Dear Readers,
Hey there! Elton here…just wanted to say how glad I am that the We Wed Bridal Show has finally come and gone and how proud I am that it was a complete success. My guesstimate is that about 1000-1500 attendees came to mingle with our vendors, listen to our seminars, watch the fashion shows, and some even walked away with one of the three grand prizes (each of upwards of $1000 value). Our girls worked very hard to bring this show to you and I would like to take this opportunity to commend them for a job well done. We even had Tracey and Danielle from the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada (WPIC) join us for the fun!
We haven’t done many trade shows in the past, but it’s good to get out there once in a while and talk to couples about planning their wedding. Every time we talk about wedding planners it really gets my heart pumping. This is coming from a person whose wife is a planner, who also had WPIC certified friends and family help with his own wedding, hired an additional foreign planner the non-English speaking vendors, and still ended up wishing there were more planners around. It’s THAT stressful!
So why should you hire a wedding planner? Unless you’ve got loads of money and/or no time, most couples prefer not to use a planner and instead spend that extra $$$ on making their existing wedding better. They can’t make their own decorations, grow their own flowers, or cook their own food, but they can definitely plan their own wedding and buy all the things they need themselves. So what’s the point in using a wedding planner?
If it’s numbers you’re worried about, let me break it down for you.
An average couple spends around 250 hours planning for their wedding (without a planner). A planner can potentially save the couple 80% of that time. So how much is 200 hours of your time worth?
On average, our planners spend 60+ hours on each wedding. This doesn’t include the cost and time of travelling to dozens of vendors with you to get exactly the vendor you’re looking for.
Last but not least, WPIC certified planners can potentially save you lots of money. Why? If you go buy a wedding gown, ask for chair covers and table linens, or buy a wedding cake, how much discount do you expect the vendor to give you? Weddings are a business too, and the recurring customers always have a higher chance of getting better deals. WPIC planners, such as Devoted to You, have an even higher chance of getting discounts; because there are over 1000 WPIC planners, and most of them share reviews, discounts, and experiences with others on their board. I’m not a pro at running a business, but if I was a vendor I would seriously consider keeping a good relationship with these planners, especially if they’re going to be bringing me more customers over time and telling other planners about me. Of course, there is no guarantee you’ll get a discount, it’s just a good to have. If we’re lucky, you may even find vendors who’ll give you enough discounts that will make up for the cost of the planner! Now that’s value!
These are just a few reasons why you should hire a planner. There are plenty more, but I won’t bore you with them. If you want to know more, drop us a line!
Cheers for now,
Elton
