Thinking About Hiring A Wedding Planner? This Blog is for You!
Have you been tossing around the idea of hiring a wedding planner? Are you confused on the difference between a planner and coordinator? Trying to figure out if hiring a planner will be worth it?
If you said yes to any of those questions, this blog post is for you!
I want you to meet Micah from Bridges and Co. She is a wedding planner that serves the Central Texas area. She is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, and she’s here to answer your questions about wedding planning. From coordinating vs planning, to budget, to planning tips, Micah tells you everything you need to know.
Micah Bridges of Bridges and Co.
Can you introduce yourself and your business?
My name is Micah Bridges and I am the owner of Bridges & Co, a full service event & wedding planning company that I started early 2021, but began dreaming of early 2020! I am a Coach’s wife, dog mom to Bonnie Lou, and an Aggie. When I’m not planning events, I am hanging with my dog, supporting my husband at baseball or football games, reading, embroidering, or antique shopping. We live in Bertram, TX, a small town north of Austin, but I have served the Austin, Fredericksburg, San Antonio, and even Dallas area for weddings.
How long have you been a wedding planner?
I have been a wedding planner for a little over a year now. Before I began Bridges & Co. I received my online certification for event & wedding planning and assisted other planners for about 6 months. I also did corporate events for almost two years before that.
What made you want to become a wedding planner?
Before I even thought about doing weddings, I was a corporate event planner for two years for Texas A&M. It was through this job, and planning my own wedding, that made me realize my love for events. During COVID, all of our corporate events were cancelled. That is when I decided to take the leap of faith and start my own business mainly focusing on weddings and other private events.
What is the difference between a coordinator and planner?
This is a great question that I feel like a lot of people do not know how to define. I believe event planners are more involved in the preparation, and coordinators are more prevalent on the day of the event. Planners can help with decor, theme, and the design of the event, the creative side. Coordinators execute the timeline and details as efficiently as possible. I consider myself both, and pretty much all planners do, depending on which package you select. For my bigger packages, I can help with the design and vendor selection. But my month of coordination package I help more with the timeline & execution. I do think one last important thing to bring to light is this. Even though we are called “planners” we do not make any vendor selections without our client’s permission. This might be a no brainer to some, but this seriously confused me when I was getting married lol. I told my mom that I didn’t want a random lady choosing things for MY wedding, which now I know is not the case.
Why do I need a coordinator or planner when I have a venue coordinator?
I’m SO glad you asked!! A venue coordinator is in charge of everything regarding the venue! Think layout, AC/heater, lighting, literally everything to do with the venue, I know I’m forgetting a ton of stuff. Coordinators/planners are more couple, timeline, and details focused. We are there for YOU. We make sure everything is on time and running smoothly, while also supporting the couple throughout the whole day. My job is always so much easier when there is a venue manager on site, because well, I do not work at these venues and don’t always know the ins and outs of the place. I also would not want a venue manager doing my job just simply because they have not put in all the preparation and planning that I have done to know my couples and know how they want the day to look. BOTH are equally as important to ensure you have a seamless day.
What is the ideal timeline for planning a wedding?
I would say the ideal timeline has changed just in the past year. Before I would’ve said 9 months to a year is sufficient, but now I would say a year at least. The reason the answer has changed is due to the state that the world is in. COVID really slowed down the industry for a while, and now that weddings are picking back up all vendors are SWAMPED and super busy. They are booking up faster than ever before. Obviously, every couple and every wedding will be different. But if you want specific vendors, and have your heart set on certain things, I’d start reaching out to people as soon as you can. I do believe though that this answer is a personal opinion to an extent. I have seen couples plan a wedding in 2 months, even after COVID changed everything. Again, it just depends how picky you are about the vendors that you can book.
Why is a budget important? What is a feasible budget?
This is also something that has changed over the years! The wedding industry is bigger and more expensive than ever before! A budget is extremely important for obvious reasons, but not just any budget. Because of how large this industry is, a REALISTIC budget is key. My dad thought that we could get married for 10k...in 2020. We quickly learned and informed him that the kind of big wedding we wanted to have was just not possible for that number. Obviously, there are compromises that can be made in different areas, and the overall price can be significantly lower if you have a smaller wedding, so every wedding is a little different. I’d say average cost right now is around 25k-30k, and up. Luxury weddings are around 100k. Again, lower is doable too, if you are willing to compromise in some areas. Do remember though, that you get what you pay for. If you want a smooth wedding, cheaper is not always better if you are able to afford it.
