How Do We Know If We Need a Wedding Planner?

A wedding planner can help you find your vendors, manage all the logistics on the big day, take care of your wedding to-dos (there are over 150 of them) and in many cases act as your BFF when your mom, fiance and friends stop replying to your emails.

Some experts will suggest that you hire a wedding planner early in the process but you can book someone at any time. You may start planning on your own and then decide a few months in that you need some help or decide the month before that you need help the last few weeks and on the day of. Just know that great planners book up fast and not everyone offers day-of services.

Talk to friends who have worked with a wedding planner about their experience and schedule appointments with a few planners to learn more about their services, prices and how they can help you.

Make sure to check references and view portfolios. Don’t hire someone who you don’t feel comfortable with and make sure you can afford their services. Read the contract carefully so you understand what they will and won’t do.

If a deal seems to good to be true, such as a really low price, it may be someone with limited experience. That doesn’t mean he or she can’t do the job, but double check their references and try to learn as much as you can about their background/experience before signing a contract.

When Should We Have Our Guests Reserve Their Hotel Rooms?

Once you’ve secured a block of rooms you can share the hotel information and discount code with your guests. Post the information on your wedding website and if you’re mailing save-the-date cards, include the details.

The hotel will probably include an end date on the hold in the contract, which will state how long the rooms will be on hold for your guests. Some hotels will cancel the hold on unbooked rooms four weeks before your wedding date to be able to sell them to other customers, so it’s important your guests book their rooms as soon as the information is available.

You may reserve blocks at multiple hotels -- based on price points and style. You can choose both a budget-friendly and high-end option to allow guests to choose the hotel they want.

If you know the hotel is booking up fast don’t be afraid to email or call specific guests to inform them that if they don’t make their reservation soon they may not have a room to book at all.

Do I Really Need to Buy a Wedding Organizer?

No, but it’s important to keep all of your wedding information and inspiration in one place and a wedding organizer will help you do that, as well as help you plan along the way with planning advice and checklists. If you don't buy one you can use a folder and notebook that you keep your vendor notes, ideas and contracts in.

There are a variety of wedding organizers and each one has pros and cons but here are a few things you should look for in one:

Three-Ring Binder: It’s important that you can easily add and remove information and a bound book will not allow you to do that.

Folders & Pockets: Make sure they will fit 8.5” x 11” paper since most notes you’ll be taking and contracts will be printed on that size.

Checklists & Timelines: It’ll be helpful to you to have planning guides to keep track of all the wedding to-dos. You can print them from websites and add them but if they’re already there it’s one less thing for you to do.


Sturdiness: Buy an organizer that will be able to carry all the paper, ribbon, invite samples and other items you want to hold on to. You want a binder that’s strong and not made of paper, plastic or other weak material that may warp or break with the weight.

I recommend The Wedding Organizer  by russell + hazel that I co-authored, but if you visit your local book store you can see a sample of other organizers by Martha Stewart Weddings, Emily Post, Mindy Weiss (available Jan 15th) and theknot.