A wedding planner can make your lives so much easier when it comes to Planning your big day. By bring your ideas to them, they can make them come alive, while also making suggestions to further enhance the experience you and your guests will have for this once-in-a-lifetime event. However, choosing a wedding planner is much like choosing that perfect Dress – it will take time and patience to find the right one.

Here are the most common mistakes that couples make when they are choosing a wedding planner.

MISTAKE #1: NOT SHOPPING AROUND

There are so many wedding planners that offer their services to couples just like you. It is important to find one that matches the vision you have for your wedding, is available when you need them, and is also easy to work with. If you jump on the first wedding planner you meet, you may be stuck with a wedding planner that doesn’t live up to your expectations and the experience of planning your wedding may not be as easy as you had hoped.

MISTAKE #2: TRUSTING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM FAMILY & FRIENDS

Chances are, you know someone who used a wedding planner for their own wedding. If they had a good experience, they may offer you a recommendation. However, your vision and your personality are most likely different than your friend or family members’ so you may not get the same experience from that wedding planner that they did.

MISTAKE #3: NOT MAKING A BUDGET FOR A WEDDING PLANNER

Hiring a Wedding planner can cost a bit more than if you were to do all the legwork yourself. For that reason, it is important to save a bit extra when making your wedding budget. Oftentimes, it is worth the extra investment since having a wedding planner allows you to experience the event without as much stress on you.

MISTAKE #4: NOT PREPARING IN ADVANCE

A wedding planner can’t just create a magical experience without some kind of input from you. They need to know your likes and dislikes, what you have in mind for a dress, for the venue, for a cake, and other things. Once they have an overall picture of what you may want, they can start to put pieces together and bring their own ideas to the table.

MISTAKE #5: NOT ASKING TO SEE A PORTFOLIO

A planner or even a photographer who has been in business for a while – which is the only planner you want to work with – will always have pictures or testimonials of their past work. You definitely want to see some of these when deciding to work with them or not. They may have a particular style they like to work with that isn’t what you are going for.

IT’S TIME TO START PLANNING!

Once you have found the perfect wedding planner, it is time to sign that contract and start working with them to create a beautiful experience for your big day. After all, it is their job to make sure it is exactly what you envisioned for your wedding.