It is well documented that more than 25% of all engagements happen on Valentine’s Day each year. That means that nearly 250,000 newly engaged couples will flood the US wedding market beginning on Tuesday, February 15th this year.
What’s first for this new couple? Well, that clearly depends on each of these happy duo’s priorities. Most will begin the process of determining a wedding date or range of dates. Next, they will likely start to figure out how much money is available to them for the big day from their parents, their families and obviously from their own pocketbook. This is a painstaking process, because it is difficult to ask for money and, as we all know, weddings carry a big price tag. This will likely be one of the top four largest expenses a couple will ever have to determine in their lives, next to purchasing homes, cars, college tuition, etc. And, it happens to be right in the beginning of the happiest time in their lives. What they will find out is that the stress involved in these initial decisions will put a bit of a damper on the fresh excitement they are feeling. This is why so many put off the actual planning, for a while, to eek out as much of the happiness they can prior to getting into the planning part of the wedding process.
What if there was a way to keep the happiness intact while moving forward with their wedding decisions? Oh, that’s right, there is… The answer is easy. They should begin the process of hiring a planner to help them with their big day. There is a reason wedding planners exist. They are there to help the couple plan the wedding, manage their funds and help them to make the decisions necessary to create their special event. The first thing they will find is that wedding planners carry with them a reasonably large ticket price – at least for their top packages. However, most reputable planners have various packages that are designed to help couples at different price points and different services for these amounts. They will find everything from Wedding Day Management to Consultation Only packages to the Premium Services, all with significantly different price tags. There will be planners that work on flat fees, hourly rates, and on a percentage of the wedding budget. The couple will be surprised how affordable some of these packages can be after all.
Now, why should they consider a planner for their wedding? First and foremost, they need someone to guide them through the massive and complex wedding industry as unscathed as possible. They need someone to help them cut the fat out of the budget and pay for those services they really need, while leaving money on the table for the supplemental things they’d like, but might not be able to otherwise afford. You can find packages that contain services like vendor selection and negotiations, which help the couple get the very best price for the services they need in every category, and contract negotiations, which close the loopholes in those massive documents. They can make sure their payments are made on time to the vendors; so, they don’t run into trouble with default issues down the road. They will soon see that a good wedding planner has more pull with the vendors in negotiations than an individual couple. This is largely due to the simple fact that the planner is a recurring source of income to the vendors, rather than a one-time thing, as with most couples. These items can save big bucks along the way which will help to cover most, if not all of the planners fee. If the planner does their job right, the couple will end up having a planning partner for a relatively small amount added on the final budget, if you consider the cost savings they have helped to incur. Additionally, the planner has helped to keep all the details in check, letting nothing slip through the cracks; plus, the extreme value of managing the wedding weekend, so the couple and their families won’t have to. Now, this is just a fraction of what a wedding planner can do for their clients. There is so much more involved, along with wedding styling and design, budget development, wedding timelines and planning calendar. It quickly becomes obvious that the absence of a good partner makes it really difficult to envision going it alone without one. All this, and not to mention the fact that they will relieve the couple to actually enjoy the process, not getting bogged down in the details to a point where it takes the edge off this wonderful time in their lives.
For more information on Donnie Brown Weddings planning packages, call one of our certified planners at 214-522-2271 or visit the wedding planning section of our site at www.donniebrown.com. We don’t only plan weddings in the north Texas area. We travel all over the world, so feel free to contact us if you are in another state or country. For more information on wedding planners in your area, look at places like The Knot, Grace Ormonde Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings, etc. There you will find a comprehensive list of planners near you. Make sure you only interview those who are certified wedding planners. And don’t be fooled by catering managers who say they will plan your wedding. i assure you they wont be there to help with invitation selection, gown shopping or most other planning issues, sans catering and reception food and beverage management.
For even more help with planning your wedding, purchase my book, “Donnie Brown Weddings: From the Couture to the Cake” available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon as well as a local bookstore near you. Most of all, happy engagement and have fun planning your wedding. We, at Donnie Brown Weddings, wish you not only a happy wedding, but most of all, a happy marriage for many years to come.
Oh, and Happy Valentine’s Day too!