Planning a wedding requires a great deal of organisation. After the excitement of your engagement has worn off, you may feel a little overwhelmed by the daunting list of tasks needed to organise your big day. That’s where a wedding planner comes in – they can be a hefty investment, but they alleviate a lot of your wedding planning stresses.
A wedding planner can assist you in streamlining your wedding planning to-do list. Depending on your needs, you can engage in the services of a wedding planner as soon as you have gotten engaged, or you can hire one after you find your wedding venue of choice. Future grooms and bride-to-bes, if you are unsure where to begin, read on as we take you through the types of services that a wedding coordinator company offers, the benefits of such services, and how to find the right wedding event planner.
2.1. Why Hire A Wedding Planner?
The idea of a wedding planner might seem like an unnecessary expense. It may seem as if you are up to the task of doing all the wedding planning yourself. In the event you have infinite time and have previous experience planning events, you might be right.
But, take a moment to imagine how you want to feel the morning of your wedding. Would you prefer to relax with a champagne in hand, getting ready to marry your life’s partner? Or would you rather deal with an emergency phone call because the wedding cake hasn’t arrived? It is the wedding planners’ job everyday to handle situations like this.
A wedding planner handles all the logistics, from vendor referrals and contract negotiation to the execution of your vision on the day of the wedding. It is the job of a wedding coordinator to take the guesswork out of the process, ensuring a smooth and seamless wedding planning process. The planning process begins with determining a budget (and sticking to it) and culminates with getting quotes from the different vendors, communicating with vendors, and designing your seating chart. There’s no denying that planning a wedding takes considerable time and effort, especially in the months leading up to the big day.
Many find hiring a wedding planner to be an exorbitant “extra cost,” however, the cost varies widely, and most couples can afford to hire someone to help them with at least a portion of their big day; a good wedding planner can help you maximise your wedding budget. They will ensure that you get the wedding of your dreams whilst still staying in line with your budget.
2.2. Types Of Wedding Planning Services
Once you have decided that you will hire a wedding planner, take a moment to consider your exact needs. Perhaps you need someone to handle every last detail for you, or maybe you just need a couple of helping hands on the big day itself.
In most cases, wedding planners will offer a choice of two services: full wedding planning and same day wedding coordination. When it comes to realising your dream day, both of these services can be helpful, but their features differ greatly. Be sure to think carefully about what exactly you need help with before making a decision.
At Beautiful Gatherings, we offer over three different wedding planning services: full planning, design and coordination, partial planning and coordination, and actual day coordination. Even though we’re passionate about beauty, fun, and authenticity (and bring a dash of all of these elements to each and every event we plan, style, and coordinate), the love story you want to share is our top priority. Our goal as your wedding planner and coordinator is to help you create the wedding you desire that epitomises your personality and represents how you are as a couple. The following are the main wedding planning services that we provide:
1. Full Planning, Design and Coordination
For couples who are in the early stages of their wedding preparations, this would be the most useful wedding planning service. As your wedding coordinator, our role is to help kickstart the process and follow it through from start to finish, from the moment you hear your vows to the moment your desserts arrive!
2. Partial Planning and Coordination
At some point during the wedding preparations, it’s only normal for couples to get busy or tired along the way. This service is specifically designed for wedding couples who may need a little extra help. We will review your planning progress and pick up where you left off during the wedding planning process.
3. Actual Day Coordination
Being fully involved in the wedding planning process is undoubtedly gratifying for the wedding couple. However, the biggest concern is not knowing that they’ll be busiest on their wedding day. The good news is that we are here to help you finalise your wedding plans, coordinate, and assist you on your big day. We want to make sure you have an ease of mind, so that you enjoy your special day and the moments that truly count with our same day wedding coordination services.
3.1. Advantages Of Hiring A Wedding Coordinator
1. Tons of insider knowledge
Wedding planners communicate with a variety of vendors, including florists, caterers, DJs, stationery designers, hair stylists, and photographers. Your wedding event planner can recommend the best vendors based on the details of your celebration, so you don’t need to spend hours sifting through Google search results. As an added benefit, because wedding planners have established relationships with many local vendors, they may be able to negotiate and snag great deals for you.
2. Budgeting and scheduling
Most couples have strict budgets and timelines they have to adhere to as part of their wedding planning. With the help of your wedding planner, you can put together your wedding budget, crunch numbers, and find the best discounts. Additionally, they’ll keep you on schedule, ensuring every task is accomplished in a timely manner.
