Do You Need to Hire a Wedding Planner?

Before Matt even probably thought about popping the question, I longed for the opportunity to plan every aspect of my wedding day. I'm a perfectionist and want to make even the little decisions so the day goes exactly as I envision it, so I opted not to hire a wedding planner. As much as I love being in control of the planning, there have been times throughout the planning process that I have reached my capacity for looking at centerpieces or cake, and I wish I had someone to make the process a little less stressful! There are several factors to consider if you're questioning hiring a wedding planner.

Not every bride has dreamed of planning her wedding since she was a little girl. Planning a wedding does take a significant amount of time and patience. If you're a bride that is looking forward to the marriage but not so much the planning, a wedding planner can save you a lot of stress. Wedding planners can be as involved as much or as little as you want them to be. They can help you create a budget and timeline, and they can do vendor referrals and contract negotiations. They will help you design the type of wedding that you want, and will make sure the day runs smoothly.


You can expect to pay a wedding planner 10%-15% of your total wedding budget. With the average wedding costing over $26,000, your budget may not allow for you to hire a wedding planner. If you're having a short engagement and your budget is more flexible, hiring a wedding planner may give you the peace of mind that you'll be able to have your dream wedding in a short amount of time. If you have plenty of time to plan your wedding, you're fairly organized, and you have a limited budget, I would recommend not hiring a wedding planner. As long as you steadily cross things off of your to do list, you should have plenty of time to plan your perfect day.

I'm fortunate that my reception venue offers a wedding coordinator. Although her duties aren't as extensive as a wedding planner, she has been extremely helpful in working with me to create a timeline for my reception, and answering all of the questions I've had. I know that she will go above and beyond to make sure the reception runs smoothly. The other venues I considered had someone in a similar role. If you have the opportunity to utilize a coordinator, make sure you do it! Part of your venue fee will be going to them, so you might as well take advantage of their help.