Ashley Brantner, Lead Planner at First Pick Planning, is an expert on how to make your special day seamless and unforgettable! Read her top ten reasons to hire a Planner for your Lake Tahoe Wedding.
1. Create Your Dream Team of Vendors
Every wedding is unique and because of that, a wedding planner can help you navigate which vendors would be ideal for you and your big day. Having a great team of vendors is the backbone of an amazing wedding! When all of the vendors for a wedding come together and work as a team it’s a huge success! My goal as a wedding planner is to find vendors that work well for my couples’ budgets, style, and personality.
2. Save Time
Weddings seem to happen when you have a million other things going on- from other friends’ weddings, family events, and work. As a planner, my job is to make sure that you can still do all of those things and enjoy your engagement while keeping you on track. I manage almost all communication with vendors to free up my couples’ inbox. Throughout the planning process, my goal is to simplify everything from picking vendors, layouts, florals, design, etc. Providing couples with fewer but more quality options for everything helps simplify the additional work and time they need to spend on it.
3. Attention to Details
Wedding planners are in the wedding industry because they’re detail-oriented and organized! It’s what we enjoy most. Our job is to think through every event we’re coordinating (including events such as the rehearsal dinner and post-wedding brunch) and what’s needed to make them a success. For example, who will have your wedding bands during the ceremony? Before the wedding party walks down the aisle, I make sure that the person who’s been assigned to carry the rings actually has them. This might seem like a small detail but it would be a major catastrophe if the rings weren’t there during that part of the ceremony!
4. New ideas
Weddings can be overwhelming. Pinterest is a wonderful source for wedding inspiration but can sometimes be information overload. You might have no idea at all what you want for your wedding, except that you want it in beautiful Lake Tahoe or at your favorite ski resort like Palisades Tahoe. As a planner, I work with couples to talk about what’s important to them in their lives (why did they decide on the venue? time of year? What do you do as a couple for fun?) That information gives me insight into what’s truly important and I can create some unique ways to incorporate that into your big day. I’ve had couples with so many different interests and it’s always fun trying to include their own personal touch into the wedding. I worked with a couple that met swing dancing and it was a big part of their relationship. In order to include that in the wedding we had a swing band and their swing instructor gave a lesson to the guests!
5. Manage Vendors
Each vendor has its own specific needs and requirements. A wedding planner is there to help streamline this information. I work with my vendors to see what documents/forms they need to be completed, due dates, their timing for the wedding day, and any items needed for the wedding day. For example, a DJ might need a table and linen to be provided by the venue or a power source at a specific spot. My job is to make sure that we’re on the same page from the start of planning through the wedding day.
6. Make your vision come to life!
A planner is there to make your dream wedding come true! This can really only happen if you have the right planner for you. Similar to finding the rest of your vendor team you need to think about your wedding planner as the backbone of the vendor team. If you get along with your planner and have the same vision it will make the planning process that much easier. Think about the initial meeting with a planner as a first date- ask all the questions that you want! The better you know who you’ll be working with over the next year or so will help you make your decision. I always tell couples that a wedding planner is the one non-tangible vendor for your wedding. If you like the person and have a connection that’s a big step towards making your team and wedding dreams come true!
7. Let you and your family enjoy your wedding day to its fullest!
Your wedding day is one of the most exciting days of your life but it also goes by quickly! One of the most important jobs of a wedding planner is on the day itself. There are always last-minute details and maybe even changes that need to be taken care of. The last thing you want to be doing on your big day is worrying about these details or having a family member handle them and not be able to enjoy the day. Let your planner make sure that the DJ knows how to introduce you to the reception (are you changing your last name?) or that all of the candles are lit before guests walk into the reception. Your job is to relax with a glass of champagne!
8. Timeline
Timing is everything for a wedding. You might know what you want to happen during your wedding but aren’t sure how long each activity will take or what order will work best. As a wedding planner, I work with my couples to figure out what’s important for them on their wedding day. Are you planning on doing a cake cutting, parent dances or do you have a band playing during the reception? Once we have this information I create a realistic timeline that keeps all vendors and the wedding party on the same page.
9. Problem-solving
Wedding planning can be complicated which is why a seasoned wedding planner can help navigate any issues during that time. On the wedding day is when a planner’s experience really pays off! The goal is always for a flawless event but we all know that something will come up- no matter how big or small and will need to be dealt with. As a planner, my goal is to always have a solution before going to my couples. The last thing you want to do on your wedding day is to make any big decisions so giving you a quick option for what will work best for the event, timing, etc. makes it easy but keeps the couple in the loop.
10. Budget
One of the biggest things to discuss when planning a wedding is a budget. A wedding is an event of a lifetime and it can get expensive quickly. Due to this people try to find ways to save money and plan it themselves because they think hiring a planner will be too expensive. The opposite is actually true as a wedding planner’s job is to work within your budget and keep you on track. Whether you know what your budget is or just want a sample budget, I work with all types of couples. In order to decide how much of the budget should be allocated for food, linens, florals, favors, cake, etc. I always sit down with my couples and talk about their “must-have” list. Talking through what’s really important to them helps me navigate where we should allocate funds. Based on this I can find them the best vendors in their price range.
If you’re interested in working with Ashley for your big day, contact her at ashley@firstpickplanning.com or at (408) 390-8016
