Guest Post: Should I hire a planner?

I have my second guest post today!!!  I asked Ashley Alphin of C & A Event Planning LLC to write about why it is important to have a wedding planner.  I realize having one may not be in the cards for everyone, especially those of us who are utter control freaks... clears throat...  but it definitely would have made my life easier when I was attempting to plan a wedding over 200 miles away from where I lived.  Take it away Ashley!

 

Why it is important to have a wedding planner? Planners coordinate all the details that your wedding day and planning process involve.  I’ve heard so many brides say “I should of had a wedding planner – my day would of been a lot less stressful!” – however, this is after their wedding. Do you really want to feel this way after one of the biggest days in your life?  Your wedding day is such a special time in your life and you deserve to be stress free and enjoy every moment! 

Now, let's get on with the facts. 

Saves money - Hiring a wedding planner does not cost you more in your wedding planning, a professional will save you a great deal of money. Weddings can be very expensive. Part of the responsibility of a wedding planner is to help the couples – whether it be setting the budget or sticking to it. Constant budget awareness can protect you from going over budget!

Time – Planning a wedding is a full time job, it takes an enormous amount of time. A professional wedding planner will save you time and energy when it comes to finding the right vendors, taking care of all the details, and coming up with creative ideas to make your wedding day amazing!

Offers advice – Wedding planners know what works and what doesn’t.

Dreams become realities – Ever since you were little, you have been dreaming about your wedding day – you want more than anything to see your dream unfold. Wedding planners work for the bride and groom to ensure that all desires are met and often surpassed!

Saves relationships – Stress? Weddings are stressful – this often results in arguments between couples as well as family members and friends. Wedding planners know how to avoid such problems before they begin and act as a buffer when there are conflicts because they have been there time and time again. Everyone is able to enjoy the wedding because responsibilities are often assigned to loved ones but can be taken by the wedding planner.

Acts as the “go to person” – Weddings have at minimal 10 vendors – add that to your wedding party and your guests – that is a lot of people! These people have questions and concerns – if you have a wedding planner, simply say is “talk to the wedding planner!”

Itinerary – Wedding planners make sure everything happens on time and make detailed itineraries for all involved (including other vendors). There are so many details to remember before your big day – let the wedding planner keep track!

Crisis – Most big events involve crisis whether we want it to happen or not. Wedding planners know how to handle all the unforeseen situations – the cake melting/tilting or the food being delayed or the flower girl throwing a tantrum.

Orchestrating – From the rehearsal through the reception, a wedding planner organizes, orchestrates, and executes – ensuring everything goes off without a hitch!

 Overall, you need to relax and have fun! Hiring a wedding planner ensures that stress will be minimized – you will have a worry-free and stress-free day – allowing you to enjoy your day like all your guests!

Advertising: What's the best bang for your buck? Part 1

My head is spinning.... every time I turn around someone else is "inviting" me to advertise online or in a magazine, attend a bridal show, or improve my SEO rankings.  While I would love to be everywhere and do everything, it's just not financially possible.  So where should one put their advertising money?  I have no clue, as I am not a business guru, but I can tell you my thought process on my most recent decisions.

- SEO companies - I am starting here because I really have no clue which ones of these are legitimate and really know the least about.  The goal of paying for this service is to improve your visibility on the web by improving the way search engines find your business.  While I feel this is very important, I don't feel like I need to pay to be the top result when searching for cakes... I am fine with being in the top 3-5.

- Online Websites - The Knot, Wedding Wire, Get Married, One Wed... I can go on and on about all the wedding vendor websites.  I don't like the way these websites are set up for my area.  Fredericksburg is half way between Northern VA and Richmond, and most of these sites are setup for general geographic areas, none of which I feel represent my immediate area.  If I was in Fairfax, it would be a different story, but until these website change the way they are set up, you won't be seeing me there (unless it is a free listing).

- Print Magazines - This is where I personally struggle the most.  Local magazines are a great way to get your name out there, but at the same time, they are pretty pricey.  Sure you can pay for 1/8 of a page, but will anyone see that tiny ad?  I have paid to advertise in 3 different print publications... one was inexpensive, so I said why not!  Another one was more of a local bridal guide than periodical, but it was reasonable and brought my name out to an area that I serve, but don't have a lot of presence in.  And the third... well, this is where it went south... literally.  A local non-wedding magazine, targeted at larger household income family was putting out a wedding issue and it seemed like a good idea to advertise.  Well, to this day I am still not sure what happened, but long story short, the magazine went out of business and I believe the wedding issue became a regular issue.  The biggest thing I struggle with advertising in a magazine is knowing whether or not it is worth it.  Sure I have a drop-down on my form mailer letting folks select where they found me, but do most people actually fill this out accurately?  If they found me in "Cool Weddings" magazine but then googled wedding cakes to find my website, which do they put there?  And yes, you can do promos ("Mention this add and get blah blah blah..) or QR codes, but I just don't want to deal with either.

So that leaves me with Bridal shows.  For me and my business, I think bridal shows are a great way to get yourself out there.  Since wedding cakes have 2 components, look and taste, this is the only way for people to do both, and as a bonus they get to meet me as well.  They can be expensive and take hours to prepare and setup for, but it allows you to not only mingle with brides and grooms, but other vendors as well.  Your return on investment is also more easily trackable because you typically get a list of attending brides.  On top of that, I like to talk... I will talk to a spot on the wall until it moves, and I think that helps me too.  Do I think bridal shows work for everyone?  Definitely not, but for right now, that is where I am putting my advertising budget.

What are your thoughts?  Part 2 will concentrate on advertising on the cheap...