12 Things A Wedding Planner Can Do For You

Becky: Have you been thinking about having a planner to help you organise your day? Maybe you're unsure about exactly what things a wedding planner can do for you. Let me introduce you to Chenai Bukutu founder and principle planner of ByChenai Events. She's going to give you a rundown of the top 12 things a wedding planner can help you with when it comes to planning your day.

"Wedding planners effectively give you back your time so you can focus on the more enjoyable elements of the wedding planning journey." - Chenai

My name is Chenai Bukutu , owner and lead event planner at ByChenai Events. I work with stylish clients in the UK and abroad to make their wedding or party uniquely theirs, incorporating thoughtful and luxurious details without ostentation. ByChenai Events was born out of a love for joyful celebration, with this in mind, and through collaboration and inspiration, I strive to make your wedding planning experience just that. If you’ve been considering getting help for your wedding and unsure whether to get professional support, the 12 points I’ve put together below are some of the key things a wedding planner can do for you. The perception of a wedding planner being an extravagance reserved for fictional characters in Rom Coms is fading away as couples realise the value that we bring. Wedding Planning is a huge time investment, between 200-300 hours in fact and it can be stressful if project planning and management is not your forte. Wedding planners effectively give you back your time so you can focus on the more enjoyable elements of the wedding planning journey. Wedding planners are excellent project managers and will create a planning timeline specific to your wedding so you know what is happening when. Often they will schedule your appointments where necessary so all you have to do is show up to the tastings or the fittings (the fun stuff) whilst we take care of the boring ‘wedmin’. Professional wedding planners will agree that creating a realistic budget (and sticking to it) is one of the most important parts of ensuring a smooth planning journey. The benefit of having a planner is that we understand the market, we know what it costs to translate your vision into a wedding day reality and we can guide and advise you accurately throughout. Yes, you read that right. We often guide couples to make decisions that align with their priorities and offer suggestions on how best to allocate resources. I always have a conversation about wedding favours for example, couples like to spend money on these gestures that are often left on the table or thrown away at the end of the wedding. I always highlight where this money could be better spent - like food and drink, an area that will always add to the guest experience.

Often clients come to a wedding planner with an idea of when they want to get married, the size of their wedding but no venue booked. Wedding planners are adept location scouts who can work with your ideas to show you the best locations taking your vision, any cultural considerations and budget into account. A planner can be your fixer. We draw from our extensive networks and also put in hours of research to find the right caterers, bands, DJs, florists, cake makers, lighting designers, production specialists to fit your style and budget. You may not know that we also take the time to review supplier contracts to ensure their terms are reasonable and aligned with the experience we are trying to give your family and friends. I pride myself on having a great eye for styling. I truly enjoy accompanying my brides and grooms to search for their wedding day looks. With a network that includes bridal designers and great independent boutiques, I enjoy being able to recommend the right designer, tailor or boutique to suit my client’s style and budget. Guestlist management is all part of a full planning service that is offered by professional wedding planners. It’s also one of the most time-consuming parts of wedding admin. To ensure you don’t have to respond to countless emails answering questions about parking, hotels and directions (even if you have clearly put the information on your wedding website ), wedding planners will take this stress from your plate. Wedding planners aside from being experts in executing events can also be a great source of inspiration for the design of your wedding. If your priority for your wedding is the look and feel, hiring a planner who is also a great stylist or designer guarantees that you have someone who can inspire you beyond the pins on your Pinterest mood board.

Wedding planners bring great value in creating a wedding day timeline that will ensure a great flow for guests. Quiet periods and lulls in the day are not conducive to an epic party. The guest experience is a paramount consideration when I’m planning a wedding. I always encourage my clients to have a few surprising and delightful touches to keep guests entertained, even if it’s just walking them to a different location to do drinks, or adding a wedding illustrator or unexpected entertainment act; little points of interest that guests will keep talking about for years to come when reminiscing about your big day. On the wedding day itself when your focus should be on you and the day ahead (rightly so) wedding planners are quietly bringing the months of planning together, like a symphony conductor. Managing the suppliers, the setup, keeping the flow of the day going to time, we handle last-minute emergencies, whilst soothing nerves and ensuring you enjoy your day. Ultimately you hire us to advocate for you in all things we do. We will listen, always give sound and objective advice and we never get bored of talking about your wedding!

Becky: Thanks so much to Chenai for writing this article for us as I know it will have answered lots of your questions. You can check out Chenai's work or book her services on her website and keep up to date with her on her Instagram here.

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