Should You Hire a Pro Planner or Ask a Friend?

Beautiful and life-altering as they are, planning a wedding is not for the faint of heart. And much of the time, you want your nearest and dearest to support you as you prepare for such a momentous day.

It’s not uncommon for couples to enlist the help of close family and friends to plan their weddings, but is putting your BFF in charge as good a plan as it sounds? They know you (almost) as well as your future spouse, so it seems like another match made in heaven…

But in reality, there can be pros and cons to this kind of approach.

On the one hand, having your BFF plan your wedding can create a more personalized ceremonial experience—but on the other, hiring Wedgewood Weddings’ professional coordinators can take the pressure off your close friendship and allow you to focus only on the parts of the event that you have the time or energy for.

If you’re not sure who to choose, we’ve broken down the differences between getting your bestie or a professional to plan your wedding. We’ve also highlighted the perks and drawbacks of each so that your wedding can be as seamless, stress-free AND enjoyable as possible!

PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PLANNER OR ASK YOUR BFF: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

As you can probably imagine, there are quite a few differences between planning a wedding with your BFF and hiring a professional to do the job.

After all, one is your closest and often oldest friend, and the other is presumably a stranger specifically trained to organize wedding ceremonies and receptions. The nature of your relationship with the person who is planning your wedding affects many aspects of how the planning process unfolds, namely:

• TIME: Professional wedding planners have the experience needed to work through wedding planning quickly and efficiently, helping you save time—something that’s especially useful for short-term celebrations. Working alongside your BFF to plan this exciting event can sometimes take a little bit longer (which is not necessarily a problem, especially if you have the time to spend).
• INPUT AND DECISION-MAKING: Your bestie knows you like the back of their hand, so your input may feel more organic when it comes to making big decisions. However, with a professional wedding planner, you might need to provide more explanation and context to your decisions, as well as offer more active input when it comes to major changes.
• PEACE OF MIND: Even the most relaxed bride-or-groom-to-be knows that wedding planning can be stressful at times! While working with your BFF can sound like a more relaxing process, in theory, handing over all those taxing or mundane decisions to someone else can put your mind(s) at ease.
• INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: Your BFF likely knows they’re way around the block, but realistically, the industry connections a professional wedding planner can offer are unmatched. They can give you access to a much wider range of decor, venue, and catering options that might suit the exact needs of your wedding theme with a little bit more ease and precision. There are often a few cost savings to uncover within those connections, too!
• AVAILABILITY: It’s likely that your bestie is also in your wedding party, so they won’t easily be able to run around on your big day. If something does go awry, they’ll need to step up and fix it, and this could see them leaving your side for a considerable amount of time. Planners are available to help at all times, especially on the big day. Often, you won’t even know if there was an issue, as they can immediately take care of it.
  
  

THE ADVANTAGES OF HIRING A PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PLANNER

Just because we know that wedding planning can be a challenging process at times doesn’t mean it should be. With the support of the right team, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to experience a smooth, productive planning sequence—especially when you’ve got some trusted professionals in your back pocket.

Having your BFF around for emotional support can be instrumental in keeping you grounded and sane during the planning process. However, there are distinct advantages to hiring a pro to take on the work you don’t want to while you and your bestie focus on other important tasks, activities, or decisions.

1. HANDS-OFF ORGANIZATION

Naturally, you and your best friend want to be involved in the process of planning and building your big day. Your input is precious goods! But that doesn’t mean you should be slaving away at every corner just to make it happen.

Wedding planners offer a hands-off approach to wedding organization that allows for far more breathing room as you get ready to say your vows.

2, TIME AND COST SAVINGS

As we’ve briefly touched on above, hiring a professional wedding planner or coordinator can give you access to a much broader range of vendors, venues, caterers, and other kinds of key suppliers that are crucial for bringing a beautiful wedding to life.

Our hand-selected venues are vast and can be tailored to suit every couple’s tastes, speeding up the decision-making process and often resulting in cost savings.

Working with a team of professionals means tapping into a network of industry stand-outs to ensure you get the best possible services, products, and experiences.

3. RELAXED AND STRESS-FREE PLANNING

Finding ways to minimize stress levels during the months leading up to a wedding is so important for protecting your peace and ensuring you feel fresh and fabulous for your big day. There’s no need to take on any more than you absolutely need to during this time.

Offering a more stress-free wedding planning experience is part of what has made wedding planners so popular after all these years. They play a critical role in the healthy ecosystem of a happy wedding!

4. MORE QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR BFF

Wedding planning is a time-consuming process. People in the wedding industry work long hours to make those wedding wishes come true. Handing over these crucial tasks to your best friend can take a significant amount of time out of their day, making it harder for them to balance their other work and personal life responsibilities.

By surrendering wedding prep responsibilities to a professional organizer, you can free up your bestie’s schedule and spend more enriching quality time with them as you plan.

5. PREVENT AVOIDABLE MISHAPS

Undoubtedly, your BFF always has your best interests at heart. However, wedding planning is a specialized role that requires formal training for a reason—and diving into it with minimal experience can leave your planning process vulnerable to avoidable mistakes and mishaps.

When you take these matters into your own hands, there is a risk of oversight with regard to important arrangements.

6. MAINTAIN A HEALTHY FRIENDSHIP

A little bit of conflict is healthy in any relationship. It can be character building and deepen your connection to the other person in a way that constant smooth sailing never will.

But avoiding needless bust-ups is also important for keeping the peace, and that’s part of what a wedding planner can provide during this kind of high-stakes planning process!

When you outsource wedding planning to an individual or a team of people whose job it is to make your wildest wedding dreams come true, it relieves you and your BFF of the responsibility of navigating all those important decisions alone.

That way, your friendship can remain pressure-free while ensuring that you have plenty of time and energy to invest in each other before the big day finally arrives.

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO BRING YOUR BFF INTO THE WEDDING PLANNING PROCESS?

While hiring a professional wedding planner is almost always a better idea in terms of ground-level organization and smooth preparation, that certainly doesn’t mean there isn’t room for support, input, and help from your best friend during the wedding process.

In fact, in the right moments, having your bestie on board for planning the biggest event of your life is something that we recommend!

When it comes to certain personal decisions and emotions, it is only natural to want the support of the people who know and love you most, and that’s exactly where your BFF’s input should come in.

Fashion, decor, atmosphere, favors, and even venue choices are all instances where your bestie can let their planner flag fly. You can even get them a flower club subscription to help you decide on blooms for your big day or take them wine or bubbly tasting to choose what you’ll be drinking when you tie the knot.

But when it comes to the more practical aspects of wedding planning, like admin, research, emailing, and scouting, you’re almost always better off with a pro. Incorporate their opinions and presence into the more fun, inspirational parts of the process, and you’ll likely end up with a much more balanced and rewarding planning experience.

MAKE IT A DAY TO REMEMBER

When it comes to organizing and hosting one of—if not the—biggest events of your life, those small differences in the planning process can truly add up and transform the way you experience the months leading up to your wedding.

There are advantages and drawbacks to putting your bestie in charge of your wedding prep. However, hiring a professional allows you to focus on all the best parts of wedding planning while deepening your friendship rather than putting it to the test with superfluous tasks and responsibilities.

Savor the moments you have together and get ready for one of the biggest and most exciting occasions of your life!