Sarah Haywood is the ‘Wedding Doctor’ and author of the UK’s best selling bridal book the Wedding Bible. She regularly appears on TV and radio in the UK and abroad. Her weddings are featured in bridal and celebrity magazines. Here she speaks about why you should consider hiring a professional wedding planner.

A wedding planner’s job is to transform your dreams into reality. It is our task to manage your expectations and within your budget. You have the control and we remove the pressure, responsibility, stress and last minute panics. Nothing is left to chance. We are your guarantee that come the big day everything will be in place, leaving you free to enjoy your celebration. Even the simplest, smallest weddings require hours of detailed planning.

A wedding organizer is your event PA: we manage the mountain of paperwork, the endless e-mails and perpetual phone calls. We keep everything on budget and to time. We are also there to iron out any conflict and stresses that can occur when families cannot agree! Sometimes just having a wedding ‘agony aunt’ that everyone feels they can talk to avoids the conflict altogether as everyone feels they have been heard. We can also sometimes help mediate if things do get out of control. If you are planning a multi-cultural event this can be especially helpful.

Often venues have onsite wedding co-ordinators whose services are covered in the hire fee. They are usually good at their job, know their venue inside out and can recommend favoured suppliers. But they are employed by the venue, not you. An independent professional wedding consultant will offer a more personal, bespoke, detailed and all-inclusive level of service. We have good contacts, good local knowledge and use tried, tested and trusted venues and suppliers. Many of us are also surprisingly cost efficient, often securing discounts that go a good way toward covering our fees. That’s because venues and suppliers usually like working with us. They know they’ll be kept informed, that access and delivery times will be accurate and honoured on-the-day, that they’ll be paid on time and that there is a middle-person helping the bride and groom make the crucial decisions saving them time (which in most businesses means money). Additionally, we bring repeat business to suppliers and venues.

Wedding planners keep abreast of the latest wedding trends, can advise on costs, negotiate contracts and secure you the best deals ensuring you get value for money. We can do as much or as little as you choose. Sometimes we are hired to assist with a specific aspect or aspects, such as finding a venue or sourcing suppliers. For this service you’ll likely be charged a flat fee or an hourly rate. Or we can offer full event management when we take care of everything - right down to organizing your wardrobes, sending the invitations, booking the honeymoon and having your bags sent to your hotel room on your wedding night. We can work around your schedule, bring suppliers to you, hold your hand through dress fittings and menu tastings and make sure everything is perfect and everyone is happy on-the-day.

It is essential that a wedding consultant or planner comes with a recommendation. If you admired a friend’s wedding and hear they secured the services of a wedding planner, immediately take their telephone number! Alternatively ask for a referral from suppliers such as florists, photographers or caterers who regularly work alongside wedding planners.

Questions to ask a wedding planner would include how may weddings they have worked on before, how many they are working on now, what their budgets were, what range of services they can offer, how they charge and when payments are due. Ask how and when they’ll keep in contact with you and how often you can meet. Ask to see photographs of weddings they’ve organized and recent references from couples they’ve worked with. It is essential that you like the person or people to whom you entrust your day, so ensure you meet them before hiring them and are confident you can work together. After the initial consultation you should expect to receive a detailed list of what needs to be organized and what it will cost. A contract should then be forthcoming with everything you have agreed stated in writing.

To see more about Sarah Hawyood Weddings & Events visit www.sarahhaywood.co.uk