In my experience, brides who get the most accomplished are well organized and know how to effectively prioritize their planning activities. And that starts with a good checklist. Here are some tips on what to look for in a good wedding planning checklist, and how it can save you time and money if used properly.
A wedding checklist is a fantastic way of keeping track of all the nitty-gritty details of planning a wedding. Checklists in general have always been a good way for people to stay on top of their events and activities.
In fact, every wedding planner has a very large and very detailed wedding checklist that they use to keep track of everything that must get done for your big day to be a success. Although you might feel overwhelmed at the very thought of organizing your own wedding and have your wedding planner contact information at your fingertips, know that planning nuptials is no harder that planning a big party. As long as you keep track of what you need to do, there is no need for you to hire a wedding planner to help with your big day.
Let's look at what you get when you compare a wedding checklist versus a wedding planner.
Wedding ChecklistChecklists will break down all of the tasks you need to accomplish into small and easily digested parts. Not only will your wedding checklist show you all that needs to be done from the hiring of caterers to choosing the flower arrangements to match the bridal party dresses, but it will also include a convenient timeline so that you can see when you need to call certain providers to confirm their services.
The best part about a wedding checklist is that it's free. You do not have to pay to get a wedding checklist. In fact, you can create one yourself. The worst part about a wedding checklist is that you will have to do all of the work yourself. You will have to put in the legwork when it comes to calling around, making arrangements, booking things and making sure that others have done their part.
Wedding PlannerYour wedding planner will basically take all of the responsibility for planning your wedding out of your hands. Some will go so far as to arrange for a selection of dresses to be delivered to your home so that you can make your dress selection in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
A wedding planner will make sure that on your wedding day everything goes smoothly. They will oversee the photographers, caterers, musicians, etc... and they will handle all the payments. Your wedding planner will also trouble shoot and make arrangements for any eventuality.
On the downside, a wedding planner costs a lot of money. Typically, wedding planners charge a percentage of the wedding's total cost for their services. However, for that money, you get the peace-of-mind of knowing that your wedding will be a smashing success without having to do any of the leg work.
Deciding on whether you should hire a wedding planner or get yourself a good wedding checklist and do the work yourself will depend on your budget, how much you are willing to work and how much control you are willing to give up. In the end, regardless of the option you choose, your wedding should be a success.
As you can see, whether you decide to use the services of a wedding planner or follow your own wedding planning checklist depends on your time, skills and resources. No matter which route you go, developing the habit of making, and following, a checklist will make the planning process a lot smoother.
----------------------------Mike Barlow writes for Checklist site - the best online collection of checklists. Get your own moving checklist, business startup checklist, wedding checklist and many more. Revise it according to your personal needs and get things done!
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