Wedding planners are no longer something we only see in romantic Hollywood movies. I would like to say that the wedding organizer has little to do with romance. That will be left up to the new couple while the wedding planners take care of everything else, including resolving any crisis situations (if there are any, but most likely there will be) and becoming almost a can-do MacGyver. In order not to push this burden on your friend, driver or, in the worst case, on your own shoulders,
wedding organizer is still one of the biggest must have .
LĪGAVĀM.LV went to several wedding agencies to find out what they really do.
WHY choose a wedding organizer?
Alise Kolosova, the creator of the events agency Alise Kolosova b outique event planning , points out that even if there is a clear vision of how everything should be, there is always a challenge to find third parties who can realize it. "A wedding organizer works in close cooperation with third parties every day. Organizers with experience have crystallized the best of them and the most suitable for each wedding format. Their work style and exact costs are known, and organizers are often given better prices due to long cooperation," says Alice.
A very important advantage of hiring a wedding planner is the smooth running of the wedding day. "According to my experience, the easier everything goes, the more carefully planned the day was.
The couple and the ushers can calmly enjoy the day, which usually passes unnoticed, instead of worrying about when the cake will be delivered or whether the table cards will be arranged correctly and whether the photographer will miss capturing the first waltz."
Cindy Wilde-Spinga, director of
event agency Chocolate Events , names some of the most important reasons why wedding organization should be entrusted to an agency.
- The couple will have less stress and more free time for themselves to enjoy their special day.
- The agency will definitely have more experience than a "first-time wedding", so the possibility of various unpredictable events will decrease, as well as arguments in the family and with friends about the wedding.
- In addition, wedding planners usually become people who can be relied on in any matter related to the wedding, sometimes they even take on the function of a psychologist.
- The agency will be able to make a creative contribution to the wedding scenario and implement various interesting ideas.
WHAT services do wedding organizers offer?
Event agency Goldfish director Kristīne Strazda points out that any agency must be able to provide a full service for a wedding couple, starting with the selection of current seasonal flowers for decorations, making wedding invitations, choosing a photographer, selecting musicians, decorating the wedding cake, selecting caterers and other details that many couples do not care about on a daily basis don't think about it. She is convinced that the more the couple trusts the agency, handing over all the work and responsibilities related to the organization of the wedding, the better the result expected on the wedding day.
But still, perhaps when you are preparing for your wedding, you are asking yourself, what kind of wedding planner do you ultimately need?
First of all, definitely – a professional. Therefore, before saying YES to a wedding planner, you should check reviews about him and the agency. Secondly, you need to understand whether you want to entrust the wedding organizer with the organization of your entire wedding - from the rings to the wedding trip or, for example, just the organization of the celebration.
Full service wedding planner
A full-service wedding planner will do it all - from the very beginning to the winning end. Will develop a technical scenario, help choose a place, arrange everything with third parties, hang the dress when needed and entertain the wedding guests.
A full-service wedding organizer will be necessary for those who have planned a large and logistically complicated wedding, as well as for those who want to think about nothing but each other on their wedding day.
The director of Crystal Events wedding agency Sigita Danilič says that by providing a full service wedding, the agency's team will take care of the wedding day, from the first meeting to the moment you say YES to each other. To achieve this, a comprehensive wedding concept will include:
- Dating advice, wedding budget planning;
- Creative and technical scenario development;
- Creating the image of the bride and groom (hairdresser, stylist, make-up artist, make-up);
- Design and general presentation;
- Stationery design – invitations, table cards, guest books;
- Selection and reservation of wedding ceremony and celebration venue;
- Photo and video service;
- Engagement of the leader of the evening, musical performance and other artists;
- Emotional support
There are couples who decide to hire wedding planners, for example, only for decorating or developing a wedding scenario. For example, the agency Crystal Events provides wedding services such as visual concept and decoration; organization and decoration of a marriage ceremony; visual image of the bride and groom; coordination of the event and even a proposal.
But SOS, or last-minute weddings, are especially noteworthy, which will be useful for those couples who realized shortly before the wedding that they will need help in organizing the wedding.
As a separate service Crystal Events also provides inventory rental, which includes both furniture and textiles, as well as tableware and design accessories.
Also Inga Bērziņa, head of event agency Bannte , states that although she does not position herself as a decorator, in addition to organizing full-service weddings, she also provides only decoration services if necessary. "However, I would like to remind you that the whole secret of a wedding does not lie in the decoration, but in the details. There are things that the decorator will not do, but the wedding organizer will have to do it, so you should not deceive yourself - the decorator will do what he has to do, but he will not be responsible for coordinating the photographer or musicians on the spot," says Inga.
If, however, you have decided that you will do all the organizational issues yourself with the help of guides and friends, then the lectures of wedding professionals can be useful. These are offered by several wedding agencies, and it is positive that the prices of such lectures are usually not very high, but in them you can learn the basic things that must be taken into account when organizing a wedding.
HOW is the wedding budget formed?
One of the main tasks of a wedding organizer is clearly planning a realistic wedding budget. Dace Miezīte says that Wedding Agency is based on medium and VIP budget weddings, however every year there are some couples who find a common solution even with a small budget. "It should be added here that it is not us who chooses the budget in which to organize a wedding, but by introducing the client to the market situation, he can make his own choices, within which cost limits he wants each service. For example, the wedding photographer's fee is 450-1500 euros and the couple makes the choice themselves. It is the same with any wedding service - this is how the client's wedding budget is formed," explains D. Miezīte. She advises couples not to economize on organizational matters, including wedding leaders, caterers and other positions.
"Couples should objectively evaluate what is really needed on the wedding day to realize their dream and what can be put aside.
If you have to economize, then it is better to do it at the expense of excessive chic or beauty, but not at the expense of what is really important, for example, traveling the route and quality food".
However, when hiring a wedding planner, you should expect that each agency will have its own prices, which will usually not change depending on the wedding budget. “Every wedding planner has a minimum they're not willing to work below. The smaller the wedding budget, the more the wedding idea itself could suffer. If there is no adequate wedding budget, then it is an illusion that you should hire a wedding organizer to get all the services cheaper through him.
The organizer means that everything will be done at the wedding, not that he will ask for discounts from all his cooperation partners,"
tells Bannte manager Inga Bērziņa.
However, regardless of whether your wedding will be organized by a wedding agency, your ushers, friends, family or in the end - you yourself, the most important thing to remember - it is only your day, to be lived exactly as you want and have dreamed!
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