Top 5 Benefits of Hiring a Virtual Wedding Planner

So there are a few reasons why you might be reading this blog...

1) You just got engaged and you have deer-in-headlights syndrome and have no clue where to start.

2) You are a DIY bride and have most of the plans under control but you need help in select areas and need guidance on how to handle situations like your sister getting drunk at your wedding and stealing the getaway car to go pick up her boyfriend that just got out of jail.

3) You wedding is in 2 days and you and your fiancé both have Covid and you have to postpone your wedding and don't have the energy to handle the 3,000 phone calls you have to make by the end of the day.

4) You are in a state of overwhelm and don't know how you're going to get everything done

and getting drunk every night in the bathtub isn't doing the trick.

ALL of these reasons are reason enough to hire a Virtual Wedding Planner (VWP). VWP's are trained to handle the scenarios listed above among MANY others. We are well-versed at making critical decisions on the fly when emergencies arise.

Now, I understand some of the reasons listed above might be dramatic, but believe me, they happen all.the.time. So, if you don't relate to any of the scenarios above, here are more reasons you will want to hire a VWP:

ONE. You don't have enough money in your budget to hire a Day Of Coordinator or full or partial service planner. We KNOW how costly weddings are! And, believe it or not, we are your budget's advocate. We can help you cut back in some areas or add more to others, if necessary. We know the tricks-of-the-trade and have a lot of ideas that are budget friendly without sacrificing the look and feel of your wedding!

TWO. Your sanity. If I had a dime for every time a Bride, Maid of Honor, or Mother of Bride came to me and said "I wish I had hired a planner." Families and friendships have been destroyed over weddings. Sounds ridiculous, but it happens every day. You know your family and your friends and who may be a potential "problem" during the planning process or on wedding day! Hiring a planner to be your liaison is the best money you'll EVER spend. He/She will make sure your wedding day is the day YOU want, not the day THEY want.

THREE. Tedious paper work and research. VWP's can help you choose the right vendors. This may be the most important reason of all of them. We know wedding vendors. We work with them every day and we know how much they charge, how professional they are, and how honest and reliable they are. Bad or unprofessional vendors will RUIN your wedding.

I have seen caterers eat directly out of the serving dishes with a spoon that goes right back into the mashed potatoes; I've seen DJ's smoking in their vehicles (and not the cigarette kind!) and drinking off the bar (a big NO!) and calling in sick without a backup option and never to be heard of again. I've also seen photographers bring their kids with them (#oblivious). I can go on and on about "professional" wedding vendors, but trust me when I say not ALL wedding vendors are GOOD vendors. If their price is too good to be true - then IT IS.

VWP's can read through vendor contracts and pick up items that may not be in your best interest. For instance, some vendors have a lot of "hidden fees" and may charge money per mile, or they will insist that you provide a hotel suite for them with all-inclusive room fees, food and beverage! So, let us do that dirty work for you. We can spot a fake a mile away!

FOUR. Day of Timeline and the flow of your day. VWP's will construct your day and provide minute-to-minute details on what you will be doing the second you get out of bed that day to the time you turn into a pumpkin at Midnight. I love constructing timelines. I think they're fun and I love that they provide comfort and sense of security - for everyone involved.

Timelines are a necessity and they allow the day to flow the way you envisioned it the second you got engaged! All of your vendors will have a copy of the timeline so that they know EXACTLY where to be and when. They shouldn't have to ask you a single question the entire night because the timeline should be so detailed that no one will be left guessing what's going to happen next. Again, if you have good vendors, then everything should go like clock work!

FIVE. Communications. Your VWP will be the center of communication to the venue, the vendors, the bride, the groom, bridal party, family, etc. Communications are by phone, text,

email and happen every week (and sometimes daily) starting 6 weeks prior to your big day.

Communication is critical. You will know if your VWP is doing a great job if NONE of your vendors are bothering you. If your phone is silent for a month, then you need to thank your planner. That means he/she is rocking it!

I hope this has given you some insight as to why you may want to hire a VWP if you can't afford to have a planner onsite the entire day. I'm always here to help and don't forget to subscribe to my Monthly FREEBIES. My FREEBIES have been of great help to my brides throughout their planning process and I hope you find them useful, too!

Happy Planning!