InFluential_Magazine_March_April_2017

influential-magazine.com
PLANNING YOUR WEDDING
IS ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT MANAGEMENT
JOBS YOU’LL EVER TAKE ON.
A PROFESSIONAL WEDDING
PLANNER COULD
HELP MAKE THE DAY
GO SMOOTHLY, BUT YOU
CAN ALSO ACHIEVE THE
SAME EFFECT YOURSELF
FOR LESS MONEY.
A
ccording
to TheKnot.
com, the average cost
for a professional wedding planner
is just under $2,000, but many
couples don’t have that kind of
wiggle room in their budgets. In
fact, 74 percent of couples didn’t
hire a wedding planner in 2015, the
website says. You can still pull off
a polished wedding if you borrow
a few tactics from a wedding
planner’s bag of tricks.
Make the rental
store your playground
Professional wedding planners
don’t stockpile wedding items,
they rent what they need to
make a wedding run smoothly
and look great. From tents and
outdoor heaters, tables and chairs,
to glassware, dishes, dance floors
and décor, rental stores supply the
wedding industry with the basics,
luxuries and everything in between.
When a professional planner rents
items, he or she typically passes on
the rental cost to the clients, on top of
fees for professional services. You can
rent the same items yourself through
a rental store — visit RentalHQ.com
to find one in your area.
“Working with rental companies is
like being in a fantasyland,” Minneapolis-based
wedding professionals
Matthew Trettel and Bruce Vassar, The
Wedding Guys, recently said in an interview
with Rental Management
magazine. “There are so many endless
possibilities, and the only thing
holding you back is the event budget.
Even on the smallest budget, you can
always enhance or elevate an event
working with a rental company.”
Emphasize organization
Professional wedding planners use
their organizational skills to ensure
weddings go smoothly despite any
surprises that arise. You can employ
many of the same organizational
tricks they use to help yourself
manage the numerous details that
go into a wedding, including:
• Create an inspiration board.
Gathering your color choices, theme
elements and inspirations in one
spot can help your decision-making
process. For example, not sure which
floral arrangement will look right for
your wedding? Refer back to your inspiration
board and see which of your
choices best matches your inspiration.
• The budget can be the most
challenging aspect to manage, so be
sure to talk with your partner about
your budget before you sign any
contracts. Set a budget and use a
budgeting worksheet (readily available
for free online) to help control costs.
• Numerous types of planning
helpers are available, from online
worksheets to apps, books and
old-fashioned paper planners. Find
one that’s easy for you to use and
stick with it. Your planner should
include a checklist with a timeline,
and allow you to store all pertinent
information, including estimates
and contracts, in one place.
Work your connections
Professional wedding planners have
networks of vendors to choose from.
You can also network to find vendors
for your wedding. Ask family, friends
and co-workers for recommendations.
Talk to any couples whose wedding
you recently attended to see who
they recommend.
Another trick is to find one
professional with whom you really
connect — a photographer, florist or
entertainer — and ask for referrals to
other quality professionals he or she
likes working with. Check out their
websites and feedback on social
media to get an idea of their work.
Planning a wedding can be challenging
and rewarding. With a few
tricks borrowed from professional
planners, such as renting what you
need, you can create the wedding
of your dreams on your real-world
budget. (BPT) l
MARCH / APRIL 2017
FLUENTIAL
97