When you get engaged, it’s all popping champagne bottles, celebrating with friends and family, and dreaming about forever with the one you love. Then comes the time to start planning your wedding, and reality sets in. There is a lot to do before your big day. You start browsing Pinterest for inspiration and searching online for some guidance on where to start, but it is overwhelming. You think about hiring a wedding planner but wonder, “what does a wedding planner do?”

While every wedding planner is different, the one commonality among us all is that we care about our couples and their happiness. But every couple is different, so do you really need a wedding planner?

Do You Really Need a Wedding Planner?

While we may be a little biased––being a wedding planning company and all––we definitely believe all engaged couples need to hire a wedding planner. Wedding planning is a full-time job. And it’s likely you and your fiancé already have jobs and family and responsibilities to tend to. You don’t have the time or energy to take on the full responsibility of planning a spectacular wedding. Because, honestly, it is stressful. According to a study of 500 engaged couples, 40% said wedding planning is “extremely stressful,” while over 70% found it more nerve-racking than other major life events.

Your wedding is the most important day of your life. It needs to be everything you’ve dreamed of and more. At Antonia Baker Experience, we get that. That is why when it comes to your wedding, you are our full-time job. 

Benefits of Hiring a Wedding Planner

Wedding planners truly care about you and your happiness. From practical help to emotional support, there are many benefits of hiring a wedding planner.

1. Wedding Planners Know the Industry 

While you have dreamt about your wedding for years, wedding planners have worked in the industry for years. This means we know how to take your vision and bring it to life. From the best wedding vendors in the area to underrated wedding venues that are dreamy and unique in all the right ways, you get insider information when working with a wedding planner. Google is great, but it can only tell you so much, and it tells every couple the same thing. When you hire a wedding planner, you are sure to get a one-of-a-kind wedding. 

2. Wedding Planners Know How to Navigate the Ups and Downs 

A wedding planner knows that planning a wedding that is all “rainbows and butterflies” isn’t all “rainbows and butterflies.” There will be challenges. From determining and sticking to your wedding budget to building your guest list to ensuring family members and friends feel involved in the process (even when you don’t want to use their ideas), there is a lot to manage. Your wedding planner helps you navigate all of these situations and more. We answer the hard questions and work with you and your family to create a day unlike any other.

3. Wedding Planners Save You

It’s true. Wedding planners save you… time, money, energy, stress, and worry. While it is an investment to hire a wedding planner, the return you get is more than worth it. 

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Wedding Planner?

Even if you love the benefits of hiring a wedding planner, the price determines whether or not you actually hire one for your wedding. How much it costs to hire a wedding planner varies. 

Each wedding planning company has its own set of wedding packages, so we can’t speak for everyone. But at Antonia Baker Experience, we offer three levels of wedding planning: Month-of Planning, Partial Planning, and Full-Service Planning. These offerings are common among most wedding planners, and here is what the investment gets you.

Month-Of Planning

With “month-of planning,” you take the reins from the beginning. From solidifying vendors and a venue to coordinating all the pre-wedding details, you become a wedding planner yourself leading up to your big day. Then, when it comes to managing your wedding day, you hand off responsibilities to a professional so you can enjoy the day stress-free.

Partial Planning

With “partial planning,” you find and select your vendors, solidify your venue, and design your wedding. Then, a wedding planner steps in during the final months of preparation to put the polishing touches on everything from pre-event vendor coordination to guest communication to ensure everything is set up to run smoothly on your wedding day.

Full-Service Planning

With “full-service planning,” you don’t have to do any of the hard work yourself. With a wedding planner by your side from the start, we help you choose the best vendors, find a stunning venue, and design the wedding of your dreams within your budget. This doesn’t mean you don’t have a say in your flowers and decór and music and photography, it just means you have a lot more fun planning it because the stress is taken off your shoulders. This is the best investment because you not only get help planning your wedding, but you also receive time and energy to focus on the “fun” aspects. Rather than worrying about how much space the caterer needs at your venue and what time they arrive, you get to “worry” about what delicious foods you want to enjoy on your wedding day.

Each couple is different and has different needs. That is why there are different cost options when hiring a wedding planner. You can choose the right one for you. 

So, What Does a Wedding Planner Do?

All in all, a wedding planner makes your life easier and better leading up to and on your wedding day. At Antonia Baker Experience, we want you to have FUN planning your wedding. From the beginning when we talk about your wedding vision to your actual wedding day when you get to see and experience your vision come to life, we want you to enjoy every moment. The process goes by quickly. From the day you say “Yes!” to the day you say “I Do!” we help you enjoy everything in between. Let’s connect today to start planning the wedding of your dreams!