A wedding consultant can make your wedding planning easier. They can plan all aspects of your wedding or just some of the little details. We get so many emails from brides who are looking for the perfect reception site for their wedding. They are looking for a reception site that overlooks water, or an historic mansion with an outdoor ceremony site, or they have “champagne taste on a beer budget”. Your best bet is to hire a wedding consultant. They can help you find the perfect reception site.
Here is a list of several kinds of wedding consultants:
- Independent Bridal Consultant: this person will work directly with the bride and groom in helping them plan any/all aspects of their wedding. They do not work for a specific vendor.
- Bridal Consultant: they work for a specific vendor and help the bride and groom with their wedding arrangements (such as a consultant at a flower shop or a consultant at a photography studio).
- Wedding Coordinator: this person is an on-site consultant who coordinates the wedding activities (rehearsals and ceremony procedures).
- Church Wedding Coordinator: this person will work with the church to make sure that the church rules and regulations are being followed.
- Wedding Day Coordinator: this person conducts rehearsals and wedding-day activities. However, they do not coordinate the initial planning.
Selecting a Wedding Consultant / Planner
A wedding consultant or event planner plays many roles. They can design your wedding theme, choose vendors, book the reception site, negotiate contracts, schedule appointments, find the perfect centerpieces and the list goes on and on. Consultants help you come up with ideas to make your wedding day an unforgettable event. They can either plan every detail or just minor details for your wedding.
A consultant’s fee can range from 10 – 20 percent of the total wedding costs or they may charge a flat fee. It’s important to interview wedding consultants to make sure they can work within your budget and and keep the cost of the wedding to a minimum. Also to make sure you are comfortable with the way they work. Ask for referrals from friends and relatives.
Before signing a contract with a consultant, make sure all fees, specific services and any deadlines to be met are listed. You also want to know what to look for in a good wedding planner.
Questions to ask the Wedding Consultant
- How long have you been in business?
- What kind of training or certification do you have?
- How do you charge? Flat fee or percentage?
- What will you wear on the wedding day?
- What is your specialty?
- How many weddings have you worked on?
- What do you include in the contract?