Many people hire a wedding planner to help organize their wedding. A wedding planner is also called a wedding consultant or a wedding coordinator. These people have already done all the research for planning a wedding. They know what services are available in your area and where the best deals are. Wedding planners can steer you to the people who have experience and who best suit your needs. A wedding planner can save you a lot of time in planning a wedding and prevent a great deal of frustration. If you have less than a year to organize your wedding, you may want to hire a planner because they will be able to help make all the arrangements in a short amount of time. This may be the best option if both the bride and groom have careers and don't have a lot of time to plan their wedding.

Talk to your friends and family who have used wedding planners to get recommendations. Once you find a few wedding planners you like, call them to set up a meeting to make sure they suit your needs. It is a great idea to ask potential wedding consultants for references and actually call to check their references. Make sure they have had experience planning weddings similar to your own. Be sure to clearly state your expectations and needs, so that you and your wedding planner are on the same page. The wedding planner should not take over your wedding, but help you create your ideal wedding. Before you commit to a wedding planner, find out if they are paid a flat rate, by the hour, or by a percentage of the total wedding cost. It is more affordable if the wedding planner is paid by the hour or a flat rate. If they are paid a percentage of the total wedding cost, they may want you to have a more expensive wedding because that means they will get paid more money. Some reception halls offer their wedding planners for free. But reception halls usually only have one planner working for them, leaving you with no choice if you dislike him/her.

The wedding planner is there to help you and make suggestions. They can help with the design and theme of the wedding, answer etiquette questions, and help book a florist, caterer, and wedding reception site. They are a liaison between you and your vendors. Wedding planners also know where to find the deals. Sometimes hotels use their restaurant for catering, and this may be a cheaper option than booking another similar hotel and caterer.