What budget saving tips do you have for brides?
Before you book anything for your wedding, list what is the most important to the least important to you in terms of your vendors. Maybe you want a gourmet plated meal, but the cake/dessert is not that important to you at all. Or you want to go all out on your photographer, but are willing to compromise with your attire. This will change with every bride & groom and there is no right or wrong answer. Once you know what’s important to you, then you can allocate your budget differently to these areas. Do keep in mind that venues are usually around 40% of your budget, and will be more expensive than you expect. I also advise that you have around 10-15% of your budget set aside for emergencies or things you might be forgetting. And without sounding biased lol, do yourself a favor and include a planner in your budget. It will take so much stress off of you! There are also ways to save money on your cake. You can have some layers be faux, and have sheet cakes in the back that can already be cut up and ready to serve to guests. Another thing that can really save you money that is just a personal opinion of mine: You do not need favors haha. You just threw all of your guests a fun dance/dinner party, they do not need another koozie or candle that they are just going to forget lol. There are also so many other ways to save, but again, it just depends on your preferences and what’s important to you.
If hiring a planner isn’t in the budget, what can brides do to make wedding planning a little easier?
There are resources all over the internet that can help you, you just have to search for it. Find free templates and check lists! Also, the vendors that you are able to afford have so much wisdom and knowledge about the industry, so don’t hesitate to reach out to them with any questions. Another thing, try booking an all-inclusive venue that has a planner included. I will say this though, if you can’t afford a planner to help you design your wedding or book vendors, you should at least consider a month of coordinator. It is completely different to have a professional in charge on the day of then your aunt or friend who might end up drunk and don’t actually know what they are doing. And besides, your friends/family also want to enjoy your wedding, and probably don’t want to be responsible for things like that. There is a reason that we pay people to do this, it is so worth it.
What is one thing you wished every bride knew about wedding planners?
There are a few things, and I will try to not sound mean or biased haha. The first thing is this, we are so grateful that you chose us, but you are not our only bride. We WILL make sure we get everything done for you in a timely manner, but we can’t text or answer the phone immediately all the time. We are also busy having a life and helping some of our other clients. This leads to the next thing, please trust us! It is 100% okay to ask questions and voice your concerns, but it is very hard for us to successfully do our jobs when we are being micro-managed. I also want people to know that “Day-of Coordination” is NOT a thing. There is still a lot of preparation that goes into month-of coordination. We call your vendors to give and receive any last minute info, create a bomb timeline, and then execute that timeline on the day of. You cannot expect any planner to just show up on the day of having never spoken to any vendors before. If a planner advertises themselves as a day of coordinator, they either do not know what they are doing, or they are lying about all the work that goes into the day of. The last thing is this, planners are SO worth it. Before I even began doing weddings, my mom and I agreed that our planner was the BEST thing we spent our money on for my wedding. Hands down, and we’d do it again and pay her EVEN MORE. And this leads me to the last thing, and it might be a hot take. Planners/coordinators are one of the vendors that do the most for your wedding, but are paid the least, or are at least expected to be the cheapest. Please don’t undervalue a planner that knows what they’re doing, it will be the difference between an ok wedding and a great wedding that you and your guests genuinely enjoy and want to remember.
What services do you offer to your brides?
I currently have three wedding packages that are great no matter what stage of the planning process you might be in. Month of coordination, partial planning, and all inclusive. Month of Coordination is great for you if you have the time and the desire to book your own vendors, but need a professional to step in a month before to finalize the details, create an amazing timeline, and then execute it on the day of. Partial Planning is great for you if you have somewhat of a vision and have booked some vendors, but need someone to help you find the rest of your vendors to bring that vision to life. I will help you find and book the remainder of your vendors, as well as everything in the month of coordination package. Lastly, All Inclusive is great for you if you need help from the very start. I will help you design your vision, book your vendors, and help you stay on budget!
