To truly understand the role of a wedding planner, one should take a step back to look at how weddings were celebrated in our country.

At first thought, hiring a wedding planner might seem like a luxurious splurge. Moreover, there is always a debate on whether they could truly be of help or are merely a hindrance.

To truly understand the role of a wedding planner, one should take a step back to look at how weddings were celebrated in our country. 

You’d agree that traditionally in India, the extended family would get together on the occasion of a family wedding. They would all work together to make arrangements and enjoy the wedding as one big unit. Every aunt, uncle, cousin and sibling had a responsibility to play during the celebration.

However, much has changed over the years. Today, every millennial or Gen Z has their version of what they deem to be their dream wedding. Some want a simple, no-frills wedding; while some wish to go the traditional route & some will leave no stone unturned to make it an extravagant affair.

So, if you ask me, wedding planners are like any other professionals who provide services at a fee. In this case, to make your dream wedding a reality. And if you make the decision of hiring one, a wedding planner could be the best investment for your big day. The quick checklist below should help you with your decision:

1. Do I need a wedding planner?

Well, if you’re thinking of it, it means you need it. Weddings can be done without a wedding planner but if you wish to give life to all your ideas and thoughts – you will need help of a professional wedding planning agency.

2. Why do I need a wedding planner?

Think of it as hiring a professional to take away all your headaches related to planning, co-ordinating and overseeing preparations. This leaves you time to enjoy yourself and remain calm during your BIG DAY! It will even allows your family to relax and celebrate with you because they are not the ones doing all the running around to see that everything is perfect for your big day.
 Also, believe it or not, a wedding planner can be the gatekeeper to accessing the top vendors for your big day. They have built a number of contacts over the years, and the relationships they have can be leveraged to your benefit.

3. What is the budget required to even involve a wedding planner?

It is a myth that wedding planners are expensive. It all depends on the scale of the wedding. A simple wedding with a minimum set-up can happen with a fee as low as Rs 5,00,000. With decoration, sound, lights, etc. a typical decent expense can vary from Rs 8,00,000 to even a crore and more depending on the scale of the wedding. We at Fabled Weddings – a division of Fabled Minds MICE & Events have managed a wedding in 5 lacs and as grand as a few crores.

4. What are the big variables that impact the budget/cost of a wedding?

This is one of the best questions to think about. The big sub-head costs in a wedding come from the following – Hotel, Food, Beverage, Decoration, Sound, Lights, Creativity, Personalization, Gifts & Artists. Once you have taken care of these, one goes to finer details like dresses, experiences, messaging, ceremonies, level of artist/celebrity and if any specific requirement from bride, groom or their families.

5. What is the budget to set aside for wedding planners?

We’re not going to sugar-coat it for you: staying on budget is more difficult than it seems. Today, you have multiple wedding planners and dedicated event agencies managing just weddings. Typically, fees of wedding planners will depend on the scale of the wedding and hence it is important to first decide the scale that you are operating within. Still, if you have to keep a budget aside – it is safe to put a budget of 10-15 per cent of the expenses and that should give you a decent wedding planner. Of course, if you go with more renowned wedding planners, the fees will be higher.

6. Does a wedding planner = a decorator?

No, wedding planners do much more than decoration. Wedding planners can take over decorations as one of the important services but that is only a part of their job; not the complete wedding management. Most wedding planners are transparent to even partner with some of the services already decided by the groom or bride. In my experience, I have seen when one of the partners wants a certain service because they trust him/her. It becomes important for wedding planners to accept that choice and work with them and get the best quality output for the couple.

To summarise, wedding planners can be your biggest strength if you wish to appoint somebody to professionally manage your big day. They can become a hindrance if you don’t trust them. With this article, my objective is to clarify the myths around Wedding planning but yours will be the final decision.

The author of this article is Aashish Walia – Director and Partner at Fabled Minds MICE & Events.