Do I Need a Wedding Planner?

You’ve just gotten engaged and now it’s time to start planning your wedding! You’ve started collecting your wedding inspo, started touring venues, and trying to think of all the vendors you’ll need and how to budget them all and stay organized. You’re probably feeling overwhelmed and asking yourselves, “Do I need a wedding planner?”

I had the chance to interview Julie, owner and lead designer of Ruby Jane Events, an incredible Utah wedding planner, to ask her all your burning questions about hiring a wedding planner. She is the expert in wedding planning and design, and had so many incredible insights to share.

So what exactly does a wedding planner do? How do they help you stay organized during the planning process? How do you know if hiring a wedding planner is best for you? Here’s what Julie wants you to know about planning your wedding with an experienced professional!

What is the role of a wedding planner?

Julie says her role is “to keep you organized and bring your vision to life.”

You’ve likely had dreams of your wedding day for years – pinterest boards, wedding magazines, and websites bookmarked for the exciting day when you get to plan your own wedding. You want this day to be perfect and be exactly how you imagined it would be.

Your wedding planner will help you make these dreams come to life, while keeping you on track and organized. They bring together all the aesthetics you’ve been dreaming of to help you with design, including helping you find all the right vendors to make it cohesive.

They’ll also bring you back to reality when you need it, which is such an important help for brides and grooms trying to stay within their budgets. Planners handle so many behind-the-scenes tasks for you, meaning you don’t have to take time off work to get your wedding-related tasks done — you have someone who does this as their full time job doing it for you!

Wedding planners help you find your vendors

Your wedding planner will have your back when booking your other pros. Julie at Ruby Jane Events is the expert when it comes to finding your Utah wedding vendors — most of Julie’s couples come from out of state to get married here. Her network of trusted wedding vendors makes her the best Utah wedding planner available to help you plan your wedding!

Hiring a wedding planner means you get consultation and budgeting calls as part of your planning process, to help you determine your priorities for your wedding and budget accordingly. Based on those calls, your planner will then recommend vendors to you that match the budget and aesthetic you’re going for.

Julie then does all the leg work for you! She’ll reach out to the vendors you choose and gather all the details you need to know, asking the right questions during vendor consultation calls and making sure you don’t miss anything you need to know.

What sort of services does a wedding planner cover?

The answer to this question depends a lot on the planner you choose, so make sure you ask them for details! Some wedding planners have different packages depending on the length of your engagement, what you want included in the planning, etc.

Ruby Jane Events, however, does full service planning only — meaning you don’t have to worry about some tasks and services not being included, and therefore having to handle those yourself!

Services offered by your wedding planner could include coordination with other vendors, design work, rentals, staffing your wedding day, set up and take down, stationery, communication, timeline assistance, and much more behind-the-scenes.

What if you already have some dream vendors?

Maybe you’ve already chosen your dream florist or perfect photographer. Maybe you already have a good idea of which vendors you want to work with. Do you still need a wedding planner if you don’t need much help finding your vendors? Yes!

Tell your wedding planner of these dream vendors! Your wedding planner is plugged in to the wedding community in your area, and has worked with many different vendors. This means they have the inside knowledge of who will do a great job for your wedding day. Your dream vendors may already be on your wedding planner’s preferred vendor list, but if they’re not, your planner will vet them out to make sure they are legitimate. Julie says when a dream vendor is not already on her network of vendors, she will require a consultation call with them to make sure she trusts them to do an amazing job for your wedding day. Your wedding planner has your back!

What is the value in hiring a wedding planner?

Your time! Julie says, “Hiring a wedding planner is going to save you a lot of time and stress, so if those are things you value, hiring a wedding planner will be super valuable to you.”

You may also need a wedding planner’s help when it comes to allocating your budget correctly. Wedding costs can get out of hand very quickly when you don’t have a pro helping you keep things on track and helping you avoid falling into traps.

Planners take care of problems you’ll never even know about

Your wedding day is the time for you to relax, be fully present and enjoy this moment — it’s not the time for you to handle missing plates, wrong-sized tablecloths, or setting up your wedding decor. These are the things your wedding planner will take care of for you, allowing you to be in the moment, making those life-long memories on your wedding day. And when problems arise, most of the time you won’t even know there was an issue because they will handle it without you needing to stress over it!

It’s worth the money!

When I asked Julie “What is something brides should know about hiring a wedding planner?”, this is what she said:

“That it’s worth the money! Don’t make mom do it, let her enjoy the day as well, while still getting the level of design you’re looking for.

Hiring a wedding planner is very collaborative. Some brides are scared to hire a planner because they don’t want to give up control, and they want it to look and feel how they’ve been envisioning. But we want that same thing for you. Our goal is to accomplish your vision. You’re not giving up control, you’re hiring a partner to help it come to life.”

