​One of the largest expenses of your wedding will be the venue and catering. Some report that the venue and catering can easily be up to half of your wedding budget. So when couples begin to identify who their wedding vendor team will be, they also look at where they can possibly save money. There are times that this budget review leads some couples to opt out of hiring their own Wedding Planner or Day of Coordinator, especially when the venue says that they provide Coordinators/Assistants for all of their brides.

Venues providing a designated Coordinator and/or Assistant for your wedding is a wonderful bonus. I actually serve as a Wedding Ceremony Coordinator for an amazing venue in Brooklyn and assisting brides with the planning of their ceremonies has been an awesome experience. I've had the pleasure of working with some of the sweetest brides ever and I love it!

But one thing couples should note with Wedding Coordinators or Assistants provided with their venue of choice, is that their duties do not include ALL of the bride and groom's wedding planning needs. Venue Coordinators and Assistants add great value to your experience, but couples need additional help. The couples I work with at the venue in Brooklyn have the option of adding on services with me, beyond what's included in their packages, to cover additional needs.

For example, if your wedding ceremony is taking place at a church or another location not connected to the venue, you will have to coordinate the logistics of the ceremony on your own or with the Planner/Coordinator you've invested in for yourself. That Planner/Coordinator you've invested in will help you schedule your wedding rehearsal at the designated location or your home and help to get your family and bridal party all the way together for what they will actually do on your wedding day.

Also note, that if you have out of town guests who need ground transportation to and from the airport, along with hotel reservations while they are in town; the Wedding Planner you've hired to work with the intricate details of your wedding can take care of all of that and make sure that your guests receive the special welcome gift you curated for them.

The Wedding Planner/Coordinator that you invested in as a part of your wedding vendor team will also: (1) brainstorm the perfect "first dance" song(s) with you; (2) offer suggestions on where to find those blinged out sneakers you want for your reception dancing; (3) help you find another makeup artist because the one booked, had an emergency the night before your wedding and can't make it (unfortunate, but true); (4) help coax your flower girl down the aisle, while sprinkling the flower petals from her basket; and (5) work with your photographer to submit your photos for featuring to a wedding industry publication.

Investing in a Wedding Planner or Day of Coordinator to work with your venue provided Coordinator will cover you in ways you don't yet know. We bring so much value to your planning and work with your entire wedding vendor team to create an amazing wedding experience for you and your guests. Let's get you married in peace!

​I’d like to say, “Congratulations!” to all my couples who are engaged to be married in 2020, 2021 and 2022. You’ve entered a new season in your life that can be both exciting and nerve racking.  On one hand, you never get tired of telling others the story of how your fiance proposed, what you were wearing, how you suspected it was coming or not and how for once in your life you were speechless.
 
But on the other hand, finding a venue that matches your décor style and guest count is about to take you out.  And if one more person asks you if you’ve found your dress or what your wedding colors are, you will voluntarily opt to go into the federal witness protection program until you walk down the aisle on your wedding day, IF you’ve even decided on a date.
 
You have important decisions to make and whether or not you will invest in a relationship with a Wedding Planner or a Day of Coordinator at minimum, is one of them. As you examine your budget and pin inspirational photos to your wedding Pinterest board, you wonder if you can swing the cost of a Wedding Planner (strike cost and put investment). “Can I afford to invest in a Wedding Planner?” you ask. Well, if you respect money, time and quality of experience, you can’t afford NOT to invest in a Wedding Planner or Day of Coordinator.
 
You can’t just have ANY Wedding Planner (remember that you get what you pay for). Having the right Wedding Planner on your Team can save you time and money and protect your reputation. The right Wedding Planner has spent quality time building and nurturing a great network of vendors to service their clients at various price points.  The relationship that your Planner has with videographers, photographers, dress designers, chefs, floral designers, DJs and entertainers, along with MUAs and hairstylists, can make or break your wedding planning and wedding day experience.
 
The Wedding Planner with great vendor relationships can get you meetings with hard to book vendors. The great relationship your Planner has with the catering chef may get you a sweet deal on adding your rehearsal night dinner to your reception package. The amazing MUA that your Wedding Planner has a great relationship might say “Yes” to squeezing in your makeup trial before she hops on a plane to a celebrity shoot.  Relationships matter. You can’t put a price on it but you can reap the rewards.
 
As your Planner, I can’t guarantee you anything from someone else’s business. But what I know for sure is that the wide range of wedding industry vendors that I’ve nurtured great relationships with have done amazing things for my clients because of the relationship. American Express used to say, “membership has its privileges.” Well, so does having great relationships in your business and personal life. Invest in a Wedding Planner for your wedding and watch the return on your investment come back in ways you couldn’t have possibly imagined. Relationships matter!