Why Wedding Planners are Worth their Weight in Gold!

I got married in Ann Arbor, Michigan on May 14th, 2005. (15 years coming up! Woot!) It rained the night before during our rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, but the sun came out just in time for our wedding. It was truly a perfect day with wonderful friends and family. But looking back, there are things we both agree we would do differently if we were to ever get hitched again. 

At the very top of my list, was the fact that we didn’t use a wedding planner. Our wedding was small (only about 80 guests) and at an unusual venue so we thought we could get by. 

But what that meant was, my mother was in charge of making sure the reception venue was set up correctly instead of getting ready with me and the rest of the girls. When she realized that one of our close family members didn’t have a seat for dinner, she was on the hook for making a new seating chart on the day.

It meant my dad was in charge of paying the DJ and reception venue at the end of the night.

My brand new brother- and sister-laws were in charge of loading up our gifts and flowers at the end of the reception. 

What a total bummer!

So now as a wedding professional, with years of experience, there is nothing I appreciate more than working with fellow professionals - photographers, florists, videographers, officiants who have been around the wedding block as many times as the musicians of The Bloom Trio have. 

But the true kings and queens of the wedding professional world, and the ones I really think no couple should go without, are wedding planners. 

I cannot begin to tell you how much we love knowing that there will be a seasoned planner taking care of an event but I’m going to try!

First off is the obvious.

Besides putting together the rehearsal and wedding day timeline, they are the contact person for all the other vendors at the event, taking the work out of your hands. They’ll make sure the florist is arriving on time, the band will have enough plugs for their amps, everyone knows the set up for the reception.

Depending on what kind of planner you get you hire (full planning, month-of, day-of) they will even book trusted vendors for you, look through contracts to make sure you’re not signing something you shouldn’t and take care of all payments. These kind of relationships are invaluable!

But it’s the little things too! 

I love when wedding planners include things in their itinerary like “Appetizers delivered to wedding suite. Rose. IPA.” How amazing is that? A little plate of food delivered to the couple after the ceremony. With drink orders too! That’s not the kind of thing you’d have without one.

But for us as musicians, a wedding planner is even more helpful.

The MOST important moment in a wedding for The Bloom Trio, is the moment we transition from prelude music to the processional music. We must have a clear cue from someone to know when everyone is lined up and ready to go. A thumbs up is what we prefer!

We’ve had couples leave this crucial responsibility to the officiant or members of their wedding party but here is the deal: those people aren’t there to coordinate the event!

Your officiant is there to actually perform the marriage rite. While they’ve probably done plenty of weddings, sometimes officiants are like mine: a friend of the family, just there for the day. This might be their first and only wedding too!  You don’t need to put that kind of pressure on them.

Same goes for a member of the wedding party. They are there to celebrate with you. To stand beside you as an important person in your life. They might be distracted by their own worries: Did my plus one get a good seat? Does my BFF bride have any tissues? I really shouldn’t have had that 3rd pre-ceremony cocktail…

They are there for you! Not to be master of ceremonies.

This also happens when you ask your mother or mother-in-law-to-be take care of these sort of things! I can’t tell you the number of poor moms I’ve had to hunt down, pre-ceremony to ask about cues or changes in order, only for her to be distracted by a hundred other things.

Trust me. Mama was not having a good time. 

Wedding planners not only will give us the cue when time is just right, they’ll also know (thanks to their experience!) where we should sit, how to help us have the best view, where we can find some shade, are able to get us extra chairs for the cocktail hour site etc. etc. The list goes on!

Trust me, I know budget is an issue for most weddings and spending that extra cost of a wedding planner might seem like a lot. But I promise you - not only will it allow you, your wedding party, your family and your guests enjoy their day more, it will absolutely make the other professional vendors you’ve hired for the day happier too!

We are lucky to live in an area that has many great wedding planners to choose from! Check out our IG for some suggestions for The Bloom Trio’s faves. :)