3. Point of contact on your wedding day
If you hire a wedding coordinator for your wedding, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that your planner is coordinating logistics, taking care of vendors, and ensuring that your wedding runs smoothly. When an issue arises during the ceremony or reception, they will be there to address it. You will no longer have to worry about anything except enjoying your special day with your loved ones.
4. Exposure to new ideas
It’s not uncommon for brides-to-be to spend hours scrolling through Pinterest and flipping through bridal magazines in search of fresh inspiration. A wedding planner can come up with countless unique and brilliant ideas for your ceremony and reception that you will not be able to find online. Whether you want a memorable centerpiece or dessert spread, they’ll come up with something that will blow you and your guests away.
5. Reduce your load
A wedding planner exists primarily so that brides and grooms don’t have to shoulder too much of the workload. Besides easing out your work load, wedding planners also help to handle your budget. Therefore, they understand how much or how little you want to spend on your wedding.
This means your wedding expenses are taken care of within your projected budget, allowing you to enjoy the day without worrying about your finances. Just like investment bankers, wedding planners work solely on your behalf for the preparation of your big day. A wedding planner handles all the details of the event, such as vendor consultations, decoration, menu handling, and appointments. A wedding planner can be a good option if you would like to lighten your load on your wedding day, so that you can relax and have a good time.
3.2. Tips On Asking Your Wedding Planner The Right Questions
It is also recommended that you seek a consultation either in person or over the phone before choosing the type of wedding planning service. The best way to determine whether your wedding coordinator will be right for you and your partner is to schedule an initial consultation. Additionally, you’ll gain an understanding of how you connect on a personal level. Are they accommodating and will they make you feel at ease about your wedding? Or is something amiss?
Before interviewing potential wedding planners, you and your fiancé should already have a sense of the following:
Once your initial consultation is completed, here are some questions to ask yourselves and discuss with your partners:
It’s crucial to be in tune with your gut. It’s possible that the person just isn’t a good match for you when an interview doesn’t feel right. It is imperative to pick a wedding planner who is compatible with you and your partner since you will be spending the majority of your time with them. If you are unsure what to ask, here’s a checklist of questions to help you get to know your wedding coordinator:
1. Are you available on our wedding date?
The first question you should ask a wedding planner is if they will be free on the date of your choice. You don’t want to waste their time (or yours). As long as you’re still flexible regarding your wedding date and you’re willing to wait to work with a wedding coordinator you’d like to work with, you can ask for a few alternative dates so you can incorporate them when you’re deciding your timeline.
2. Are you able to work within our budget?
Money is next on the list of important topics. Even though it’s not necessarily a fun topic, it is extremely important that a couple and their wedding planner discuss the wedding budget as early as possible in the wedding planning process. Come prepared to your first meeting with an idea of who will contribute and how much. By asking this question, you also open up the discussion about how much they can provide you within your budget. Suppose you love a wedding planner, but can’t afford their full-time services, then inquire about their part-time planning or day-of coordinating services instead.
3. What sorts of services do you offer (day-of coordination, full-service planning, or partial planning)?
The website of a wedding planning company might not entail all the services they offer, so it would be best to reach out to them to ask for a detailed explanation of the type of help you can expect. Having this information will help you decide what type of wedding planner is right for you. If you are incredibly organised and have time to follow up with professionals yourself, you may only need a coordinator. However, if you’re planning a destination wedding, it may be better to work with a full-service wedding planner who will handle all logistics for you.
At Beautiful Gatherings, our team of wedding coordinators can assist you in planning your dream destination wedding if weddings in Singapore are not your cup of tea. Schedule a chat with our team and we can discuss how we can work together to make your overseas celebration a special one for you and your partner.
4. Would you be able to explain to us the process of selecting other vendors and how we might be involved?
The selection process your wedding planner uses is essential to understanding the quality of the team you’ll have on your wedding day. It is common for wedding planners to develop relationships with other wedding professionals, so you will benefit from their established professional network. Note the names of professionals they have worked with, or suggest would be appropriate for your wedding during the meeting so you can do your own research later. Our goal at Beautiful Gatherings is to make sure that only the most qualified people are working on your wedding reception, ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
5. In the event you are sick or otherwise unable to attend on the day of our wedding, what will happen?
A backup plan isn’t just for outdoor weddings. In the event that a coordinator is ill or unable to attend that day, you should ensure they have someone who will take over, like another wedding planner from their company or a highly qualified assistant. They must also have a plan in place for what they’ll do if they’d have to hand over your wedding to another wedding coordinator in case of an emergency.
