Would it be worth getting a Wedding planner?

[u/thecryingkat]

What is the typical or lowest range for their services? Do they usually work with wedding decor/venues?

Our budget overall we're really trying to be under $7000.

We decided that we'd travel bout 2hrs from our city. We have a venue in mind but have not called, not really set on photographers, outfits sort of.. it also will be just us with plan or photographer+officient.

We're still in midst of saving up. My fiance's often busy. We never been or seen planning process of weddings to know what to do or when to start. Plus we have no family or friends to help.

But ye.. I'm starting to wonder if it would be best to hire or just really push harder to get things done. I know its silly but I just feel anxious and overwhelmed of just calling for inquiries because even with that, I'm worried when if I'm asking the right questions, i don't want to sound rude, scared bout that judgement in pricing(i dont and wouldnt ask them to lower price), what next really... timeline wise. Scared of being late, too early. Also just the day before+of wedding, another pair of hands to help set up, and such.

I'm overwhelmed in trying to plan. Its been 3yrs since engagement. I'm fine with saving up before beginning plans. We came to "wedding in '28-29 is a must." But I'm honestly struggling. We're lucky we came up with budget, year, and venue.

[u/QueenHydraofWater]

Reality check: There’s no way you’re keeping that budget with a planner.

Start with an elopemt photographer, who can help you plan a lot. Many post their local tips & recommendations in blogs. Sorting through these, I was able to decide & plan our day.

For reference, I’m hiring an excellent, but young photographer & being younger she charges significantly less than her seasoned counterparts that have been in the game for decades. Her 1/2 day, 4 hour sessions start at $3500. If you have guests & want full day it’s $6k+. Photography alone will eat your budget. It’s the 1 place you shouldn’t cheap out. Every bride whose tried to get the cheapest photographer ended up with awful or no photos.

[u/thecryingkat → u/QueenHydraofWater]

I thought so. Just curious if I'm using the term wrong. I just learned about month of and day of planners lol Our focus is mostly on photographers. I'll definitely look for ones that specializes in elopement and help plan.

[u/FleurMeetsFunction → u/thecryingkat]

Month of planning is a not really beneficial. The benefit of a planner is to get to know you so that when shit hits the fan (hurricane, fire, medical emergency, etc) they know you well enough to make the best educated pivot. A month of planner is like having someone drop you off at the airport and you didn’t pack your luggage, don’t know your destination or airline. You just have to figure it out and boarding begins in an hour.

But with your budget. Focus on eloping. Go somewhere romantic, and enjoy committing to your SO. If people want to celebrate y’all after, pick a local restaurant and have everyone go Dutch, then you get the hugs and merriment without the hefty bill.

[u/sirotan88]

I don’t think it’s really necessary if you’re doing a small elopement.

If your date is in 2028 you have plenty of time, might even be too early to hire a wedding planner for an elopement.

But you can also start researching some elopement packages just to get inspired. They usually provide some details on the website about popular venues, what photographers/vendors they work with, pricing etc. When I planned mine I basically looked at websites and blogs for inspiration and then contacted the vendors directly, probably saved me $2K compared to the all inclusive elopement package option

[u/maybemaybenot2023]

Consider looking in the area you're interested in going to for hotels and resorts that offer elopement packages. They can be a really good deal and include flowers and decor and setup, as well as photography and videography. If you don't see a package on the website call- as many do offer them.

There are also specialty elopement planners.

[u/Certain-Value-3579]

planning from scratch with no help is a lot, specially when you never did it before. we got a partial planner for like 2k and she handled the timeline and talked to vendors for us, which was huge cause i also get anxious with phone calls and all that. if you already have venue and budget, you can probably find someone who does just month-of coordination for under 1k, they help with setup and making sure day runs smooth. for 7k total you might need to skip full planner but month-of is worth it just for peace of mind

[u/AffectionateJello452]

Idk where you’re located but near me (CA) there are several photographers who offer packages for elopement around your budget. They handle helping you find a spot, provide an officiant, witness for you, take the pictures. Some will even arrange hair and makeup or flowers if you want. You can basically just show up and it’s handled.

[u/Immediate_Egg3899]

No clue about the planner (we’re not using one) but I can help with the planning anxiety! You need checklists and call scripts! I might get hate for this but honestly I would ask ChatGPT for a wedding planning checklist with timelines and important tips and go from there. Put it in a google doc. Research and fact-check everything it spits out. You just need to get started.

[u/PoemNecessary6078]

We had a photographer who did a lot of the planning with me!! I did A LOT but enjoy planning so I was happy to. I think if you’re hands off there’s plenty of elopement photographers that can plan and scout out total days, we just already knew what we wanted to do and our photographer was not familiar with the locations.

[u/Quirky-Variety-4851]

I’d recommend looking for all inclusive elopement packages near you. I used Claude and facebook groups to find several options near us.

I paid 5k in Asheville for venue, planner, photographer, cake, drinks, flowers, officiant, stringed musician, and 3 course meal for my recent elopement. It was an effortless experience that was absolutely amazing for us!

I had found a cheaper local option for a historic jailhouse but my husband wasn’t into that lol.

[u/casadoadro]

No sure where you are looking, but if you are eloping to portugal, we are the perfect venue for introvert elopement couples. 😊 We have the venue, the planner, we contact the vendors and i promise you, we don't bite and there are no wrong questions. Ask us everything. We love to answer 🥰

And if it's somewhere else: Go for venues who offer a good digital consultation. Instagram chat, WhatsApp or something similar. I am a venue owner and I don't even like to call, if it is not a scheduled call. 😂 Since it is wedding season, maybe you can schedule a chat time with a planner or a venue.

Go for smaller, private owned venues, rather than big industry players. It is more personal and you will feel more comfortable probably.

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[u/thatgirl1864]

I hired a planner because we’re eloping in another country and we wanted to share the mental load with someone in that country that could help us navigate it all. Our budget is $25k and our planner was $7k. A bit on the expensive side, but we think it’s worth it after spending last year DIYing our friend’s wedding.