Alright so we love working with wedding planners. This doesn't mean we will not work with you if you don't have a wedding planner, it just makes things easier for you (the bride and groom) and us (the vendors). So this week I decided to interview one of my favorite wedding vendors and get a Wedding Planners view on this subject.  We have worked together on numerous weddings. She is a wedding planner with over 7 years in the wedding business as a planner and nearly 20 before that doing corporate events and meetings.  She is Susan Sanford of Willrich Bridal and Special Events.  www.willrichbridal.com

Why should someone hire a coordinator or events planner? There are so many reasons.  First and foremost, the planner will enable the couple to enjoy their wedding experience and with less pre-wedding stress.   A planner will know the renowned  vendors in town.  They will know what vendors fit the brides price range and are enjoyable to work with.  They have a relationship with these vendors because they are repeat customers, where a bride on her own is a one-time customer.  Many brides think planners will get large discounts from vendors, but that is not necessarily true. The bride will save money by not wasting time and the energy searching for vendors that turn out to be unavailable or out of their price range.  A planner helps a bride know where the important places to spend money are and where it is better to save money. They can help with color choices, themes, and all of the design questions.  They are always available to answer etiquette questions, as well.

Planners will coordinate all the logistics of a wedding; layout, timelines, processionals, recessionals, clean-up and make sure that the vendors are kept informed of all plans.  This is a huge stress removed from the wedding couple.  On the day of the wedding, planners are there with their teams to ensure that the bride and her family is able to spend time relaxing and getting ready rather than rushing around and trying to set up and handle last minute preparations. Basically, we are there to make the wedding as stress-free for the couple, and their family, as possible.

Tell me what makes your company special:  We love creating beautiful traditional and unique events with special personalized touches for our brides.  We are a little different than most planners in that we have a team that will come in on the wedding day.  Some to stay with the bride and groom to make sure they are taken care of.  We have someone available to steam dresses, sew on buttons and help out in most any way needed.  Several more people are at the ceremony site setting it up and several more at the reception site getting it ready for guests to arrive.

How did you get started in the business?  I had been doing corporate events for years in my past position, and private events on my own.  When the economy went bad and I (like so many others) was laid off, I decided to open my own business and have never looked back.

What do you like best about your job?  My favorite part is watching the ceremony.   It is so full of tradition and beauty.  It’s like watching a great ballet come together after months and months of work.  I also enjoy getting to know the couples and their families.  I have met a lot of great people.

Tell us about your favorite wedding or event:  That’s a tough one because there have been so many great ones.  I guess I would have to say either the casino reception (so much fun) we did or the wedding on the Arabian horse farm, where the bride’s horse performed after the ceremony.  It was like something out of a movie.

What are the questions a bride should ask when choosing a vendor in your field? Ask about experience. Ask to see pictures of the events that they have handled and always ask for references.  Find out if you “click” with them, since you will be spending a lot of time together.  Find out how many people will be working your event.  Make sure you know exactly what they will be handling and not handling on the wedding day.

What’s the hardest thing about your job?  Oh, that is easy, the hours on my feet on the day of the wedding.  We will usually begin around 10:00 am on the morning of the wedding and not sit down until after 1:00 am the next morning.  I am always on the lookout for comfortable shoes.

Anything else we should know?  I would love for your readers to check out our website www.willrichbridal.com to learn more about what we offer.  Also, be sure to read our blogs for pictures of events, helpful tips, information on venues and loads of idea

 

Well I hope that you were able to learn a little bit about what a wedding planner does and some of the ways it can help you.

We  love to give you as much help as you need so if you have questions or a topic you would like us to talk about just shoot us an email.

As always leave some love and tell us what you think or maybe other ways a planner has helped you on your wedding day.

Daniel Yopp

Better Tie Productions

www.bettertieproductions.com