Investing in a wedding planner

Engaging with a wedding planner or coordinator is not yet as popular as it is in the States. The most common thought that comes across a couple's mind is that it's an extra expense incurred on top of all other "more important" appointed vendors like venue, photography, gowns, make-up and hair artist.


Some common and general feedback from couples are such as "I don't have the budget to engage with a wedding planner", "Why do I need one when I can run on my own and save some cost" or "Hiring a wedding planner will not make my wedding experience personal anymore". So what do most couples do? They'd turn to close friends or family members to take charge just on the actual day. Still, the appointed helpers for that day will not be able to cover all aspects of the wedding as well as the couple firstly, because they probably have not gone through the planning as thoroughly as the couple. Secondly, they were not involved from the very start of the planning process.


I'd think more than 50 percent wedding couple would think about hiring a wedding planner or coordinator at the very last minute when they realize half-way through the planning, that they can't manage on their own.


I hope to shed some light on this matter because whether you're officially paying someone to manage the planning or not, you need help! In this time and age, working life is just too demanding. Couples only have time to think about wedding planning during the weekends. That's not enough time to source for vendors and organize such an important celebration in one's life. Don't forget to consider wedding guests and in our Malaysia culture, we're talking about nothing less than 200 guests most of the time. As important as having a dream wedding come true, wedding guests also play a big role in it because without them, there's no celebration!


How can a wedding planner help you?
Yes, I know cost is at the top of the concern list. So let's get down to this first. It's really not that expensive an investment to engage with one. Of course the price range can span across a big range, between RM3,000 to RM10,000 and above. If the cost is spread out across the lifespan of the planning process, it's really quite affordable. Take for example, if a wedding planner charges RM5000 and the wedding is in 8 months time, it's an investment that cost only RM625 a month, not too bad for such a personal service.


Next, let's talk about vendors. For all couples, it's really a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one would really want the best in every aspect of the wedding. Aside from friend's recommendation, couples will very likely not have any idea on reliability and quality of service provided by most wedding vendors. There're seriously so many in the market, but a wedding planner "gets hitched time and again". A wedding planner will be able to give good advice based on experience.
What's more is that the wedding planner becomes the main contact point between the couple and all appointed vendors. While the couple focus on their jobs during the weekdays, they're rest assured that someone is running for them, to make things happen. So instead of having 10 wedding vendors calling the couple every hour of the day, let the wedding planner handle and manage it.


One will still be able to plan a personal wedding because all decisions come from the couple. The wedding planner can only do so much to give advise based on experience and execute upon the couple's instructions.


Most couples who did not engage with a wedding planner or coordinator would say that they're happy that the wedding is over because they would not want to go through it again. It's just too tiring and too much to consider. One can really avoid this with the help of a wedding planner. A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and the couple should really have a time of their lives planning for it. It's really more of an investment than an expense if you ask me.