As of January 1, 2022, it is a company policy that a professional, full-service wedding planner is required to book Black Coffee Photo Co.’s services.
It’s your wedding day. At this point, you have spent many months and thousands of dollars picking out your venue, your photographer, your videographer, your DJ or band, your florist, finalizing details on your invitations, finding the right dress/suit/tux, choosing the right hair and makeup artists, finding transportation for your wedding party, figuring out the logistics of who is bringing a cooler of drinks for your wedding crew to enjoy in said transportation; picking out table settings and decor, tasting samples from catering companies, bartending companies, and bakeries; deciding whether or not you want a photo booth, lining up a hotel block for your out of town guests, deciding if you’re doing a grand exit of sorts, etc. Oh, and you work a full-time job?
You have time for all of this, right?
IT’S A LOT.
The absolute last thing you want to deal with is logistical questions while you’re getting ready with your friends or mentally preparing to recite your vows. It adds stress and takes away joy from your big day – which are the opposite reasons you decided to throw this party.
After all the time, effort, and money you have put into one single day, you should be enjoying the hell out of it.
I have photographed well over 200 weddings. Trust me when I tell you that hiring a professional, full-service wedding planner is one of the best investments you can make not only for your own sanity but for the benefit of your guests and vendors alike.
A quick google search will pull up numerous articles explaining the benefits of wedding planners, but I can break down the value in my professional experience:
- Wedding planners save you money.
You read that right. As counterintuitive as it may seem to hire yet another vendor, they will keep your budget in line and on track, letting you still live your life and not turn into a crazy person who is working essentially two full-time jobs as you work and plan a wedding. Win-win.
Extra benefit: they will help keep your contracts and communication with each vendor organized so everyone is operating within the parameters of the contract signed. Double win-win!
*this absolutely includes planning a destination wedding. - Wedding planners keep your day on track.
I love to help you build your timeline so you’re not feeling rushed during time set aside for wedding party and family portraits, but weddings are a team sport and all of your other vendors need to know when to set up and break down. You don’t want to deal with that. No, really, you 1000000% don’t.
Your planner will build and execute a timeline that is coordinated with all of the vendors involved in your day. On top of making sure things are in place at the right time, they will be there to set up and break down all of your decor. After a full day of celebrating with your friends and family, you get to leave the party and the party gets cleaned up without you or your parents or wedding party involved. Hell yeah. - Wedding planners know the ins and outs of the wedding industry.
Once again referencing that weddings are a team sport here – planners will help you find the perfect vendors to fit your wedding vision and budget. While I have my own dream team vendors list, I haven’t worked with vendors in the capacity that planners do. - Wedding planners put out fires you will never know about (at least not on your wedding day).
All of my favorite wedding planners bring what I like to call an “oh shit kit” with them – a way to fix everything that could possibly go wrong with the grace and elegance of a swallow-tailed hummingbird (yeah, I just googled the most graceful animals to make this reference). You will never be told a single word until after the wedding is over, if ever.
Are you seeing the overarching theme of “let other people take care of things so you can enjoy your wedding” yet?
GOOD.
You’re still here? Perfect. You’re probably wondering why I, as a photographer, am taking time to write a whole blog post about wedding planners?
It lets me focus on the job you hired me for.
When a wedding does not have a coordinator or planner, it becomes my responsibility to keep the timeline on track by default because I’m with you for the majority of your day. Don’t get me wrong, I am fully committed to making your day the best it can be and helping out everywhere I can, but I create better work when I’m not trying to do three jobs at once (think taking photos, trying to rally the wedding party to a location, and answering the 14 questions your mom and aunts have all at one time).
OKAY, OKAY, I GET IT. WHO SHOULD I HIRE?!
So glad you asked! You can find all of my favorite vendors on my Dream Team Vendors blog post, but let me tell you about my favorite planners!
Events By Elle
Michelle and her team are an absolute delight to work with. They are focused on making your day as stress-free as possible and helping you design your dream wedding.
Wildly Yours Weddings
Mallory is the queen of modern and trendy design. If you’re looking for a wedding straight from Instagram, but feels as good as it looks, Wildly Yours is for you.
Hitched Planning & Design
Breanne and her team are a one-stop shop for planning and design. They are always a blast to work with as a client and as a vendor.
Simple Elegance Events
Kindra and the Simple Elegance team are a powerhouse. Every wedding they touch is a stunner and executed flawlessly.
Brick + Ivory Events
Ali is a ball of fire – hilarious, witty, all-around good time. On top of her planning services, Ali runs The Heartland Cookie Co.
Wild Hill Planning & Floral
Jenni and her team are super organized. They are prepared for anything and everything that could happen, and their design is always stunning.
Honorable Mentions
Planners I have only worked with once or haven’t worked with yet:
Bespoke Socials
The Perfect Touch KC
Pretty + Planned
Fiore Events
Soiree Event Designs
Quintessential Events
