I get it. Weddings are expensive. The last thing you need is someone (me) telling you to spend more money.
Yet, here I am.
My name is Ashley Kidder and I firmly believe you should hire a wedding planner/coordinator for your day.
Hear me out — I promise you this is worth the extra cost!
It’s been almost a decade since I began my career as a Denver wedding photographer. In that time, I’ve shot well over a hundred weddings across the globe; some as far away as India, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and some as close as a mile away from my home in the Highlands.
In all that time, I’ve heard a massive amount of feedback from my couples. Custom bowties for the groom and groomsmen? Green light! Plated meals that take too long and serve too little to guests? Pass. Volkswagen bus photo booths? Obviously yes! Waiting until the last minute to do your DIY table centerpieces? No, thanks.
Out of all these responses from past couples, there has always been one single theme that has rung true for nearly all my clients, which is why I’m writing this blog post today.
This is what they say:
If you haven’t hired a wedding planner or month-of coordinator for your day, do it now.
Why the bold statement? For one, I trust what my clients say about their wedding day experiences. And two, I’ve seen it first-hand how (a) beneficial it can be to have a planner onsite for the wedding and conversely, (b) how challenging it can be to go without.
I’d like to break down the top 10 reasons as to why I believe you should absolutely hire either a wedding planner or a month-of coordinator for your wedding day.
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^Brilliant styling + set-up from Kate with Bello and Blue Events for Stephanie + Jessica’s industrial wedding at MOSS Denver
1) Two words: vendor coordination. This means you don’t have to worry about when the flowers are being dropped off and where they’re being delivered. Vendor coordination is something that will be delegated away from VIPs like you, your fiancé(e), your mom, your sister, your cousin, etc. Your wedding day is something that everyone should be able to enjoy, free of worrying about things like when and where catering will be setting up for the evening.
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^Gorgeous florals + invitation from a wedding with Kimberly Rose Events at the St. Julien Hotel and Spa for Bailey + Jon
2) You won’t have to worry about creating a timeline of events. Wedding pros like a planner or coordinator have been doing this awhile. They know how long it will take to do the first look, how long family photos will last, and how long it will take to seat guests after cocktail hour is over. It is super helpful to have them craft your timeline for you so that you have enough time to let each event of the day unfold without feeling rushed. That’s the last thing you want to feel on your wedding day!
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^Donnah with Poised Events helped create a spacious timeline so that Calandra + Langston were able to go off-site to do their bridal portraits at Hudson Gardens
3) Their full-court vision is worth every penny. Depending on the package you book with them, planners can bring their creative expertise to the table when it comes to ceremony and reception décor. If you’re looking for someone to bring your theme to life from the start of the event til the last song plays, choosing a package that includes design may be something to consider.
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^Look at this room! Lilli with Sweetly Paired transformed Brandy + David’s Stanley Hotel wedding reception into a stunning fall affair (those are velvet tablecloths by the way, nbd)
4) If something goes amiss, they’re there to troubleshoot. Things go wrong on wedding days. I see it at almost every wedding I shoot. It’s inevitable. The question you have to ask yourself is — do you want to be the one on the front lines handling every issue that arises? If you don’t have a planner/coordinator, chances are you’re going to have to figure out how to deal with the little issues that come up yourself, or pass the task off to a VIP.
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^Kim with Radiant Events helped bring together a cozy + intimate wedding at the Studios at Overland Crossing for Elaine + Thatcher
5) They know the best vendors for you. Google can be overwhelming. A quick search for “Denver wedding cakes” returned 11 million results in less than one second. Dang! That is a lot of cake action to sort through. Wedding planning can be extremely stressful and can occupy an excess of your time. You already have your job, social life, and hobbies to worry about — why take more time than needed to sift through pages and pages of Google results for the right vendor? A planner will take your feedback on what kind of cake/photographer/catering/etc. that you want and will know just the right person for it, as not all wedding vendors have the same vision/style/options.
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^Michelle with Brindle + Oak knew just the right styling for this bangin bridal party, from hair + makeup to accessories to floral design
6) A destination wedding or elopement will be so much easier. If you’re having a destination event, whether it’s a full-blown wedding or a more intimate elopement, having someone on the inside will help your planning immensely. Need a small restaurant for 20 people for the reception? A planner will know where to book. Looking for a ceremony spot that has incredible mountain vistas over a lake? A planner has your back. They are there to be a resource for you and make your life easier.
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^Lilli (again!) with Sweetly Paired coordinated a stunning destination wedding for Elissa + Jeremy (from Phoenix, AZ) at Sapphire Point this summer
7) They’ve already thought of every minute detail that you’ll need to worry about. Linen colors. Napkin style. Passed appetizers vs. stations. Sweetheart table vs. head table. How many cupcakes will you need for guests? How much alcohol should you budget for your cocktail hour? All of these questions are pesky little details that you might not be aware of until the last minute, adding to your stress load. A pro will have all these questions ready to go for you and will take care of the fine print.
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^Lilli (can you tell we work together a lot?!) with Sweetly Paired designed this glitzy AF head table for Carley + Karli at Cielo Castle Pines
8) Your ceremony décor will be bangin. Unless you have that handy AF uncle or brother who can make a dining table out of just a few toothpicks and a Q-tip for you à la McGyver, it’s a great idea to hire a planner to spruce up your ceremony design. A popular option nowadays is a wooden arbor with stunning floral designs. Often times, these pieces take a hot minute to assemble and are no small task. I definitely recommend outsourcing this so no one in your immediate circle on the wedding day has to worry about assembly and presentation.
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^Lilli (are you surprised?!) with Sweetly Paired assembled this show-stopping ceremony altar piece for Morgan + Kevin at the Colorado Golf Club
9) Escape in your getaway car at the end of the night and worry about nothing back at the reception. I’ve seen many weddings where the DJ has cut the music and the only sound I hear is bridesmaids and groomsmen rushing back and forth cleaning up the reception hall. Why not let them head straight to the after-party and let the planner or coordinator help break down the reception?
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^Jessica with Pink Champagne Events crafted a simple but elegant private dining room for Melanie + Sean at Coohills Restaurant in downtown Denver
10) They can save you cash! Because planners know the inside track and have all sorts of vendor connections, it’s possible that they can hook you up with discounts for using certain vendors or websites. They also might have the option to get things at wholesale prices for you. This, however, is a total bonus and shouldn’t be automatically expected.
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^From Kate + Dan’s wedding with Sara Brown Weddings at Denver’s inimitable Union Station
Have I convinced you yet?!
I want the absolute best for my clients and that includes having as stress-free of a wedding day as possible. I hope this article has helped give you a bit of perspective on why it might be a good idea to splurge and spend a little more on hiring one of the many amazing Denver wedding planners in this city.
-Ash
If you are looking for phenomenal Denver wedding planners, look no further. Here is an easy-to-reference list of all awesome planners featured in this post:
