Top Five Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner
Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner (Even if You are Having a Micro Wedding!)
When I was planning our wedding one of my biggest mistakes was not hiring a planner / day of coordinator for our celebration. Like many people we were trying to save money. We stretched our budget on what was important to us, our photographer (no brainer there) and …. well…. our photographer. We made the decision to hire Preston Utley and absolutely loved our photos. One of our favorites is a huge framed print, hanging on our wall, as a quiet reminder of our love.We spent more than we originally budgeted on our photographer and it was worth every penny. I definitely recommend hiring a photographer who’s work you admire and someone who you align with as this human will be around you for a majority of your day.
We had a pretty simple DIY wedding, nothing super fancy because we wanted it to feel authentic and genuine like us. We aren’t extravagant people and didn’t follow all the typical wedding traditions. However, if we were to do it again, two things I would change would be: hiring a day of coordinator and having a more intimate wedding.
We had a wedding with about 70 guests. Most feel that is still a small wedding, but if it were up to me, I would have had 20 people tops but that is another story (Brent wanted the big wedding).
If you are like me, you’re an introvert with extroverted tendencies which means you LOVE a good party but you don’t like to be the center of attention. You crave quality time with dear friends and family but don’t want quantity to interfere with quality. Seriously, when you have a large wedding it is impossible to spend more than 5 minutes with anyone.
I’m here to tell you, you can have a fabulous party, a low-key intimate wedding, or sweet elopement with a few close friends and family. A wedding planner can help make your dream day come true, whatever that may look like. Wedding planners serve many roles, from organizing, planning and executing your vision, as well as helping with clean up at the end of your day. They are well worth the money. Like I said, if I could do it again (still with Brent of course) I would pay for a day of planner to help with the big (and small) details and assist with the end of night clean up, so my family could be entirely present at our celebration and not “working”.
Reasons to Hire a Wedding Planner (Even if You are Having a Micro Wedding!)
When I was planning our wedding one of my biggest mistakes was not hiring a planner / day of coordinator for our celebration. Like many people we were trying to save money. We stretched our budget on what was important to us, our photographer (no brainer there) and …. well…. our photographer. We made the decision to hire Preston Utley and absolutely loved our photos. One of our favorites is a huge framed print, hanging on our wall, as a quiet reminder of our love.We spent more than we originally budgeted on our photographer and it was worth every penny. I definitely recommend hiring a photographer who’s work you admire and someone who you align with as this human will be around you for a majority of your day.
We had a pretty simple DIY wedding, nothing super fancy because we wanted it to feel authentic and genuine like us. We aren’t extravagant people and didn’t follow all the typical wedding traditions. However, if we were to do it again, two things I would change would be: hiring a day of coordinator and having a more intimate wedding.
We had a wedding with about 70 guests. Most feel that is still a small wedding, but if it were up to me, I would have had 20 people tops but that is another story (Brent wanted the big wedding).
If you are like me, you’re an introvert with extroverted tendencies which means you LOVE a good party but you don’t like to be the center of attention. You crave quality time with dear friends and family but don’t want quantity to interfere with quality. Seriously, when you have a large wedding it is impossible to spend more than 5 minutes with anyone.
I’m here to tell you, you can have a fabulous party, a low-key intimate wedding, or sweet elopement with a few close friends and family. A wedding planner can help make your dream day come true, whatever that may look like. Wedding planners serve many roles, from organizing, planning and executing your vision, as well as helping with clean up at the end of your day. They are well worth the money. Like I said, if I could do it again (still with Brent of course) I would pay for a day of planner to help with the big (and small) details and assist with the end of night clean up, so my family could be entirely present at our celebration and not “working”.
Below I will list the top five reasons to hire a wedding planner and the top five wedding planners in Bend, Oregon.
“Just because the guest count is smaller doesn’t mean the details shrink”
I spoke with Amanda from Amanda Claire & Company out of Bend, Oregon and here’s what she says about micro weddings and smaller celebrations, “A wedding is still a wedding. Just because the guest count is smaller doesn’t mean the details shrink too. It’s the same amount of work regardless if it’s 25 people or 300 people in my opinion. In fact, with an intimate guest count the details are under a lens even more because those personal touches are anticipated.” When hiring a planner, you can expect to hire one for full service, partial planning or day of coordination. Some may even offer honeymoon planning.
If you are thinking about an outdoor, adventurous elopement, “an on-site planner isn’t always a necessity but hiring a planner for an hourly consultation service is always a good rule of thumb for an expert’s guidance and advice.” Amanda Claire is also an ordained officiant, who loves to travel.
Are you thinking about planning a destination elopement or wedding and don’t know where to start? Wedding professional can help!
I asked Amanda what her number one tip for couples planning a destination elopement is. Her response is spot on. “Celebrate where the two of you feel most alive together.”
TOP FIVE REASONS TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER
- Planning Process –
No matter how large or small, planning a wedding should be fun. Not overwhelming. If it is too much to fathom, a wedding planner can help ease your planning woes. If you are eloping internationally you may not need a day of planner, but hiring one for a consult can help with all the logistics and can give local advice. - Tough Decisions –
They can assist with making the hard decisions and give professional advice. - Ideas, Inspiration and Execution –
This one is huge. They have an eye for design, a keen sense of detail and will pull everything together to make your vision come to life. - Less Stress –
This is a no brainer. A planner or day of coordinator can assist with the last minute details and do the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to put family in charge of the tasks. They can also assist with cleanup when the dance party ends. - Help with the Flow of the Day –
Often times planners and photographers will work together to discuss the schedule to get the most out of your coverage and make sure to plan those photos around the best light. 😉 In addition to this they can assist with the processional, remind the wedding party to walk slowly (and smile), open the doors if it is an indoor ceremony and help fan out the wedding dress train before making it’s debut down the aisle.
