Wedding planners are invaluable when it comes to the most important day of your life. If you've seen the 2001 movie, The Wedding Planner, with Jennifer Lopez, you probably have a pretty good idea of what a wedding planner does. But the movie was designed for entertainment, and a wedding planner does many things not shown in the movie. Let's take a look at the different ways a wedding planner can make your wedding day a day to remember.

Just as people are different, so are the duties of a wedding planner. If you and your fiancé have fulltime jobs, chances are you won't have time to handle every detail of your own wedding. And even if you have excellent administrative and organizational skills, you could still feel the effects of the stress while you juggle work and planning. In this case, your best option would b a full service planner. After an initial consultation with the wedding planner to see if you are a good fit and to share your vision of the dream day, your wedding planner will handle whatever you want her to do, including screening and choosing vendors, or ordering invitations, flowers, food, and everything else imaginable. But remember that you set all the parameters. If you want to handle something yourself, just say so. A good wedding planner will listen to what you are saying and what you are not saying.

What if you love handling details and you have the time to spare? You might enjoy making all the arrangements yourself but just need a little extra help for the rehearsal and the big day. In that case, you would only need a wedding planner to execute last-minute details, allowing you to celebrate the moment and enjoy spending time with loved ones and friends. "Day of" packages are very common and allow you more control in making decisions throughout the planning process. If you would like a little more hands-on approach, this option could be best for you.

If you have plenty of time and the gift of organization but you are unsure about etiquette in addressing invitations or seating arrangements for the reception, you could greatly benefit from a one-on-one single consultation. Because wedding planners deal with the unusual every day, they know just what to do about must-invites who don't get along, where to seat people at the head table, and every other tiny detail that would keep you awake at night. Let them help you "do it right" by spending an hour or two asking every question you might have. Be sure to make a list in advance and allow enough time to thoroughly understand the answers. Don't rush. This consultation can be a tremendous asset to the big day.

No matter which option is best for you, you will find that wedding planners are very organized, friendly, helpful, and easy to talk to. All of those characteristics are their best skills and they have developed them just for you. So choose what you want most in a wedding planner and shop for one that you feel comfortable with. Somewhere out there is your own wedding planner, a new best friend waiting to help make your wedding day a dream come true.