Are you inadvertently sabotaging your own wedding?

Wednesday, 02 December 2015 00:00

Photo credit: ww.redflag101.com/wedding-fail/

In this digital age of internet and social media, information is more accessible than ever. A touch of your phone and you can find restaurants in Hong Kong, turn the lights on at home, call your partner or “Facebook” a friend.  Therefore, when it comes to your Wedding day, it’s no surprise that there’s a huge amount of information about destinations, venues and suppliers out there too. While that makes for amazing opportunities to find places and people that would have been impossible just ten years ago it does bring its own challenges if you are planning your wedding day. With all the information out there it can be tempting to think you don’t need a planner - especially if you are the organised type. However, as the saying goes “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.

While the internet can give you information on suppliers and venues, unsurprisingly that information has been uploaded by the supplier or venue themselves, meaning that it can be biased or incomplete. Without an unbiased opinion - such as that of a wedding planner, it can be hard to spot potential difficulties or problems.

As planners, one of the most common problems we see is couples getting into trouble, not with the quality of the services themselves but because of their lack of knowledge of how all the pieces of their wedding day fit together. You may have found a fantastic band to play, and then DJ on through the night. That’s brilliant - BUT if you haven’t considered when the band will sound check, spoken to your venue about noise restrictions or found out if the band are licenced to play at that venue you can be in for a nasty surprise.

Health and safety inspectors can, and do, issue hefty fines to venues and suppliers who fail to comply with licensing laws or employment regulations and if you fall foul of these it can mean big fines or legal difficulties. A good planner will have already thought of this and will check in advance which vendors can work at your venue. The choice she gives you may therefore seem smaller than all the options you find for yourself on the internet but there is a reason for that.

Equally the choices of vendor your planner gives you are not only guided by venue and employment regulations but by more complex considerations. Just as in all areas of life, not everyone involved in weddings sees eye to eye all the time. If a vendor or venue has had issues with another in the past your wedding planner may suggest a different vendor to avoid difficulties. Like a wise school teacher your planner knows who to keep apart and who can “sit together” vendor-wise at your wedding! She also knows those who work well together and create a “wedding dream team”.  

Thus although the internet is a fantastic tool for brides, be wary of using it to replace your planner. Just as picking an outfit for an interview blindfolded can be a hit or miss affair, booking wedding vendors without a planner can result in a “thrown together” feel to your Big Day rather than a stunning success.

 

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What to look for in a wedding planner!

Friday, 19 June 2015 00:00

It may be a strange topic for a wedding planner to broach but there is no doubt finding a good wedding planner is vital if you are going to entrust your Big Day to someone. Not all wedding planners are created equal so if you are paying for a planner make sure you know what to look for in the best.

Long established - we are the longest established wedding company in Spain. A good planner should have worked in the business for several years or be able to tell you what makes her previous experience relevant to wedding planning if she is a relative new comer.

Experience - when it comes to planning and executing a wedding, experience really does count. Check with your planner how many weddings she has done and, if in doubt, ask for testimonials from couples who have used her services in the past.

Variety of suppliers and products. We think we offer the best variety for suppliers and decoration but a good planner should be able to offer you a choice of suppliers such as photographers and be able to suggest great ideas for decoration, favours and flowers etc which will work well at your venue and with the suppliers and wedding date you have chosen.

The way the planner works. We use a great wedding planning software to make the planning easier and documented and this also provides you with a wedding website to make it easier for your guests. Even if your planner does not use a particular software she should be organised and have systems in place so your wedding requests and choices are noted and reflected in your budget.

Love of the job - this is hard to quantify but really why would you want to hire a wedding planner who does not love what she does!

Happy planning!

 

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