Trust me. You’ll wish you had an extra set of hands (or two) on your wedding day.
THE BEST FIVE WEDDING PLANNERS IN BEND, OREGON
(in no particular order)
Planning and Design by The Indigo Bride
The gals at The Indigo Bride (top)
Planning and Design by Gwyn Rider (following two)
Planning and Design by The Indigo Bride
THE BEST WEDDING PLANNERS IN ICELAND
Hands down Pink Iceland.
Pink Iceland specializes in helping all couples (works for and with the LGBTQ+ community) with wedding, elopement and travel plans in the magical country that is Iceland.
My couple hired Pink Iceland for consulting and they helped with hiring an Icelandic officiant, getting all the documents in order, took care of everything with the National Registry and Foreign Ministry to make sure they received an internationally recognized wedding certificate, provided location recommendations and also got permission from private land owners for my couple to access a breathtaking private waterfall for their photos. We didn’t see another soul. I take that back. I think we saw the landowner riding a horse off in the distance when we hiked down from the waterfall.
It was so memorable and magical.
“Just because the guest count is smaller doesn’t mean the details shrink”
I spoke with Amanda from Amanda Claire & Company out of Bend, Oregon and here’s what she says about micro weddings and smaller celebrations, “A wedding is still a wedding. Just because the guest count is smaller doesn’t mean the details shrink too. It’s the same amount of work regardless if it’s 25 people or 300 people in my opinion. In fact, with an intimate guest count the details are under a lens even more because those personal touches are anticipated.” When hiring a planner, you can expect to hire one for full service, partial planning or day of coordination. Some may even offer honeymoon planning.
If you are thinking about an outdoor, adventurous elopement, “an on-site planner isn’t always a necessity but hiring a planner for an hourly consultation service is always a good rule of thumb for an expert’s guidance and advice.” Amanda Claire is also an ordained officiant, who loves to travel.
Are you thinking about planning a destination elopement or wedding and don’t know where to start? Wedding professional can help!
I asked Amanda what her number one tip for couples planning a destination elopement is. Her response is spot on. “Celebrate where the two of you feel most alive together.”
TOP FIVE REASONS TO HIRE A WEDDING PLANNER
- Planning Process –
No matter how large or small, planning a wedding should be fun. Not overwhelming. If it is too much to fathom, a wedding planner can help ease your planning woes. If you are eloping internationally you may not need a day of planner, but hiring one for a consult can help with all the logistics and can give local advice. - Tough Decisions –
They can assist with making the hard decisions and give professional advice. - Ideas, Inspiration and Execution –
This one is huge. They have an eye for design, a keen sense of detail and will pull everything together to make your vision come to life. - Less Stress –
This is a no brainer. A planner or day of coordinator can assist with the last minute details and do the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to put family in charge of the tasks. They can also assist with cleanup when the dance party ends. - Help with the Flow of the Day –
Often times planners and photographers will work together to discuss the schedule to get the most out of your coverage and make sure to plan those photos around the best light. 😉 In addition to this they can assist with the processional, remind the wedding party to walk slowly (and smile), open the doors if it is an indoor ceremony and help fan out the wedding dress train before making it’s debut down the aisle.
Trust me. You’ll wish you had an extra set of hands (or two) on your wedding day.
THE BEST FIVE WEDDING PLANNERS IN BEND, OREGON
(in no particular order)
Planning and Design by The Indigo Bride
The gals at The Indigo Bride (top)
Planning and Design by Gwyn Rider (following two)
Planning and Design by The Indigo Bride
THE BEST WEDDING PLANNERS IN ICELAND
Hands down Pink Iceland.
Pink Iceland specializes in helping all couples (works for and with the LGBTQ+ community) with wedding, elopement and travel plans in the magical country that is Iceland.
My couple hired Pink Iceland for consulting and they helped with hiring an Icelandic officiant, getting all the documents in order, took care of everything with the National Registry and Foreign Ministry to make sure they received an internationally recognized wedding certificate, provided location recommendations and also got permission from private land owners for my couple to access a breathtaking private waterfall for their photos. We didn’t see another soul. I take that back. I think we saw the landowner riding a horse off in the distance when we hiked down from the waterfall.
It was so memorable and magical.
Gwen Shoemaker is a seasoned professional photographer with 14 years of experience capturing the beauty of human beings all around the world. From Iceland to Antarctica, and Colorado to Bend, Oregon, Gwen’s passion for love and adventure has led her to specialize in wedding photography. Known for her ability to capture moments of raw emotion, she’s been humorously described by a client as an “emotion vulture,” always ready to swoop in and capture the perfect moment. Gwen’s love for travel and new experiences began when she studied abroad in rural Spain at the age of 17 and has since taken her to 15 different countries. Interestingly, it was in the least populated continent, Antarctica, where she found her true love. Gwen seeks to work with clients who share her love for the universe, are madly in love with their partners, and are full of joie de vivre.