3.3. How To Find The Right Wedding Planner
Selecting the right wedding planner is an important choice that cannot be taken lightly. Every couple will want a planner who is experienced and professional, but it’s also important to find someone with whom you connect right away. The quest to find a pro whose skills match all of the above and can work within your budget can seem like a challenge, but you can rest assured knowing that we’ve got you covered.
1. Review their online presence
Have you found a wedding planner you’d like to work with? Do a bit of online research to check out their website, portfolio, blog, and social media accounts. This is a good opportunity to get a good sense of the company’s aesthetics and style, their “brand voice” and communications style. Look for their client’s testimonials on their website as another indication of great work.
In fact, if you find a wedding planner who is particularly adept at using social media, you may be able to sneak a peek at a couple’s wedding on their Instagram or Facebook stories. Visit our Instagram profile to see the highlights from past events we have successfully coordinated!
2. Schedule a face-to-face meeting
Virtual communication is ideal as a starting point, but e-mail can only take you so far. It is always best to meet your wedding planner in person before selecting one. When you’re ready to move forward after reviewing their work online, suggest a meeting in person before booking them. Similarly to a job interview, a face-to-face meeting is a great way to gauge their personality and determine whether they will be a valuable member of your vendor team.
3. Go over the contract thoroughly
To find the perfect wedding planner, you should read the contract carefully from beginning to end. The process of going through pages of paperwork may seem cumbersome, but understanding what services you’re actually getting is paramount so you’re not disappointed at the end. It’s imperative to be clear about how this wedding planner handles things like pricing and/or additional fees, day-of set-up and tear-down, and backup plans for bad weather.
4. Discuss your budget early on
To avoid major disappointments and financial issues in the future, you should make sure that your planner’s fee is within your budget and that you provide them with enough funds to do their job properly and help you achieve your dream wedding.
Often, planners can work with any budget to bring visions to life, but if everything in your planner’s portfolio is way outside your budget, they will have a difficult time delivering the same results as the photos you see on their social media pages and website. Discuss your budget openly and ask to see examples of work they have done within your budget range in order to avoid being disappointed with the end product or surprised by costs later on.
5. Ensure your personalities complement each other
When it comes down to it, you want a wedding planner you will actually enjoy working with. During the wedding planning process, you’ll spend quite a bit of time with him or her, so make sure you hit it off on a professional and a personal level.
Consider whether this is someone you want metaphorically (or literally) holding your hand on one of the biggest days of your life. If you can affirm this with confidence, it’s time to celebrate because you’ve officially found the right wedding planner.
When hiring a wedding planner, you should definitely strive to find one that is a perfect fit for you and your partner’s wedding needs. It’s important to find a wedding coordinator who understands your vision and makes you feel excited about your special day!
With these tips in mind, you won’t have any trouble finding the right wedding planner, no matter if you need a full wedding planning service or just a same day wedding coordinator. Having your wedding planned means you and your partner won’t have to worry about the nitty gritty details, meaning you can fully soak in this special day together. It is only natural you want to enjoy your wedding day to the fullest – it is something you have been dreaming and waiting for years!
Beautiful Gatherings is one of the best wedding event planners based in Singapore. Through our services, we design weddings that express the individuality of the couple. It is our goal to make your lives easier and your big day go by without a hitch. Please feel free to get in touch with us and let us know what your vision is for your wedding day and your budget, and we will do everything we can to help you realise your dream wedding while staying within your budget.
No matter whether you’re a busy couple, a couple who lives abroad, a couple who simply needs someone as an oversight on the wedding day, or just someone to let you concentrate on other crucial things, we’re here to help. We understand how tough it can be especially now that we’re living in constant uncertainty with the Covid-19 pandemic changing the way we do events and celebrations. But don’t let it get in the way of your dream wedding, we are taking wedding celebrations online, so you can prove how far love can travel even in the face of distance. Creating a virtual wedding party is completely customisable. There is no limit to what can be accomplished in the virtual world, including activity types, sequences of programs, and online or offline experiences. There are many ways to include your personal touch and still make your celebration truly and uniquely yours.
As a professional wedding planner who has been a bride herself, our lead planner gives couples valuable advice regarding their wedding planning and coordination, removing any stress and allowing them to focus on the things and people that count the most. Are you ready to plan the best day of your life? Get in touch with us today to learn more about our wedding planning services!
