This gorgeous woman is a dear friend of mine simply because we work together in the wedding industry and met through instagram and immediately hit it off! Angelica is the owner and principal wedding planner of Angelica & Co., a Maryland based wedding planning company. I asked her to come on the blog and share a very common question, Why Do Couples Need a Wedding Planner? Do I actually need one? Isn’t the coordinator at my venue enough? Can’t I just have a family member or a friend whose organized help me? I thought the answers to that, should come from the professional! So without further ado, I’ll hand the blog over to Angelica.
Photo Credit | Manali Photography

Why Do Couples Need a Wedding Planner?

Wedding planners have a bad reputation for being one of those “luxury planning pieces”: nice to have if you can afford it, but not necessary in the long run. I cannot stress to my couples enough how important (and absolutely essential) having a wedding planner truly is.

We are more than just the keeper of all things, organizer extraordinaire’s, and design divas. We are your bouncer when it comes to getting you into the exclusive vendor clubs, your saving grace when it comes to contract negotiations, and we are your best friend and confidant throughout the planning process to ensure you’re getting the absolute best deals that align with your wedding day visions at the absolute best price.

Need more reasons? Here are 5:

No. 1: They Help Make The Planning Process Stress-Free

There’s some crazy (I don’t know if proven) statistic I read that said 96% of couples planning their wedding are stressed out. That blew my mind! That means (to me) only 4% of couples getting married hired a planner, and likely only 2% of those hired a good one.

When it comes to weddings, everything should be fun and exciting! Sounds impossible, but it’s not. When you set yourself up correctly from the beginning with a proper planner you have guidance. Guidance is invaluable when it comes to making decisions, making them quickly, learning wedding etiquette, and translating your visuals and word vomit ideas into beautiful realities.

Planners help keep you calm, your ideas and families firmly grounded, and have quirky ways of diffusing uncomfortable/awkward situations that may bring on stress—because we’ve been there and have done that!

No. 2: Your Venue Coordinator Is Not A Planner

Having been a venue coordinator myself, this may be one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to weddings. It goes a little something like this.,,

You’ve found your perfect venue. Their coordinator is AMAZING! They know every single thing about the venue and have answered all of your questions absolutely flawlessly. They’re an awesome human being, you get along so great and, even better, they tell you they’ll be there all night on your wedding day. “SWEET!”

Couples are thinking: “We’ve hit the jackpot”.”

Venue Coordinators are thinking: “Why is this person emailing me about flowers…?”

The tough truth is, as much as your venue coordinator would love to help you out as much as they can, they already have a full time job. They’re juggling often 50+ weddings a year. They are there to oversee your day from a venue perspective to make sure you have everything contractually that you were promised from them— i.e. tables, chairs, a non-leaky tent, AC in your reception space, and golf cart rides for far away photos.

They are NOT there to manage/direct the rest of your vendor team (photographers, caterer, florist, ceremony musicians, band/DJ, rental company, transportation, hair and makeup artists, officiant, etc.) , set up your decor, keep track of time, manage your event flow, and/or bustle your dress. That’s simply not their role…but it’s perfect for a proper planner!

You feel me?

Photo Credit | Manali Photography 

No. 3: The Right Planner Can Get You Vendor Perks And Privileges

How? Other vendors love other “good” vendors. These are people that they’ve grown to know and love, work with often throughout wedding season, and sometimes people they even happy hour with in the off season. We call each other “friendors” and we become one another’s wedding family.

When a planner sends you to one of their favorites, you’re treated extra special. You are an automatic extension of who they already know to be an awesome person, versus just one in the many inquiries they have coming in. With this comes extra perks—like complimentary items/services. Or privileges like what I tell my couples is the “Angelica discount”.

Some of my favorite go-to vendors will extend 5-15% discounts off of their regular priced product/services simply for my couples choosing to work with me. Knowing that my couples are in the hands of a great planner, they know in turn their jobs are going to be much easier. I streamline communication, get them all of the answers they need up front, and eliminate the worry of wedding day going to shambles with a less experienced (or simply no) planner.

No. 4: We Are The Expert In Our Field

Without wanting to be know-it-all’s…we really do know it all! Or if we don’t know it, we know someone who does.

Rather than spending your lunch hour or commercial breaks during Bachelor trolling Google for wedding related questions and hoping you get a somewhat decent answer, why not entrust your wedding to someone who actually has first hand experience? Better yet, why not entrust in someone who has first hand experience that you also really like? Aka your planner!

It’s taken us planners years, sometimes multiple decades, to develop the knowledge that we currently possess. Throughout those years, we’ve had many lessons learned simply by getting in there and doing it ourselves. I know for me, I learn something new from each wedding and each of my couples. What I learn, I think take with me to the next wedding and to my next couples. It’s a knowledge snowball, if you will. The more I plan, the better I get— and the better of a planner you’ll have from me in return!

Photo Credit | Meghan Elizabeth Photography 

No. 5: Your Guests Can Be Guests

When it comes to planning without a planner, you likely will feel super confident in the beginning. After all, you’re a detail oriented person, right? You consider yourself to be Type A and in your real life, you plan all of the things! So why can’t you plan you own wedding?

The truth is, you can. You can plan your own wedding all the way to wedding day itself. But then what happens when your role switches from “planner” to bride/groom?

All of a sudden you realize you can’t be waiting to walk down the aisle and also cue the musicians for your music change and grand entrance. You can’t ensure your signature cocktails are prepped and ready in 20 minutes because you’re busy marrying the love of your life. And how do you move ceremony chairs from the front lawn to reception space while you’re off taking pictures? Oh boy…things just got tricky.

Tasking these roles to friends and family seems like a fine solution. I mean, everyone keeps asking how they’re able to help you, right? But in reality when it comes to planning, you should let a professional take over. Why? Because everyone else that is a part of your wedding day already has a job. Your mom is there to stand by your side, your best friend is there to wipe your tears and hold up your dress when you need to use the bathroom, and the rest of your guests are there to shake their booties on the dance floor with you!

Leave the logistics to your planner, and trust that they’ll do everything within their magical planning powers to make sure you have the best day possible.

Photo Credit | What Em Sees

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