exact costs for wedding planning or other services offered by planners, I can tell you this; doing your homework, paying good money for good people and having a good relationship with your planner will make all the difference to the journey up to and including your wedding day. It’s the difference between a good wedding and a great one! To find out more about costs of wedding planner, read this.
Before you go, make sure you have a look at our wedding planning services, I assure you we are among the very best wedding planners in India! Having planned 46 Indian weddings and 14 International weddings, we have all the resources to plan your fabulous wedding! – My Wedding Planning Portfolio
Happy Planning everyone!