How do you pick which wedding planner to hire?

Julie says, when you’re deciding which wedding planner to hire, pay attention to personality: “You’re going to talk a lot to that person, so make sure you communicate well.”

Another thing to consider is, what is are your priorities? Are you looking for a wedding planner that has very streamlined systems, or someone who customizes every planning process to each specific couple?

Budget and location are also big factors to consider. Hiring a wedding planner local to where you are getting married is super valuable because they will have an already-established network of vendors they can refer you to.

When should I hire a wedding planner?

You should hire your wedding planner as soon as you are engaged! This can be before or after booking your wedding venue. Just make sure you are hiring your planner as soon in the process as you can, so they can help you budget and plan for other vendors.

Wedding planners are the experts

The expertise wedding planners bring to the table is unmatched! This is what they do for a living, so they know everything there is to know about logistics, design, planning and execution. For example, Julie told me she can simply look at a table and know exactly what size linen it needs without needing to measure it!

These sort of industry-specific ‘useless skills’ are things that you as a bride don’t need to waste your time trying to figure out. Hiring a wedding planner can take these needless stressors of your mental plate and save you a lot of time and effort.

They keep you on track

Wedding planners will use some sort of software or program to keep you organized and on track with things like budgeting, contracts, invoices, design, etc. This helps you keep everything in one spot, relieving the stress of trying to stay organized yourselves.

Wedding planners help you make decisions

There are so many decisions that are made when it comes to planning your perfect wedding! This can often lead to decision paralysis and lots of stress. But your wedding planner has your back here, too!

Planners like Julie will help you make your decisions quickly, give you their expert opinion, or even pick for you when you want them to, to help you avoid decision fatigue. She’ll act as a guide for you, and as a dedicated decision-maker when you can’t or don’t want to make that choice.

A lot of brides don’t know the options either. For example, you may not know what kind of wedding colors you can pick from, or what sort of food you can have at your reception. Your wedding planner is there to give you examples and narrow it down to help you make your decisions.

Julie’s best tips for brides planning their wedding

I asked Julie if she had any tips for brides, and she had so many gems to share!

Planning: “Determine early who you want involved in the planning! Is it just the two of you, or is mom or a sister involved? Determine that early and communicate that with people very clearly.”

Budgeting: This goes for budgeting as well. “Determine early who is contributing and how much, and how flexible the amount is. Get that set up and know your budget before you do anything to start planning, including booking vendors.”

Wedding day: “Just enjoy it! You’ve done everything you can and the day is going to happen whether you enjoy it or not, whether you’re stressed or not. Trust that you’ve done the work and trust that you’ve hired the right people, and let it happen.”

Do I need a wedding planner?

Should you hire a wedding planner for your big day? Julie says, “you should definitely hire a planner if you’re having any type of sit-down formal event. And if you want any kind of design and decor, it’s important to have a planner as well to help facilitate that. If you’re a really busy person, you need a wedding planner, because planning your wedding is more than you think it is.”

From a photographer’s perspective, I get to see firsthand how relaxed and joyful my couples are who have hired a planner, versus the stress and overwhelm that too often happens to brides who try to do it all themselves. It also allows me as the photographer to take a step back from the timeline-management side of things and more fully be able to focus on capturing your beautiful day perfectly. I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of hiring a wedding planner!

This is the most exciting time of your life together — you’re planning the day you say “I do!” Nothing is worse than letting stress over planning ruin your experience getting ready for the happiest day of your life. So if you want the best chance at having your wedding vision come to life, while staying organized and on budget, and removing stress and anxiety surrounding your wedding, you need a wedding planner!

“Hiring a wedding planner allows you to have your best day ever, with the least amount of stress, while making it as beautiful as it possibly can be.” -Julie, Ruby Jane Events

Ruby Jane Events is an amazing Utah wedding planner, and one of my Preferred Vendors! If you’re interested in hiring Ruby Jane Events to help bring your wedding vision to life and save you stress, reach out on their website:
Website: https://rubyjaneevents.com/
Instagram: @rubyjane_events

I would love to photograph your beautiful wedding day! If you are looking for a photographer for your special day, let’s chat!

Incredible vendor team for these photos:
Photography: Kimberly Crook Photography
Planning + Stationery: Ruby Jane Events
Florals: Mille Fleur Design
Rings: Wilson Diamonds
Host: Salt and Veil
Rentals: All Out Event Rentals
Cake: Lustr Creative
Venue: The Belvedere
Lighting + Draping: Moonlight Lighting
Dance Floor: Diamond Event and Tent
Gown: Renee Atelier Bridal
Model: Elisabeth Lowell