8 Reasons Why You Need a Wedding Planner

Many think a wedding planner is not in their budget. However, the question is actually not "Can you afford a wedding planner?" but rather, "Can you afford not to have a wedding planner?"

Many brides have dreamt of their wedding for the better part of their childhood and all want to experience their perfect and magical day exactly as they have imagined it. Many go into the wedding planning process full of ideas, and excitement about the taking part in planning. They imagine putting the invitations together with the fiance, the fun excursions for wedding decor with mom, and giving the bridesmaids the honor of helping with the set up of the wedding. 

Unfortunately, most often, the fiance is busy looking for housing, honeymoon tickets, and making money for a new life together, family tensions rear their ugly heads after many unsuccessful shopping excursions, and some of the bridesmaids seem to forget "maid" is part of their title and often replace it with their "show-up-when-necessary" mentality.

Getting married should be one of the most enjoyable things you ever do. So why would you want to make it one of the most stressful times of your life? 

Here are the top 8 reasons you need a wedding planner:

#1: Saves You Time

So you got engaged. You are ecstatic about the quickly approaching day and are trying to finish up school or save up money by working extra hours for that down payment on the house. Possibly, you are simply working the average 40-hour work week. In case you haven't yet researched, the average wedding takes 250 hours of planning. That's over a month and a half of working full time! Most people these days do not have time to wash their car, much less plan a wedding. A wedding planner saves you time by searching for vendors, good prices, and taking care of many of the minute details in your wedding. Because, when push comes to shove, you would rather spend your time finding the perfect jewelry or preparing for your honeymoon instead of calling the linen company to negotiate prices.

#2: Saves You Money

Face it. A wedding costs a pretty penny...or two. You will be spending a great deal of money to commemorate one of the most important days of your life. There are many big expenses and it is complicated to change the budget once you have begun purchasing and signing contracts. A wedding planner's goal is to find you the best deals to get you the most for your money. Their relationships with vendors and connections in the field will save you money (and time). They will also help you stick to your budget and often be your voice of reason to ensure your wedding is exactly the way you want it, at the price you want it. 

#3: Saves You From Stress

Every wedding is hard-wired with stress. Whether it is finishing all the details, negotiating with vendors, or dealing with parents or fiance, stress and weddings are a package deal. The bonus to hiring a planner is to allow them to deal with much of the stress so you don't have to. They help in mediating difficult relationships as well as taking care of the stressful issues, so you do not have to even know about them! They make sure the wedding goes as planned and problem solve any issues on your day, without bothering you! Do you really want to be on the phone looking for the limo driver minutes before you are to walk down the aisle?

#4: Keeps You On Track

A wedding planner helps to make sure you are on schedule and do not forget anything. They often provide lists and schedules to keep you on track. They also monitor your set budget to ensure you are not making any rash decisions that would drain the majority of your wedding funds. 

#5: Spares Relationships

Because of the numerous details involved in a wedding, there is bound to end up being some type of tension among family, wedding party, and even the "perfect" fiance.  A planner is able to help steer you clear of some of the common frustrations that come with wedding planning and can often act as a mediator to make sure you are still speaking to your mother-in-law the day of the wedding!  

#6: Acts as Your Liaison

Instead of having to call, talk to, and answer the many questions of all the vendors and people preparing for your wedding, a wedding planner can act as your liason, who deals with the many questions and details of your day. Direct them to speak to the wedding planner and you can enjoy your preparation and wedding day.

#7: Gets the Most Out of Your Vendors

Maybe you think you are already set on planning because you have good connections to vendors. Possibly your fiance has a friend of a friend who is a photographer, your college roommate used a good bakery for her wedding, and your best friend's mom is a florist. Many Mr. and Mrs.-to-be go into contracts with a vendor and come out with a normal, standard service or product. The benefit of hiring a wedding planner is to allow them to ensure that you get more than the "standard" from your vendors. Planners with experience often know better questions to ask, know what they can bargain for, and have relationships with vendors that will get you a better price and a better product. 

#8: Makes Your Fairy Tale Wedding a Reality

Of course you have your magazine cut outs and sketches of your perfect day. You may have lots of ideas and have written down the really good ones from the many weddings you have been to. Maybe you have had your day planned out since before you even wore makeup. Unfortunately, most people have a difficult time translating their magical vision in their head into reality. The role of a wedding planner is to listen to your vision for your wedding and find a way to capture and create the mood, feel, and atmosphere you have always been dreaming of. They can take your many ideas and channel them into an unforgettable event. They often also are the voice of reason, and will let you know if your ideas are possible or within your budget. If for some reason they aren't, they are very good at finding an alternative that is, without sacrificing your vision.  

Yes, hiring a wedding planner does cost money. But it is the best bang for your buck as they will make it possible for you to actually enjoy the planning experience and your long-awaited wedding day. They will save you time, money, and relationships, ensure your vision is a reality and you do not have be stressed with the details of your day. 

Are You Looking For Your Pretty Face From the Roa Wedding?

If you stood in line and snapped your photo and signed the guestbook at Ronny and Natalya's wedding, you have come to the right place! We figured you had to brave the line, so here's your treat. 

Here is the link to download your photo: Roa Photo Guestbook. 

