According to the Fall/Winter 2011 local edition of Brides magazine, it’s smart to hire a wedding planner. This issue features an article outlining the different services that planners offer, when the services might be right for a bride and the titles that you, the wedding professional who handles those services, might use for yourself.
Here is a brief overview of what they had to say:
Full Service Wedding Planner, Consultant or Producer
Does everything from suggesting vendors, to handling contract negotiations and managing the budget, to running the rehearsal and the wedding day.
When a bride might want a full service planner- when she has no time to plan, if she doesn’t know where to start planning or if she has chosen a venue that doesn’t usually host weddings.
Wedding Designer, Stylist or Architect
Creates the wedding design, helps select the color palette, manages the budget for the decor and oversees the set up of the decor on the wedding day.
When a bride might want to hire a designer - when she has a specific theme in mind, when she doesn’t know how to execute her vision and when the decor is of primary importance to her.
“Day of” Wedding Planner, Consultant or Director
Meets with a bride 1 – 2 months before the wedding (no professional planner just shows up on the day of the wedding), meets vendors and reviews contracts, does a walk-through of the venue, manages the rehearsal and oversees the wedding day. (Read my blog post, ”6 Things to Know Before Your Offer ‘Day of’ Wedding Coordination,” if you want to learn more aobut offering this service.)
When a bride might want to hire a “day of” planner- when she doesn’t have a budget for a full service planner or when she can handle all of the details before the wedding but wants help to manage the last-minute details of her day.
The article suggests the bride decide the services she needs before she begins looking for a planner to make sure she selects the one who offers the services she wants.
This means your marketing message must have very clear information about the services you offer and the benefits of those services. This way, the bride who is the perfect client for you will know that you are the perfect planner for her.
There are local editions of Brides magazine available throughout the country. You might want to pick up a copy to learn more about what they teach brides about wedding planners.
