Wedding planners can be quite expensive, costing a high percentage of your total budget. Because of the expense, many couples choose to plan the wedding by themselves. This, however, is usually not the best option. Unless you have a very long time to plan a very small wedding, your big day can get extremely stressful in a hurry. In this scenario, it becomes very possible to forget to complete an important task. A wedding planner is a great way to ensure that you big day goes off without a hitch, while leaving you stress-free - or at least, as stress-free as you can possible get on your wedding day! Here are some of the main benefits of a wedding planner:

Wedding planners have experience.

You many not know where to go or what to do when you have to plan a wedding, and this causes three major problems. First, you may wind up paying too much for services because you do not have a proper frame of reference about price. Secondly, you could hire individuals who are not qualified at the level necessary for the job because you do not know what questions to ask or what to look for in a professional company. Lastly, by choosing to handle the planning process yourself, you may forget some crucial aspect you need for the big day, simply because you have never done this before. Every wedding planner will have a checklist of the services and goods you need to make your wedding a success. A qualified wedding planner should be familiar with service providers in your area, and can help you choose the best deals. With a wedding planner, nothing will go overlooked at your wedding or reception.

Wedding planners can get deals.

In many cases, wedding planners have deals with service providers like photographers and bakers. As part of the deal, they promise to use these people for a certain number of weddings if they give them a break on the price. Wedding planners can pass that savings of on to you, helping you get more for you money. Even if there are not any specific deals in the works, wedding planners usually know where to go for the best low-budget options and can alert you to sales and other places where you may find financial breaks.

With a wedding planner, you will have more time for yourself.

It is important to remember that just because you hire a wedding planner it does not mean that you won't have to do anything. Ultimately, wedding planners do not make decisions; they just present the top decisions to your and your spouse-to-be. However, the wedding planner takes care of the behind the scenes work, such as ordering items and reminding providers about the dates. The two weeks before your wedding might be very stressful for you emotionally, so having a wedding planner helps you have a little more time to yourself to prepare for your big day.

Wedding planners can help everyone stay on the page.

With dozens of decisions to be made, tempers can often flair between brides and grooms about wedding plans. What flavor cake should you order? What song should you use for your first dance? Where should you hold the reception? Do you want a religious ceremony? Should kids be allowed at the wedding? The list goes on and on. A wedding planner can be somewhat of a mediator, suggesting great compromises which will keep everyone on the same page. If nothing else, a wedding planner can weigh in on your opinions, helping you understand the other person's perspective.

Your wedding planner can control everything during the wedding and reception.

The wedding planner should attend the wedding and reception, making sure that things happen without any problems. They are working, not guests. This allows your maid of honor and best man to relax and enjoy your special day a bit more. Some of the duties your wedding planner may oversee include the safety of the gifts, the quality of the catering service, making sure the bride does not step on her dress, etc. If there is a problem, you will not have to worry as much about it with a wedding planner in attendance.

Not everyone needs a wedding planner. If you have an extremely involved family and maid of honor, sometimes they can help you get the planning done in a stress-free way weeks before the wedding is set to happen. If your wedding is going to be rather small, you may also be able to plan it yourself. Make no mistake - wedding planners are expensive. However, the service they provide is invaluable, and many couples do not know what they would do if it were not for the tireless work of their wedding planner. If you are interested, you should at least call a few wedding planners to find out more about pricing. Many are happy to talk to you about how you can hire them even with a very small budget.