Just click on your photo and download! 

Be sure to check out info on the Roa Wedding design and other events in the rest of our blog. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Ronny & Natalya

Natalya came to us with a challenge: Plan a roughly 600 person wedding in two months! We took the challenge and went to work! Natalya and Ronny wanted a simple, bright, and colorful wedding, including teal, orange, and lime green as the wedding colors. After listening to the bride and groom's vision of the wedding, we took Ronny's love for birds and Natalya's desire for birdcages and went running with it. The decor featured birdcages, birdseed-filled candles, wood stumps, manzanita trees, moss, and even bird-watching binoculars for the bridal party to view the kiss! 

As all weddings do, there were a few challenges along the way. One of the first challenges was the cell phone tower in the middle of the reception area. There really was no way to hide it and it surprisingly didn't go with the theme! So instead of attempting to hide it, we decided to feature it as the "cake tower" and designed teal curtains to cover the legs. The cake was set on top of a tree cake stand in the center to complete the look. 

Another challenge during set up was the wind, which made it difficult to lay any fabric. We used creativity and some tape and thread to ensure the design of the wedding still looked beautiful, even with the wind. 

The wedding was held at their home church (and place of work) Crossroads Christian Church in Corona, California. The wedding was held along the candlewalk, and included a custom built bridge the bridal party walked to get to the stage. Colorful ribbons and lanterns hung from the trees and guests were given bright petals to toss on the happily married couple. 

The reception was held right next to the ceremony, in front of the main church. The sweetheart table and dance floor were seated in front of a fountain and between tall teal and orange-lit palm trees. The dessert reception started off with dances, toasts, and of course the cutting of the cake. A variety of desserts were served including cupcakes, and a regular and orange chocolate fountain. There was also a photo-guestbook for all guests to take their photo and write a note to the couple. Everything from the centerpieces to the graphics were custom made for the event.

Noah & Sam: Hawaiian Adventure

Noah & Sam came to us a week before the wedding with one word: Help! They had done all of the plans for the wedding themselves, but there were still many details left undone and the monumentous day was drawing very near. They did not want to be stressed on the day of their wedding with calling the late limo driver or finding a solution for an unfitting bridesmaid dress. 

We came in and took over all of the details of  the wedding, including the implementation of Noah & Sam's vision for their wedding. We handled the final contacts and payments of the vendors, and coordinated the actual wedding day. Being able to take care of the details of the wedding allowed Noah & Sam to enjoy their special day and relieved all the stress of making sure everything was done.

We also designed the table numbers and escort cards to help tie in their hawaiian theme throughout the wedding. 

If you want to enjoy your wedding day and not worry about all the many details the day of, contact us about setting up a Same-Day Coordination package.  

Luke & Lindsey

Luke and Lindsey had only a few requests about the look and feel of their wedding. They wanted it to be earthy, with lots of sticks, and invite ALL their family and friends. The result was a elegant interpretation of nature, reflecting the couples simplistic outlook on life, while celebrating the beautiful commitment made that day.

The ceremony was at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, on a larger-than-life stage. A custom arbor was made to draw the focus on the ceremony, as well as pillars down the aisle. Birch trees enclosed the seating areas on either side. 

The dessert reception was at Brea Community Center, a drab outdoor space which was transformed into a beautiful garden, complete with chinese lanterns. Everything was custom made for the reception, including lighting, table runners, centerpieces, backdrops, pillow scapes, programs, and menus. A selection of desserts were served including cake, ice cream, and a chocolate fountain. 

How it All Started

All good things have a beginning. The best things come from out of nowhere, flying in under the radar, and can often go overlooked for months before they are noticed.

It began how all good things do: normal. My sister Lindsey was getting married and my mom, Cindy, was running ahead full speed with creativity. She had been planning large events for the last 20 years, so this was just the next exciting blank canvas. The wedding was clearly a success as a number of people commented to Cindy after, "You have to do this as a business!" That was an intruiging thought since she herself realized as her own event got closer, she needed someone she trusted to execute all the plans that had been made. Like any other Mother of the Bride, she wanted to enjoy the celebration, not work it. An event planning would not only be a great use of our creativity, but also be a blessing others, who need someone to help them pull their event together as well.

Though it had been mentioned, the thought of an actual business was still a long ways off. I was finishing my teaching credential, but not content with that field and looking for something that utilized my creativity (and involved no paper grading!). Eight months later, we began praying about starting an event planning business. Only weeks later, we had two brides who wanted our help with the planning and organization of their weddings.

Noah and Samantha, needed help pulling all the last minute details of their wedding together. We were able to put some graphics together to enhance thier hawaiian theme using the escort cards and table numbers, as well as finalize their vendors and make sure the day went well.

Next, family friend Natalya got engaged and asked us to help her in the planning of her wedding only 2 months away! This wedding allowed us to utilize our contacts, vendors, and creativity to bless Ronny, Natalya, and their families.

Through these opportunities, we experienced how to best prepare for all possible scenarios, to problem-solve and prevent for potential wedding blunders, and to take care of the many details of a wedding, so as to allow the bride, groom, and families to enjoy the experience of their memorable and much awaited day. With a great deal of event planning experience and passion for design and creativity, we are now officially for hire!